Matthew 18:22 · Bible study
Matthew 18:22 Commentary: Seven Times? No, Seventy Times Seven
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus' command to forgive 'seventy times seven', does He mean 490 times or unlimited grace? Greek analysis and commentaries.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Unlimited forgiveness, not a literal 490 times. Jesus sets no numeric limit.
- Key words: hebdomekontakis (countless times), heptakis (seven times), heos (until).
- Main debate: Whether 'seventy times seven' means 490 or is a symbol for unlimited forgiveness; the consensus across commentaries is the latter.
- Theological theme: Grace and forgiveness reflect God's character; forgiven people must forgive.
- Best use: Teaching on forgiveness, church relationships, connection to the Lord's Prayer.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!
WEB World English Bible 2000
Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.
KJV King James Version 1769
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Jesus saith to him, `I do not say to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Jesus says to him, I say not to thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Jesús le dice: No te digo hasta siete, mas aun hasta setenta veces siete.
Jesus lhe respondeu: Eu não te digo até sete, mas sim até setenta vezes sete.
Jésus lui dit: Je ne te dis pas jusqu’ à sept fois, mais jusqu’ à septante fois sept fois.
Jesus sprach zu ihm: Ich sage dir: Nicht siebenmal, sondern siebzigmal siebenmal.
Jezus zeide tot hem: Ik zeg u, niet tot zevenmaal, maar tot zeventigmaal zeven maal.
E Gesù a lui: lo non ti dico fino a sette volte, ma fino a settanta volte sette.
I rzekł mu Jezus: Nie mówię ci aż do siedmiu kroć, ale aż do siedmdziesiąt siedmiu kroć.
Иисус говорит ему: не говорю тебе: до семи раз, но до седмижды семидесяти раз.
耶穌 說：「我對你 說，不是 到 七次，乃是 到 七十個 七次。
Jesus says to him, I say not to you, Till seven times; but, Till seventy times seven.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 18:22
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Jesus' reply to Peter rejects a numeric limit on forgiveness. Wesley states plainly that 'a certain number is put for an uncertain.' Gill calls it 'a certain number for an uncertain,' linking to Genesis 4:24 as a pattern. Vincent's Word Studies notes that Rabbinism limited forgiveness to three times; Peter's seven seemed generous, but Jesus is not specifying a higher number. 'Forgiveness is qualitative, not quantitative,' Vincent writes. Matthew Henry adds that the context concerns personal wrongs. The sum works out to 490, and Clarke observes that few people will receive that many wanton offenses in a lifetime. The point is not arithmetic. The heart must never close itself to offering forgiveness, as often as it is sincerely sought.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus commands forgiveness without numerical limit, grounded in the boundless forgiveness of God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Number meaning | The phrase 'seventy times seven' is not meant as a strict numeric limit to keep track of. | Some read it as exactly 490 times (the literal product), but most commentators, including Wesley, Gill, and Vincent, see it as a symbolic number for countless forgiveness. |
| Condition for forgiveness | Forgiveness should be offered when a brother sins against you and seeks reconciliation. | Christians differ on whether forgiveness requires the offender's repentance (Luke 17:3-4) or whether it should be unconditional from the heart (Matthew 18:35, which says 'from your hearts'). |
| Connection to God's forgiveness | Human forgiveness mirrors and flows from God's forgiveness of us. | The parable and Matthew 6:14-15 are read by some traditions (e.g., Catholic, Wesleyan) as warning that unforgiveness can forfeit divine forgiveness, while others emphasize justification by faith alone and see the warning as relational discipline. |
| Scope of forgiveness | The passage addresses personal wrongs, not crimes against the state or church discipline. | Some apply the principle broadly to all offenses; others distinguish between forgiving personal sins and pursuing justice for public harm. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Peter's question arises from a Jewish tradition that limited forgiveness to three offenses. Rabbinic teaching held that forgiving someone four times showed weakness. The Talmud records rabbis who refused to forgive even after repeated requests. Vincent, citing Edersheim, tells of a rabbi who feigned irreconcilability for thirteen years to force another's migration. Against that background, Peter's offer of seven times looks generous, seven being the number of completeness. But Jesus inverts the formula from Lamech's boast in Genesis 4:24: 'If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.' Lamech's vengeance escalates; Jesus' forgiveness expands.
The Greek adverb hebdomekontakis (seventy times) plus hepta (seven) can be read several ways: seventy times seven (490), seventy-seven times, or countless times. Thayer's lexicon lists 'countless times' as the meaning. The context of Matthew 18, church discipline, binding and loosing, shows that forgiveness is the foundation of community life. The parable of the unmerciful servant (vv.23-35) immediately illustrates the consequence of refusing to forgive. A king forgives a debt of ten thousand talents, yet that same servant chokes a fellow servant over a hundred denarii. The astronomical numbers highlight the gap between what we owe God and what others owe us.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Matthew 18:22. The Greek text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Early church writers like Tertullian and Cyprian used this verse to urge unlimited forgiveness within the church. Augustine built on it in his sermons, linking the number 490 to the multiplication of seven and seventy as a symbol of full remission. During the medieval period, the verse shaped penitential manuals that emphasized repeated confession and absolution. Reformers like Luther and Calvin stressed that the command to forgive flows from having been forgiven by God, not from earning grace. In modern preaching, this text is often set against Lamech's vengeance song, showing Christ's reversal of the old way. Hymns such as 'Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive' draw directly on Matthew 18:22 and its sequel parable.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Peter's question reveals a quantitative mindset. He wanted a number, a limit that would let him know when he was done. Jesus refuses to give one.
- Jesus' answer abolishes arithmetic. He quotes Genesis 4:24 but turns vengeance into forgiveness. The number is a symbol for 'never stop.'
- The parable shows the stakes. The forgiven servant who won't forgive is handed over to tormentors. Forgiven people must forgive.
Five-point outline
- The rabbinic limit: forgive three times, then you are done.
- Peter's generous expansion: would seven be enough?
- Jesus' radical multiplication: seventy times seven, which is no number at all.
- The Genesis inversion: Lamech's seventy-sevenfold vengeance becomes seventy-sevenfold forgiveness.
- The consequence: the parable of the unforgiving servant shows what happens when we refuse to forgive.
Illustration hooks
- Forgiving a spouse who repeats the same hurtful habit again and again. Counting makes you bitter; forgiving makes you free.
- A friend who keeps breaking promises. After the tenth time, you stop being friends. Jesus says keep going.
- The exhaustion of keeping score. When you track offenses against someone, every new one adds weight. Jesus lifts the burden by removing the tally sheet.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Do I have to forgive someone who never says sorry?
- What if they will keep sinning against me, does forgiveness mean I let them hurt me again?
- How do I know when forgiveness has 'worked'? Do I have to feel it, or is it a decision?
Leading a Discussion
Peter thought he was being generous by offering to forgive up to seven times. Jesus revealed that forgiveness doesn't keep score at all. As you read this passage together, notice how Jesus shifts the focus from counting to character.
Discussion questions
- What does Peter's question reveal about how he understood forgiveness? Why did he pick the number seven?
- Read Genesis 4:24. How does Jesus take Lamech's words and turn them upside down?
- What does the Greek word hebdomekontakis (seventy times) suggest about the meaning? Check the lexical note on 'countless times.'
- How does the parable of the unmerciful servant (vv.23-35) reinforce Jesus' point? What do the amounts of debt tell us?
- In your own words, what does 'forgive from your heart' (v.35) look like in a practical situation at home or church?
- Barnes notes that forgiveness assumes the offender asks for it. How do you handle forgiveness when the other person does not repent?
- How does knowing you are forgiven an impossible debt change the way you forgive small debts from others?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 4:24 | If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times.” |
| Isaiah 55:7 | Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon. |
| Micah 7:19 | He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. |
| Matthew 6:11 | Give us today our daily bread. |
| Matthew 6:12 | Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. |
| Matthew 6:14 | “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. |
| Matthew 6:15 | But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. |
| Mark 11:25 | Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws a striking parallel between this verse and Lamech's vengeance in Genesis. He calculates that seventy times seven makes four hundred and ninety, and argues that a true, unprovoked offense is so rare that no one receives that many in a lifetime. When the offended person gave any cause, at least half the offense disappears.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that Jesus does not set a fixed limit on forgiveness, even one as generous as seven times. His point is that whenever a brother asks forgiveness, we must grant it fully and treat him accordingly. And even if he does not ask, we still must not repay with revenge but with kindness.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator draws the duty of forgiveness among people directly from God’s own forgiveness of sinners. The phrase "seventy times seven" is taken to mean an unlimited number of times — forgiveness has no boundary.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to the deliberate contrast Jesus makes: not seven times, but seventy times seven. The point is not a literal count but an unlimited readiness to forgive. Peter’s suggested limit is swept aside in favor of forgiveness that has no boundary.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that Jesus is not setting a literal limit of 490 times. Drawing from Genesis 4:24, he sees seventy times seven as a definite number standing for an indefinite one. The point is unlimited forgiveness: a believer must forgive as often as a brother repents, with no set limit on the grace.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that Jesus' answer is not a new numeric limit but a complete removal of limits. Forgiving "seventy times seven" means never refusing forgiveness as long as it is sincerely asked. The disciple is never to reach the point of withholding forgiveness when it is genuinely sought.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Peter’s question reveals a view of forgiveness as a countable, outward act rather than a spiritual disposition. Jesus’ answer with seventy times seven is not a literal ceiling but a way of saying forgiveness must be unlimited. Lange applies the parable to church leaders, warning that those who administer mercy become the harshest when they forget the grace they themselves received.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry insists this parable deals only with personal wrongs we have the power to forgive. He highlights the stark contrast between the massive debt forgiven us and the trivial debt others owe us, showing that a forgiven heart which refuses to forgive acts with inexcusable cruelty.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights that Jewish tradition set a firm limit of three times for forgiveness. Jesus counters this by saying forgiveness cannot be measured by any number. The point is not to replace one limit with a higher one, but to make forgiveness unlimited in quality, not quantity.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads the number as a way of saying "as often as needed," not a literal limit. He observes that Scripture uses a specific figure to stand for an indefinite one, so the point is unlimited readiness to forgive rather than a precise count.