What does μηκέτι (mēkéti) mean in the Bible?
Μηκέτι is an adverb meaning no longer, no more, or not from this point onward. It marks the ending or intended ending of a prior condition, action, permission, or expectation.
Greek · G3371
μηκέτι
No further
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μηκέτι G3371
Pronunciation mēkéti
What does μηκέτι (mēkéti) mean in the Bible?
Μηκέτι is an adverb meaning no longer, no more, or not from this point onward. It marks the ending or intended ending of a prior condition, action, permission, or expectation.
Reader summary
Full entry for μηκέτι (G3371) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3371?
The BSB source-word alignment has 22 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include no longer (4), vvv (3), {should} no longer (2), never (2), no more (2).
Where does μηκέτι (mēkéti) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 21:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (4), Acts (3), Ephesians (3), Romans (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Μηκέτι is an adverb meaning no longer, no more, or not from this point onward. It marks the ending or intended ending of a prior condition, action, permission, or expectation. Jesus declares that the fruitless fig tree will bear no fruit again and tells a healed man to sin no longer. A messenger tells Jairus not to trouble Jesus anymore because death appears final.
The healed leper's publicity means Jesus can no longer enter towns openly, while authorities try to stop the apostles from speaking further in Jesus' name. The adverb signals cessation, but the passage supplies what stops, why it stops, and whether that ending is judgment, limitation, repentance, mistaken despair, or attempted suppression.
How the Bible Uses It
Μηκέτι marks a boundary after which something is no longer to continue. Its uses include judgment, practical restriction, despair challenged by Jesus, repentance, and failed attempts to silence witness.
- Matt.21.19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.
Jesus' word ends the fig tree's fruit-bearing future, enacting judgment within the temple-centered context where leaves without fruit become a searching sign.
- Mark.1.45
But the man went out and openly began to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.
The cleansed man's disobedient publicity changes Jesus' public mobility, though it cannot prevent people from coming to Him from every direction.
- Luke.8.49
While He was still speaking, someone arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”
The messenger treats the girl's death as the point beyond which appeal to Jesus is useless, but Jesus immediately calls Jairus away from fear toward faith.
- John.5.14
Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”
Jesus joins received healing to a command that sin must not continue, while refusing to explain the man's earlier suffering through a simplistic formula.
- Acts.4.17
But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.”
The council intends Jesus' name to spread no further, yet the apostles' Spirit-enabled witness continues and exposes the limits of coercive prohibition.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It no longer 4× Ephesians 4:17, Ephesians 4:28, 1 Thessalonians 3:1, 1 Thessalonians 3:5
vvv 3× Romans 14:13, 1 Timothy 5:23, 1 Peter 4:2
{should} no longer 2× Romans 6:6, 2 Corinthians 5:15
never 2× Mark 9:25, Acts 13:34
no more 2× Mark 2:2, John 8:11
[any] longer 1× Acts 25:24
[anymore] 1× Luke 8:49
[there are] no further 1× Romans 15:23
{we will} no longer 1× Ephesians 4:14
again 1× Matthew 21:19
could no longer 1× Mark 1:45
ever 1× Mark 11:14
not 1× Acts 4:17
Stop 1× John 5:14
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 21:19 μηκέτι to again Adverb Mark 1:45 μηκέτι to could no longer Adverb Mark 2:2 μηκέτι to no more Adverb Mark 9:25 μηκέτι to never Adverb Mark 11:14 Μηκέτι to ever Adverb Luke 8:49 μηκέτι to [anymore] Adverb John 5:14 μηκέτι to Stop Adverb John 8:11 μηκέτι to no more Adverb Acts 4:17 μηκέτι to not Adverb Acts 13:34 μηκέτι to never Adverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 21:19
Aligned rows 22
Books represented 11
Matthew 1 Mark 4 Luke 1 John 2 Acts 3 Romans 3 2 Corinthians 1 Ephesians 3 1 Thessalonians 2 1 Timothy 1 1 Peter 1
Source forms
μηκέτι 19x mēketi Matthew 21:19, Mark 1:45, Mark 2:2, Mark 9:25
Μηκέτι 3x Mēketi Mark 11:14, Romans 14:13, 1 Timothy 5:23
Parsing patterns
Adverb 22x Matthew 21:19, Mark 1:45, Mark 2:2, Mark 9:25
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use 'sin no longer' to claim instant sinless perfection; it is a serious summons away from continued practice and toward obedient life.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that μηκέτι itself explains why an action ceases.
- Do not treat a human declaration that hope is over as though it carries the authority of Christ's final word.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Negates continuation of an action, commanding cessation rather than mere absence of future occurrence.
Strong's G3371
Lexical occurrences 21 verses Greek text appearances 21 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 21 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Mark 11:12–14 Source Gloss
no further
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 21 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 21:19 Adverb
Μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Mark 1:45 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Mark 2:2 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Mark 9:25 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Mark 11:14 Adverb
Μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse John 5:14 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse John 8:11 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Acts 4:17 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Acts 13:34 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Acts 25:24 Adverb
μηκέτι. mhketi
no longer
Read verse Romans 6:6 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Romans 14:13 Adverb
Μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Romans 15:23 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse 2 Corinthians 5:15 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Ephesians 4:14 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verse Ephesians 4:17 Adverb
μηκέτι mhketi
no longer
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 21
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 21:19 · Mark 1:45 · Mark 2:2 · Mark 9:25 · Mark 11:14 · Luke 8:49 · John 5:14 · Acts 4:17 · Acts 13:34 · Acts 25:24 · Rom 6:6 · Rom 14:13 · Rom 15:23 · 2 Cor 5:15 · Eph 4:14 · Eph 4:17 21×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
no longer
Showing 1 selected witness from 21 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
μηκέτι is built from these roots:
Why This Word Matters
Emphasizes finality of judgment. Mark 11:12–14
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The words 'no longer' can announce judgment, repentance, limitation, or a boundary that Jesus overturns. The fig tree receives a final word about fruitlessness. The healed man's publicity restricts Jesus' ordinary access to towns, showing that even enthusiastic disobedience carries consequences. Jairus hears that death has made further appeal pointless, but Jesus refuses that verdict and calls him to faith.
John 5 directs a healed life away from continuing sin, and Acts shows rulers trying unsuccessfully to stop gospel speech. Pastoral use should therefore avoid treating every ending alike. Christ commands real breaks with sin, human actions create real constraints, hostile authorities impose real pressure, yet neither death nor prohibition establishes the final limit on His saving authority and witness.
Anchor passage
Matt.21.19
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 21:18-22, fruitlessness and enacted judgment
- Mark 1:40-45, disobedient publicity and constrained ministry
- Luke 8:40-56, death challenged by Jesus' authority
- John 5:1-15, healing and the call to cease sin
- Acts 4:13-22, witness that rulers cannot silence
- Romans 6:1-14, no longer enslaved to sin
Μηκέτι joins the negative particle μή with an element meaning yet or further. It negates continuation from a stated or implied point and commonly modifies commands, ability, or future action.
From Old to New Testament
Prophets announce that former shame, exile, or idolatry will continue no longer, while covenant warnings declare an end to fruitless privilege. Christ brings decisive newness and commands changed allegiance.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain