Matthew 18:22 Meaning: What Does 'Seventy Times Seven' Mean?

Two Greek words for “times” carry the weight here. Heptakis means seven times, and hebdomēkontakis means seventy times. But the lexicon notes that hebdomēkontakis can also mean “countless times.” Jesus is not giving a new limit. He is taking a number that sounds final, Peter’s seven, and multiplying it beyond imagination. The phrase “seventy times seven” echoes the Old Testament verse where Lamech boasts of vengeance seventy-seven times. Jesus takes that same number and fills it with mercy instead of revenge.

“If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times.”

— Genesis 4:24 (WEB)

The word alla, “but”, is a strong Greek contrast. Jesus says, “I don’t say to you until seven times, but, completely different, until seventy times seven.” It is not a bigger number. It is a whole new way of living. The point is not to keep track. As Vincent’s Word Studies puts it, “Forgiveness is qualitative, not quantitative.” You are not meant to count. You are meant to release.

Christian teachers across the centuries have agreed on the main point: forgiveness must not be limited. The Methodist Adam Clarke observes that a deliberate, unprovoked offense is rare, and you likely will not experience 490 genuine offenses in a lifetime. The Baptist John Gill says a certain number stands for an uncertain one: a person should be forgiving every day, as often as needed. The Anglican Cambridge Bible connects it to God’s forgiveness of sinners. The Protestant JFB Commentary says you must never refuse forgiveness sincerely asked. And Vincent’s Word Studies notes that the rabbis limited forgiveness to three times; Peter doubled that, but Jesus abolishes all limits. So while some dwell on the size of the number, the consistent teaching is that forgiveness is not about counting. It is about reflecting the boundless mercy we have received.

Many people read “seventy times seven” as a literal new limit: forgive 490 times, and after that you are free to hold a grudge. In fact, the number is meant to show that forgiveness should never be limited. As one commentator wrote, “Forgiveness is qualitative, not quantitative.” Jesus is not setting a higher ceiling. He is removing the ceiling entirely. You are not meant to keep a tally of offenses forgiven.

This week, someone will probably sin against you again. It might be the same person, the same kind of hurt, the same disappointment. Your mind will start counting: “How many times has this happened? They should know better by now.” Jesus meets you right there, at the moment you start to count, and says: do not count. Let it go. Every time the offense comes to mind, release it again. Think about the debt God has forgiven you, an impossible, infinite debt. Compared to that, every wrong anyone does to you is small. You do not have to feel like forgiving. You just have to choose to, again and again. And you will need help. That is why Jesus gives this teaching right before the parable: because we cannot do it on our own. But we can do it by remembering how much we have been forgiven.