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Matthew 18:22

“Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.”

Matthew 18:22 · direct translation from the Greek
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Peter asks how many times; Jesus answers “seventy-seven”Forgiveness

With the Greek beneath

22

Allusion · Genesis 4:24

Go to Genesis 4:24

Both texts use the number “seventy-seven times”: Lamech, for vengeance; Jesus, for forgiveness.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

  • ἑβδομηκοντάκιςhebdomēkontakisG1441שִׁבְעִיםshivimH7657“seventy times”
  • ἑπτάheptaG2033שִׁבְעָהshivaH7651“seven”

Matthew 18:22, word by word

JesusἸησοῦςIēsous

Jesus

Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "YHWH saves". It is the name the angel told Joseph to give him (Matthew 1:21).

Where else “Iēsous” appears
saysλέγειlegei

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legei” appears
seven timesἑπτάκιςheptakis

seven times

Seven times.

Where else “heptakis” appears
seventy-seven timesἑβδομηκοντάκιςhebdomēkontakis

seventy times

Seventy times; "seventy times seven" or "seventy-seven times".

Where else “hebdomēkontakis” appears
seventy-seven timesἑπτάhepta

seven

Seven.

Where else “hepta” appears

Translation note

The expression can be understood “seventy-seven times” or “seventy times seven”; it is the same one Lamech uses for vengeance in Genesis 4:24, according to the ancient Greek translation.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Forgiving a brother

Luke 17:3-4

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.

Luke 17:3-4

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

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?”

22 · This verse (above)

23For this reason the kingdom of heaven has become like to a man, a king, who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.

Read all of Matthew 18

To study Matthew 18 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What did Jesus put in the middle of the disciples when they asked who is greatest (vv. 1–3)?

  2. 2. What it means

    Why does Jesus tell the parable of the slave who was forgiven a huge debt (vv. 23–35)?

  3. 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?

How to use it