Verse
Matthew 18:22 — Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but…
“Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
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Read it in context
The verses around Matthew 18:22.
20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Verse explanation
Among the Jewish teachers of the time, it was common to teach that forgiving someone three times for the same offense was enough — Peter was already being generous in suggesting seven. Jesus answers with ‘seventy times seven,’ a number that, in the original, sounds like ‘without a set limit,’ not a literal count of 490 times.
From the Matthew 18 study in Bible in Stories.
Matthew 18:22 in other versions
The same verse in the 4 Bible versions we have on the site.
- KJV · King James
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Read the chapter in this version → - ARC · Almeida 1911Português
Jesus lhe disse: Não te digo: Até sete, mas, até setenta vezes sete.
Read the chapter in this version → - BLIVRE · Bíblia LivrePortuguês
Jesus lhe respondeu: Eu não te digo até sete, mas sim até setenta vezes sete.
Read the chapter in this version → - VBL · Versión Biblia LibreEspañol
No, siete veces no. ¡Yo diría hasta setenta veces siete!” le dijo Jesús.
Read the chapter in this version →
In other languages: Português (Mateus 18:22) · Español (Mateo 18:22)
More verses about forgiveness
- Ephesians 4:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath…
- Matthew 6:14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
- Colossians 3:13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ…
- Matthew 18:21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till…
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