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A person repents to God.

Then God responds to their prayer and (v) their repentance.

What verb goes here? What is the correct collocation?

The only examples I can find on the internet are :

'I was earnestly begging of God to give me repentance.'

and

'Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.'

However, the meanings of these sentences are unclear. Does 'give/grant repentance mean that they were given the chance to repent?

That's not the meaning I'm looking for.

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    Repentance is not really a speech act; it happens either in Heaven (on which we have no data) or in one's imagination (ditto). Hence there is little likelihood that non-theological writers have a ready term for it. Theological writers, however, have hundreds of terms for it, and for everything else. You pays your attention and you takes your choice.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 20:02
  • There is a verb in Arabic to describe the meaning I'm looking for: I need to translate it.
    – nicholas ainsworth
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 20:08
  • Based on the question raised in WS2's answer, perhaps God does not grant repentence, but he does hopefully acknowledge it.
    – Josh
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 20:18
  • @nicholasainsworth: what does your arabic-english dictionary say? What does google translate say?
    – Mitch
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 21:14
  • "However, the meanings of these sentences are unclear. Does 'give/grant repentance mean that they were given the chance to repent?" Yes, those quotes are referring to the chance to repent; Chris' answer covers the main part of your question.
    – Jon Hanna
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 22:10

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I think you are just looking for accepts, "Then God responds to their prayer and accepts their repentance."

"Grants" or "gives" repentance both mean that God has allowed them to repent, in terms of God acting through them and changing their hearts.

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Does God 'grant repentance'? The position, as it seems to me, is that the individual repents and God grants forgiveness, absolution, remission of sins, etc

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  • Excellent point with your question.
    – Josh
    Commented Jan 16, 2015 at 20:16
  • The sentence with granted is verbatim new testament.
    – pazzo
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 8:06
  • @δοῦλος The OED, under the verb repent lists various senses, however they all involve actions and conditions of the individual. None imply the idea of it being a state granted by God. Please can you give me the exact chapter and verse reference you mention from the New Testament, so we can try and get to the bottom of the matter.
    – WS2
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 11:01
  • @δοῦλος I assume you are referring to Acts Chapter 11 v 18, which in the KJV says: When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. What I believe this means is that God has granted (in this case to the Gentiles) the principle of repentance, implying also forgiveness etc. That is slightly different to the idea that God 'grants repentance'.
    – WS2
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 11:12
  • Yes, what you believe this means. This is not based on language but upon presuppositions about God and about repentance, as are most answers here. Ultimately, these kind of answers express opinions. And I thought that questions that engender opinions are offtopic here. If it belongs aanywhere, maybe scripture interpretation.
    – pazzo
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 11:29
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That depends on what God is doing with the offered repentance... Does he accept the repentance, as suggested above by Chris Sunami, or merely hear their repentance, or cherish, acknowledge, reject, ignore, rejoice over, respond to, etc.

Which word you choose to use is a question of language; which word you should choose is a question of theology.

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  • Amen. I mean, frankly, yes. Your answer separates the realm of language from the realm of theology. Most other answers do not do this. Most other answers are informed by particular assumptions about God and about repentance. Ultimately, they are opinions. Which is why I say the question is off-topic.
    – pazzo
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 11:23
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I think God returns the repentance to the sinner so it can be reused.

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    @andy256 This answer provides as good an answer as most here. Most, including this one, are based on opinion. The question is off-topic, because it is not a question about language, but a question about beliefs. And that is the way almost every answer here is answering the question: with opinion.
    – pazzo
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 11:34
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It would seem that genuine repentance, perhaps the only kind that a deity might want to consider, should be vetted and then "confirmed" (or not) as such.

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God "Reciprocates to" repentance: "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you..." James 4:8 Consider the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15: The son repented, (came to his senses and headed home). While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming, and ran to him and kissed him and welcomed him home. We're the prodigal, God is the father.

When a sinner repents, God doesn't just cooly "acknowledge" or stiffly "accept" it: "Responds to" is close, but lacking the proper sense of God's enthusiams. So I say He "reciprocates": He runs to the sinner and welcomes him home.

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  • Is God barefoot, wearing sandals, or cross-trainers?
    – TimR
    Commented Jan 17, 2015 at 13:36

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