Is "repentance" a military term?

I've heard preachers say that "repentance" is a military term which means "about-face", but I've searched the Greek word, μετανοέω, in my lexicons none discuss this being a military term. Also, I have a number of commentaries, yet the only one I can find that says it is a military term is The Teacher's Commentary, which I've never heard of and I don't even know what I purchased to get it in my library. I've copied the section below, but it doesn't say much about it.

"Repentance and faith. The word repent is a military term meaning make an about-face. The men to whom Peter spoke had refused to accept Jesus as Lord and Messiah. They had hesitated, then passively participated in His execution. Now they were asked to make a clear-cut commitment and symbolize their response of faith by public baptism. And if they did? Then everything that Jesus’ death and resurrection promised would become theirs: full forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The God they had scorned would welcome even them and, entering their lives, fill them with power to launch out new lives."

Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 767.

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Lee

This question shows off what Logos resources can do!

TLDR - no. "About-face" is not etymologically attested. It is probably a case of "reverse etymology", like that old canard about the "dynamite power" (dynamis) of the Holy Spirit.

For proof, read on.

Lee

LSJ:

μετανοέω, perceive afterwards or too late, opp. προνοέω, Epich. [280]; opp. προβουλεύομαι, Democr.66; concur subsequently, τισι BGU747i11 (ii A.D.).

2. change one’s mind or purpose, Pl.Euthd.279c, Men.Epit.72; μ. μὴ οὔτε .. τῶν χαλεπῶν ἔργων ᾖ τὸ .. ἄρχειν change one’s opinion and think that it is not .., X.Cyr.1.1.3.
3. repent, Antipho 2.4.12; ἐν τοῖς ἀνηκέστοις Id.5.91: freq. in LXX and NT, Si.48.15, al.; ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας Act.Ap.8.22; ἐκ τῶν ἔργων Apoc.9.20; ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ 2Ep.Cor.12.21, cf. OGI751.9 (Amblada, ii B.C.); ἐπί τινι Luc.Salt.84, etc.; περί τινων Plu.Galb.6; τοῖς πεπραγμένοις Id.Agis19: c. part., μ. γενόμενος Ἕλλην Luc.Am.36.
4. c. acc., repent of, τὴν ἄφιξιν J.BJ4.4.5.

DMB

Adding to Lee, per Spicq and then modernized etymologically, Monday morning quaterbacking with a measurable regret.

Lee

M-M:

A few exx. of this important verb can be quoted from our sources—PSI V. 495⁹ (B.C. 258–7) νυνὶ δὲ μετανενόηκεν διὰ τὸ ἐπ[ι]τετιμῆσθαι ὑπὸ κτλ., P Gurob 6³ (B.C. 214) ἐ̣άμπερ μὴ βούλησθε μετανοῆ[σαι—in a broken context, OGIS 751⁹ (ii/B.C.) θεωρῶν οὖν ὑμᾶς μετανενοηκότας τε ἐπὶ τοῖ[ς] προημαρτημένοις (cf. 2 Cor 12:21), BGU III. 747^{i. 11} (A.D. 139) οἰό[μ]ενος με[τ]ανοή[σι]ν (l. μετανοήσειν) ἡμεῖν ἐπῖχό[ν] (l. ἐπεῖχόν) σοι τῷ κυρίῳ δηλῶσαι, P Tebt II. 424⁵ (late iii/A.D.) εἰ μὲν ἐπιμένις σου τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ, συνχέ(= αί)ρω σοι· εἰ δὲ μετανοεῖς, σὺ οἶδας, “if you persist in your folly, I congratulate you; if you repent, you only know” (Edd.), BGU IV. 1024^{iv. 25} (end of iv/A.D.) ὑπὸ γὰ]ρ̣ τοῦ ἐπικιμέν[ου] αὐτῷ ἔρωτος [παρῆλθεν μ]ετανοῶν. In P Lond 89722 (A.D. 84) (= III. p. 207) παρακαλῶι δὲ σὲ εἵνα μὴ μελ̣ανήσης, the editor suggests that for μελ̣ανήσης we may perhaps read μετανήσῃς for μετανοήσῃς. See also Menandrea p. 12⁷² where the verb is used of “change of mind.” Its meaning deepens with Christianity, and in the NT it is more than “repent,” and indicates a complete change of attitude, spiritual and moral, towards God. MGr μετανοιώνω, “repent.”

Lee

BDAG:

μετανοέω fut. μετανοήσω; 1 aor. μετενόησα (ἐμετενόησαν w. double augment ApcEsdr 2:24) (s. next entry; Antiphon+)

① change one’s mind Hv 3, 7, 3; m 11:4 (cp. Diod S 15, 47, 3 μετενόησεν ὁ δῆμος; 17, 5, 1; Epict. 2, 22, 35; Appian, Hann. 35 §151, Mithrid. 58 §238; Stob., Ecl. II 113, 5ff W.; PSI 495, 9 [258 B.C.]; Jos., Vi. 110; 262), then

② feel remorse, repent, be converted (in a variety of relationships and in connection w. varied responsibilities, moral, political, social or religious: X., Hell. 1, 7, 19 οὐ μετανοήσαντες ὕστερον εὑρήσετε σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας τὰ μέγιστα ἐς θεούς τε καὶ ὑμᾶς αὐτούς= instead of realizing too late that you have grossly sinned against the gods; Plut., Vi. Camill. 143 [29, 3], Galba 1055 [6, 4], also Mor. 74c; M. Ant. 8, 2 and 53; Ps.-Lucian, De Salt. 84 μετανοῆσαι ἐφʼ οἷς ἐποίησεν; Herm. Wr. 1, 28; OGI 751, 9 [II B.C.] θεωρῶν οὖν ὑμᾶς μετανενοηκότας τε ἐπὶ τοῖς προημαρτημένοις; SIG 1268, 2, 8 [III B.C.] ἁμαρτὼν μετανόει; PSI 495, 9 [258/257 B.C.]; BGU 747 I, 11; 1024 IV, 25; PTebt 424, 5; Is 46:8; Jer 8:6; Sir 17:24; 48:15; oft. Test12 Patr [s. index]; Philo [s. μετάνοια]; Jos., Bell. 5, 415, Ant. 7, 153; 320; Just.) in (religio-)ethical sense ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ μ. repent in sackcloth and ashes Mt 11:21; Lk 10:13. As a prerequisite for experiencing the Reign of God in the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus Mt 3:2; 4:17; Mk 1:15. As the subject of the disciples’ proclamation 6:12; Ac 17:30; 26:20. Failure to repent leads to destruction Lk 13:3, 5; Mt 11:20 (ἢ … μετανοήσωσιν ἢ ἐπιμείναντες δικαίως κριθῶσι Hippol., Ref. 1, pref. 2). Repentance saves (cp. Philo, Spec. Leg. 1, 239 ὁ μετανοῶν σῴζεται; 253; Just., D. 141, 2 ἐὰν μετανοήσωσι, πάντες … τυχεῖν τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐλέους δύνανται) 12:41; Lk 11:32; cp. 15:7, 10; 16:30. μ. εἰς τὸ κήρυγμά τινος repent at or because of someone’s proclamation Mt 12:41; Lk 11:32 (B-D-F §207, 1; Rob. 593; s. εἰς 10a). W. ἐπί τινι to denote the reason repent of, because of someth. (Chariton 3, 3, 11; Ps.-Lucian, Salt. 84; M. Ant. 8, 2; 10; 53; Jo 2:13; Jon 3:10; 4:2; Am 7:3, 6; Prayer of Manasseh [=Odes 12] 7; TestJud 15:4; Philo, Virt. 180; Jos., Ant. 7, 264; Just., D. 95, 3.—B-D-F §235, 2) ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ of their immorality 2 Cor 12:21. ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν of their sins 1 Cl 7:7 (Just., D. 141, 2; cp. OGI 751, 9f). ἐπί w. subst. inf. foll. MPol 7:3 (Just., D. 123, 6). Also διά τι Hv 3, 7, 2. Since in μ. the negative impulse of turning away is dominant, it is also used w. ἀπό τινος: repent and turn away from someth. ἀπὸ τῆς κακίας (Jer 8:6; Just., D. 109, 1) Ac 8:22 (MWilcox, The Semitisms of Ac, ’65, 102–105). ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας 1 Cl 8:3 (quot. of unknown orig.). Also ἔκ τινος Rv 2:21b, 22; 9:20f; 16:11. W. ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν Ac 26:20. μ. εἰς ἑνότητα θεοῦ turn in repentance to the unity of God (which precludes all disunity) IPhld 8:1b; cp. ISm 9:1. But μ. εἰς τὸ πάθος repent of the way they think about the suffering (of Christ, which the Docetists deny) 5:3. W. inf. foll. Rv 16:9. W. ὅτι foll. repent because or that (Jos., Ant. 2, 315) Hm 10, 2, 3. W. adv. ἀδιστάκτως Hs 8, 10, 3. βραδύτερον Hs 8, 7, 3; 8, 8, 3b. πυκνῶς m 11:4. ταχύ Hs 8, 7, 5; 8, 8, 3a; 5b; 8, 10, 1; 9, 19, 2; 9, 21, 4; 9, 23, 2c. μ. ἐξ ὅλης (τῆς) καρδίας repent w. the whole heart 2 Cl 8:2; 17:1; 19:1; Hv 1, 3, 2; 2, 2, 4; 3, 13, 4b; 4, 2, 5; m 5, 1, 7; 12, 6, 1; Hs 7:4; 8, 11, 3. μ. ἐξ εἰλικρινοῦς καρδίας repent w. a sincere heart 2 Cl 9:8.—The word is found further, and used abs. (Diod S 13, 53, 3; Epict., En 34; Oenomaus [time of Hadrian] in Eus., PE 5, 19, 1 μετανοεῖτε as directive; Philo, Mos. 2, 167 al.; Jos., Ant. 2, 322; Just., D. 12, 2; Theoph. Ant. 3, 24 [p. 254, 17]; εἰ ἤκουσαν μετανοήσαντες, οὐκ ἐπήγετο ὁ κατακλυσμός Did., Gen. 186, 9; ἁμαρτωλὸς … πρὸς το͂ μετανοεῖν πορευόμενος Orig., C. Cels 3, 64, 5) Lk 17:3f; Ac 2:38; 3:19; Rv 2:5a (Vi. Aesopi G 85 P. μετανόησον=take counsel with yourself), vs. 5b, 16, 21; 3:3, 19; 2 Cl 8:1, 2, 3; 13:1; 15:1; 16:1; IPhld 3:2; 8:1a; ISm 4:1; Hv 1, 1, 9; 3, 3, 2; 3, 5, 5; 3, 7, 6; 3, 13, 4a; 5:7; m 4, 1, 5; 7ff; 4, 2, 2; 4, 3, 6; 9:6; 10, 2, 4; 12, 3, 3; Hs 4:4; 6, 1, 3f; 6, 3, 6; 6, 5, 7; 7:2; 4f; 8, 6, 1ff; 8, 7, 2f; 8, 8, 2; 5a; 8, 9, 2; 4; 8, 11, 1f; 9, 14, 1f; 9, 20, 4; 9, 22, 3f; 9, 23, 2; 5; 9, 26, 6; 8; D 10:6; 15:3; PtK 3 p. 15, 11; 27.—S. also MPol 9:2; 11:1f, in the sense regret having become a Christian; AcPl Ha 1, 17.—Windisch, Exc. on 2 Cor 7:10 p. 233f; Norden, Agn. Th. 134ff; FShipham, ET 46, ’35, 277–80; EDietrich, D. Umkehr (Bekehrg. u. Busse) im AT u. im Judent. b. bes. Berücksichtigg. der ntl. Zeit ’36; HPohlmann, D. Metanoia ’38; OMichel, EvTh 5, ’38, 403–14; BPoschmann, Paenitentia secunda ’40, 1–205 (NT and Apost. Fathers).—On the distinctive character of NT usage s. Thompson 28f, s.v. μεταμέλομαι, end.—B. 1123. DELG s.v. νόος. M-M. TW. Spicq.

Paul

I've heard preachers say that "repentance" is a military term which means "about-face", but I've searched the Greek word, μετανοέω, in my lexicons none discuss this being a military term. Also, I have a number of commentaries, yet the only one I can find that says it is a military term is The Teacher's Commentary, which I've never heard of and I don't even know what I purchased to get it in my library. I've copied the section below, but it doesn't say much about it.

"Repentance and faith. The word repent is a military term meaning make an about-face. The men to whom Peter spoke had refused to accept Jesus as Lord and Messiah. They had hesitated, then passively participated in His execution. Now they were asked to make a clear-cut commitment and symbolize their response of faith by public baptism. And if they did? Then everything that Jesus’ death and resurrection promised would become theirs: full forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The God they had scorned would welcome even them and, entering their lives, fill them with power to launch out new lives."

Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 767.

I did a search of my resources and could not find any reference suggesting repentance could be a military term. However, I did find the following comment in an article on repentance in one resource: Repentance is a turnabout, or “about turn” in military terms.

Source: Anthony C. Thiselton, “Repentance, Repent,” The Thiselton Companion to Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2015), 732.

On that basis, while it may not actually be a military term as such, repentance could be likened to an 'about turn' in military parlance.

Perhaps on a similar note, I found that in a discussion on James 4:7-12) the term ‘submit” (which also arises in 1 Peter 2:13 and 1 Peter 5:5) received this comment in one resource:

“Therefore submit to God …” was given as the first duty of a repentant Christian. “Submit,” in the original language, was a military term meaning to get into one’s proper rank or order.

Source: Marni Shideler McKenzie, Romans, Galatians, and James, vol. 3 (Dickson, TN: Explorer’s Bible Study, 2002), 67.

I guess that it may be a traditional military approach to punish ‘insubordination’, an improper refusal to submit to proper authority. Yet I would also hesitate to claim that 'submit' is a military term used in NT times, unless there was evidence to support that position. Claims of a military connection for such terms may simply be misleading. Hope that helps. Keep well Paul

DAL

Left, righ, left, right....stop! Repent soldiers!

Hahaha nah, I don’t think is a military term. 😂

DAL

Ronald Quick

A lot of helpful information. I couldn't find anything to support this "definition" of the repentance and I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Thanks!

Dayasagar

I am studying the same term because I recently faced with different meaning than it used to be (from david pawson ,N.T wright....) .So What are your conclusion of the research?

JT (alabama24)

Ronald - The applaud you for taking the time to research it. As teachers/preachers, we lose credibility when we state as fact things which we are unsure about (or worse, which are demonstrably false!).

DAL

Ronald - The applaud you for taking the time to research it. As teachers/preachers, we lose credibility when we state as fact things which we are unsure about (or worse, which are demonstrably false!).

Yep, like a preacher I heard once saying there were 6 hours of darkness during Jesus’s crucifixion when it was only 3 and it started at the 6th hour. When I told him about it he said he got it from a friend 🤦🏻‍♂️

DAL

Beloved Amodeo

I've heard preachers say that "repentance" is a military term which means "about-face", but I've searched the Greek word, μετανοέω, in my lexicons none discuss this being a military term. Also, I have a number of commentaries, yet the only one I can find that says it is a military term is The Teacher's Commentary, which I've never heard of and I don't even know what I purchased to get it in my library. I've copied the section below, but it doesn't say much about it.

Ronald,

You've had some great input on this issue. I would like to offer you my approach. I sought to determine what the Greek military term for about-face was. What I found may be of interest to you. First, I searched on line and found this

Exeligmos (GR): counter-march.
Exeligmos Lakoonikos (GR): ‘Laconian counter-march’; manoeuvre in which the file-closer does an about-face on the spot and the file-leader leads his men past the file-closer.
Exeligmos Makedonikos (GR): ‘Macedonian counter-march’; manoeuvre in which the file-leader does an about-face on the spot and the rear-rankers counter-march to form up behind him.

Following up with a search of Logos and found

ἐξελιγμός, ὁ, countermarching, ἐ. Μακεδονικός, Λακωνικός, Κρητικός, Ascl.Tact.10.13, 14, 15, cf. Arr.Tact.23.2, 3, 4; οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων ἐ. Them.Or.1.2b.

Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicon (p. 590). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

The term was also used in astronomy with regards to planetary revolutions. I don't know about your facility with the Greek, but I also found that it is referred to in a Perseus volume called Tactica.

I hope I have contributed positively to the discussion on this interesting topic. Blessings!

EastTN

Ronald - The applaud you for taking the time to research it. As teachers/preachers, we lose credibility when we state as fact things which we are unsure about (or worse, which are demonstrably false!).

This is an incredibly important point.

Liam Maguire

I would like to offer you my approach. I sought to determine what the Greek military term for about-face was.

What a great methodology! I'll certainly be using this in the future, thank you for sharing.

David Staveley

Ronald - The applaud you for taking the time to research it. As teachers/preachers, we lose credibility when we state as fact things which we are unsure about (or worse, which are demonstrably false!).

The best thing about the dissemination of God's Word in democratic countries, either through the writing of books or preaching is that anyone can do it. You don't need a Government licence to do it; you don't necessarily need a University degree to do it; In fact, you don't need anyone's permission, other than that from the LORD Almighty Himself. And as such we have the freedom to say pretty much whatever we like. Such is the blessing of Christian ministry.

The worst thing about the dissemination of God's Word in democratic countries, either through the writing of books or preaching is that anyone can do it. You don't need a Government licence to do it; you don't necessarily need a University degree to do it; In fact, you don't need anyone's permission, other than that from the LORD Almighty Himself. And as such we have the freedom to say pretty much whatever we like. Such is the curse of Christian ministry.

David Ames

[Y][Y]

Matt Hamrick

It's not a term in the military we use but some soldiers now preaching illustrate it as the about face which is a military term. It's only natural civilian pastor's catch on using the same illustrations.

DAL

It's not a term in the military we use but some soldiers now preaching illustrate it as the about face which is a military term. It's only natural civilian pastor's catch on using the same illustrations.

Bingo! Maybe that‘s what the preacher did, a comparison with the military term, and it just sounded as if he had said, “Repentance comes from a military term blah, blah, blah...” I think maybe that’s what happened, but then again many preachers just give out information without doing their research properly and double checking it.

DAL

Hamilton Ramos

Hi Ronald:

A different angle for consideration:

Concepts in a contextual situation can be used to illustrate something important in another.

Note the following:

"During the pre- and early Christian period of Koine Greek (ca. 300 BC-100 AD) metanoiacontinued to carry the sense of a change of mind about someone or something. For example, Polybius (ca. 208-126 B.C.) used metanoia to refer to the Dardani, a people who had decided to attack Macedonia while Philip was away with his army. However, Philip caught wind of it and returned quickly. Even though the Dardani were close to Macedonia, when they heard that Philip was coming, they changed their minds. They broke off the attack before it even began.64"

Quote from:

https://bible.org/seriespage/new-testament-repentance-lexical-considerations

So from the above quote I can see a rough parallel: The Dardani changed their minds and did an about face, after understanding that an unwanted event (confrontation) was probable due to the coming of Philip.

So the parallel in Spiritual dimension would be: we must change and do a 180 (metanoia), from our erring ways of living (as compared to God's moral order) to avoid a future unwanted event (judgment and casting of self to the lake of fire).

Now, the use of metanoia outside the Canon of the NT, and in a military type context, does not make the term military. But the term in that particular context helps express a concept that illustrates the situation we face in spiritual context.

Just a different view.

Roy

Also, I have a number of commentaries, yet the only one I can find that says it is a military term is The Teacher's Commentary, which I've never heard of and I don't even know what I purchased to get it in my library. I've copied the section below, but it doesn't say much about it.

Like Ronald mentions in his post, the Teachers Commentary is the only resource that I could find that claims it is a military term, except for this...

[quote]

1Keh′r—en, v. I. a. to turn; das Schwert in die Scheide —en, to put up the sword into the sheath; eine Sache zum Besten —en, to make the best of a th.; die rauhe Seite heraus —en, to show one’s worst side; das Oberste zu unterst —en, to turn everything upside down. II. r. to turn; sich an einen (etwas) —en, to regard, heed, follow, stick to a p. (a thing); sich zur Buße —en, to become penitent. III. n. (aux. s.) to turn, return; to wheel round; rechts um —t (ench)! right about turn! —t! turn about! wheel! in sich (acc.) —en, to retire into oneself; repent. —t, n.; —t machen, to wheel (Mil.). Comp. —aus, m. concluding dance; clearance, turn out; flogging; end. —reim, m. refrain. —seite, f. reverse side, tail(s) (coll.); draw-back, disadvantage, the reverse of the medal. —wie′der, n. blind alley. —zeite, f. refrain, line recurring at the end of every stanza or part of a stanza.

Karl Breul, “Keh′r—en (1),” Heath’s German-English Dictionary (Boston; New York; Chicago: D. C. Heath & Co., Publishers, 1906), 324.

So a German dictionary says the english word repent is akin to one of their military terms. (if I read this correctly).

This of course does NOT mean that the original Greek or Hebrew words were used as military terms. Just a rogue comment (and NO, I do not understand a lick of German).

DAL

Similar to what a preacher once said about the word “departure” in 2 Timothy 4:6. He said Paul’s departure (death) could be compared to an ox 🐂 who had been working all day long under the sun with a yoke, but at the end of the day, at dawn, he was untied from the yoke to go home and rest. The only problem is that I have not been able to find a lexicon that makes reference to that. The only reference I’ve seen is loosing a boat 🚤 from its moorings to sail away. I guess some just change the metaphor to catch people’s attention? Oh well…

DAL

NB.Mick

1Keh′r—en, v. I. a. to turn; das Schwert in die Scheide —en, to put up the sword into the sheath; eine Sache zum Besten —en, to make the best of a th.; die rauhe Seite heraus —en, to show one’s worst side; das Oberste zu unterst —en, to turn everything upside down. II. r. to turn; sich an einen (etwas) —en, to regard, heed, follow, stick to a p. (a thing); sich zur Buße —en, to become penitent. III. n. (aux. s.) to turn, return; to wheel round; rechts um —t (ench)! right about turn! —t! turn about! wheel! in sich (acc.) —en, to retire into oneself; repent. —t, n.; —t machen, to wheel (Mil.). Comp. —aus, m. concluding dance; clearance, turn out; flogging; end. —reim, m. refrain. —seite, f. reverse side, tail(s) (coll.); draw-back, disadvantage, the reverse of the medal. —wie′der, n. blind alley. —zeite, f. refrain, line recurring at the end of every stanza or part of a stanza.

Karl Breul, “Keh′r—en (1),” Heath’s German-English Dictionary (Boston; New York; Chicago: D. C. Heath & Co., Publishers, 1906), 324.

So a German dictionary says the english word repent is akin to one of their military terms. (if I read this correctly).

I don't think so. You highlighted two different entries in Heath's G-E Dictionary. Under the entry "kehr-" there is the sub-entry "in sich kehren" - marked orange - with the meanings "to retire into oneself" and "to repent" Then there is another entry "Kehrt, kehrt machen" - marked blue - which means "to wheel" in a military sense, also the command "kehrt!" or "kehrt um" may be used in the military (which in marching formation may be given with a loooong drawn "keeeeeeehrt..." and then a short explosive "um!"), but this has no connection whatsoever to repentance. German "umkehren" simply means turning around and the dictionary does not claim that the connection to repentance (as in inner turning around) has anything to do with the military.

Morgan

N.T. Wright has an interesting note on pg. 250 of "Jesus and the Victory of God" that places repentance near a military context.Citing Josephus Life 110, a Jewish rebel is told to repent and believe in Josephus. That is, to abandon his revolutionary inclination and be loyal to Josephus. Still a far cry from "about face." It seems to me like μετανοέω was suitable for many situations, but not specific to any single one.

xnman

Then there is this.... biblical repentance is a change of heart reflected in a change of life.

Brian Davidson

The "about-face" example might sound cheesy, but the idea probably comes from connecting μετανοέω to the use of שׁוּב, "to turn/return," in the OT (especially the prophets). The OT use of שׁוּב is the most important consideration for understanding the NT authors' use of μετανοέω.

So repentance is not really a formal "military term," but (1) turning is at the heart of repentance and (2) the concept of turning is used in military talk, too.

David Wanat

I believe the word repentance itself derives from the Latin paenĭtentĭa. As I understand it, it holds the same meaning as metanoia.

Matt Hamrick

The "about-face" example might sound cheesy, but the idea probably comes from connecting μετανοέω to the use of שׁוּב, "to turn/return," in the OT (especially the prophets). The OT use of שׁוּב is the most important consideration for understanding the NT authors' use of μετανοέω.

So repentance is not really a formal "military term," but (1) turning is at the heart of repentance and (2) the concept of turning is used in military talk, too.

I can assure you that about face which is a formal military command has absolutely nothing to do in any way, shape, or form with repentance. The concept of repentance is not talked about in the military except maybe by chaplains which is a very small aspect of the military. I stand on my comment from four years ago which you can find if you scroll up.