21
ThenΤότεPeterὁ Πέτροςcameπροσελθὼνto himαὐτῷand said,εἶπεν“Lord,Κύριεhow many timesποσάκιςwill my brotherὁ ἀδελφός μουsinἁμαρτήσειagainstεἰςmeἐμὲandκαὶI forgiveἀφήσωhim?αὐτῷUp toἕωςseven times?”ἑπτάκις
Matthew 18:21
Study it in the app“Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?””
Peter asks how many times; Jesus answers “seventy-seven”Forgiveness
With the Greek beneath
Matthew 18:21, word by word
- ThenΤότεTote
then
Then, at that time.
Where else “Tote” appears- PeterΠέτροςPetros
Peter
Peter, "rock": the name Jesus gave to Simon.
Where else “Petros” appears- cameπροσελθὼνproselthōn
come near
To come up close to someone, go toward them.
Where else “proselthōn” appears- and saidεἶπενeipen
say
To express something in words to others.
Where else “eipen” appears- “LordΚύριεKyrie
Lord
The Lord: God, whose name is YHWH; also Jesus.
Where else “Kyrie” appears- how many timesποσάκιςposakis
how often
"How often?", "how many times?".
Where else “posakis” appears- will my brotherἀδελφόςadelphos
fellow countryman
A neighbor, someone of the same people.
Where else “adelphos” appears- sinἁμαρτήσειhamartēsei
sin
Sin: fail God, do what he forbids.
Where else “hamartēsei” appears- I forgiveἀφήσωaphēsō
forgive
To wipe away sins or debts, not exact them.
Where else “aphēsō” appears- seven timesἑπτάκιςheptakis
seven times
Seven times.
Where else “heptakis” appears
Parallel passages
Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.
Forgiving a brother
A similar saying; scholars discuss whether it is the same saying in another setting or a repeated one.
See them side by side
Matthew 18:15-22
15And if your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 17And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly; and if he refuses to listen even to the assembly, let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you that if two of you agree on earth about any matter that they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.” 21Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.
3Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he changes his mind, forgive him. 4And if seven times a day he sins against you and seven times turns back to you, saying, ‘I change my mind,’ you will forgive him.”
The context
20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”
21 · This verse (above)
22Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.
To study Matthew 18 in a group
1. What it says
What did Jesus put in the middle of the disciples when they asked who is greatest (vv. 1–3)?
2. What it means
Why does Jesus tell the parable of the slave who was forgiven a huge debt (vv. 23–35)?
3. How I live it
Peter asked how many times to forgive (v. 21). Whom do you find hard to forgive, and what small first step can you take?