Matthew 18:21

Myles Coverdale Bible

Then came Peter vnto him, & sayde, LORDE, how oft shal I forgeue my brother, yt trespaceth agaynst me? Seue tymes?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?”

King James Version (1611)
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sinne against mee, and I forgiue him? till seuen times?

King James Version
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

English Standard Version
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

New American Standard Bible
Then Peter came up and said to Him, "Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?"

New Century Version
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?"

Amplified Bible
Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then came Peter to him, & said, Master, howe oft shall my brother sinne against me, and I shall forgiue him? vnto seuen times?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Berean Standard Bible
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Contemporary English Version
Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Kefa came up and said to him, "Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?"

Darby Translation
Then Peter came to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? until seven times?

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, when someone won't stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?"

George Lamsa Translation
Then Peter came up and said to him, My Lord, if my brother is at fault with me, how many times should I forgive him? up to seven times?

Good News Translation
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?"

Lexham English Bible
Then Peter came up to him and said, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him? Up to seven times?"

Literal Translation
Then coming up to Him, Peter said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?

American Standard Version
Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?

Bible in Basic English
Then Peter came and said to him, Lord, what number of times may my brother do wrong against me, and I give him forgiveness? till seven times?

Hebrew Names Version
Then Kefa came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

International Standard Version
Then Peter came up and asked him, "Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? Seven times?"Luke 17:4;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Then Kipha came near to him, and said to him, My Lord, how many times, if my brother offend me, shall I forgive him; until seven times?

Murdock Translation
Then Cephas approached him, and said to him: My Lord, how many times, if my brother commit offence against me, shall I forgive him? up to seven times?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then came Peter to hym, and sayde: Lorde howe oft shall my brother sinne agaynst me, and I forgeue hym? tyll seuen tymes?

English Revised Version
Then came Peter, and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?

World English Bible
Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?

Weymouth's New Testament
At this point Peter came to Him with the question, "Master, how often shall my brother act wrongly towards me and I forgive him? seven times?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne Petre cam to hym, and seide, Lord, how ofte schal my brother synne ayens me, and Y schal foryyue hym?

Update Bible Version
Then Peter came and said to him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?

Webster's Bible Translation
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

New English Translation
Then Peter came to him and said, "Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? As many as seven times?"

New King James Version
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

New Living Translation
Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?"

New Life Bible
Then Peter came to Jesus and said, "Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times?"

New Revised Standard
Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, coming near, Peter said to him- Lord! how many times, shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until, seven, times?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

Revised Standard Version
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then came Peter to him and sayde: master howe ofte shall I forgeve my brother yf he synne agaynst me seven tymes?

Young's Literal Translation
Then Peter having come near to him, said, `Sir, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him -- till seven times?'

Mace New Testament (1729)
Then Peter advancing to him, said, Lord, if my brother injures me, how many injuries must I forgive him? must I forgive him seven?

THE MESSAGE
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
Then Pete came up to Jesus and asked, "If a cowboy just keeps doing me wrong, how many times do I have to let it go? Seven times?"

Contextual Overview

²¹ Then came Peter vnto him, & sayde, LORDE, how oft shal I forgeue my brother, yt trespaceth agaynst me? Seue tymes? ²² Iesus saide vnto hi: I saye not vnto ye seue tymes, but seuetie tymes seuen tymes. ²³ Therfore is ye kingdome of heaue lickened vnto a kynge which wolde reken wt his seruauntes. ²⁴ And whan he beganne to reke, one was brought vnto him, which ought him ten thousande poude. ²⁵ Now wha he had nothinge to paye his lorde comaunded him to be solde, & his wife & his childre, & all yt he had, & payment to be made. ²⁶ Then the seruaunt fell downe, & besought him, sayenge: Syr, haue paciece wt me, and I wil paye the all. ²⁷ Then had the lorde pytie on that seruaunt, & discharged him, and forgaue him the dett. ²⁸ And the same seruaunt wete out, & foude one of his felowes, which ought him an hudreth pens, and layed hande vpon him, and toke him by the throte, and sayde: paye me that thou owest. ²⁹ The his felowe fell downe, and besought him, sayenge: haue paciece wt me, and I wil paye the all ³⁰ Neuertheles, he wolde not, but wente and cast him in to preson, tyll he shulde paye the dett.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

till: Matthew 18:15, Luke 17:3, Luke 17:4

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:11 - and Zechariah 8:23 - ten men Matthew 5:22 - his brother Matthew 6:12 - debts Matthew 6:14 - General 1 Corinthians 8:12 - when Ephesians 4:32 - forgiving Colossians 3:13 - forgiving Philemon 1:12 - thou

Cross-References

Genesis 11:5
Then came ye LORDE downe, to se ye cite & tower, yt ye childre of me had buylded.

Genesis 11:7
Come on, let vs go downe, & cofounde their tonge eue there, yt one vnderstonde not what another saieth.

Genesis 18:1
Annd the LORDE apeared vnto him in the Okegroue of Mamre, as he sat in his tent dore in the heate of ye daie.

Genesis 18:24
Peradueture there maye be fiftie righteous within ye cite: wilt thou destroye those, and not spare the place, for fiftie righteous sake that are therin?

Exodus 3:8
and am come downe to delyuer them from the power of the Egipcians, and to carye them out of that lode, in to a good and wyde londe, euen in to a londe that floweth with mylke and hony: namely, vnto the place of the Cananites, Hethites, Amorites, Pheresites, Heuytes & Iebusites.

Exodus 33:5
And ye LORDE sayde vnto Moses: Speake vnto the children of Israel: Ye are a styfnecked people, I must once come sodenly vpon the, and make an ende of the. And now put of thy goodly araye from the, yt I maie knowe what to do vnto the.

Deuteronomy 8:2
and thynke vpon all ye waie thorow the which the LORDE thy God hath led the this fortye yeares in the wyldernesse, that he mighte chasten the, and proue the, to wete whath were in thyne herte, whether thou woldest kepe his comaundemetes or no.

Deuteronomy 13:3
Thou shalt not herken vnto the wordes of soch a prophet or dreamer. For ye LORDE youre God proueth you, to wete whether ye loue him with all youre hert, & with all youre soule.

Joshua 22:22
The mightie God ye LORDE, the mightie God the LORDE knoweth, and Israel knoweth also, yf this be a trangressynge or trespacynge agaynst the LORDE, then let it not helpe vs this daye:

Job 34:22
There is no darcknes ner thicke shadowe, yt can hyde the wicked doers from him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then came Peter unto him,.... Having heard and observed the rules Christ gave concerning offences and brotherly reproofs, he drew near to Christ, and put this question to him:

and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? He instances in a brother, because it was such an one Christ had been speaking of; he makes no doubt of its being his duty to forgive him upon his repentance, and acknowledgment, but wanted to be reformed, how often this was to be done, and asks, whether

until seven times? Which was, as he might think, a large number; and especially, since it was double the number of times, that the Jewish doctors set for forgiveness: for thus they say d,

"A man that commits a sin, the "first" time they pardon him; the "second" time they pardon him; the "third" time they pardon him: the "fourth" time they do not pardon, according to Amos 2:6.''

Again,

"he that says I have sinned, and I repent, they forgive him "unto three times", and no more e.''

d T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 36. 2. Mainion. Hilch. Teshuba. c. 3. sect. 5. e Abot. R. Nathan, c. 40. fol. 9. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then came Peter ... - The mention of the duty Matthew 18:15 of seeing a brother when he had offended us, implying that it was a duty to forgive him, led Peter to ask how often this was to be done.

Forgive him - To forgive is to treat as though the offence was not committed - to declare that we will not harbor malice or treat unkindly, but that the matter shall be buried and forgotten.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 18:21. Till seven times? — Though seven was a number of perfection among the Hebrews, and often meant much more than the units in it imply, yet it is evident that Peter uses it here in its plain literal sense, as our Lord's words sufficiently testify. It was a maxim among the Jews never to forgive more than thrice: Peter enlarges this charity more than one half; and our Lord makes even his enlargement septuple, see Matthew 18:22. Revenge is natural to man, i.e. man is naturally a vindictive being, and, in consequence, nothing is more difficult to him than forgiveness of injuries.