Matthew 18:22

THE MESSAGE

Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“I tell you, not as many as seven,”

King James Version (1611)
Iesus saith vnto him, I say not vnto thee, Untill seuen times: but, Untill seuentie times seuen.

King James Version
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

English Standard Version
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

New American Standard Bible
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.

New Century Version
Jesus answered, "I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.

Amplified Bible
Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Iesus said vnto him, I say not to thee, Vnto seuen times, but, Vnto seuentie times seuen times.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Legacy Standard Bible
Jesus *said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus answered, "I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!

Contemporary English Version
Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!

Complete Jewish Bible
"No, not seven times," answered Yeshua, "but seventy times seven!

Darby Translation
Jesus says to him, I say not to thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven.

Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus answered, "I tell you, you must forgive them more than seven times. You must continue to forgive them even if they do wrong to you seventy-seven times.

George Lamsa Translation
Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Good News Translation
"No, not seven times," answered Jesus, "but seventy times seven,

Lexham English Bible
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven!

Literal Translation
Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven.

American Standard Version
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

Bible in Basic English
Jesus says to him, I say not to you, Till seven times; but, Till seventy times seven.

Hebrew Names Version
Yeshua said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.

International Standard Version
Jesus said to him, "I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!seventy times seven">[fn]Matthew 6:14; Mark 11:25; Colossians 3:13;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Jeshu said to him, I say not to thee, Until seven, but, Until seventy times seven and seven. [fn]

Murdock Translation
Jesus said to him: I do not say to thee, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Iesus sayth vnto hym, I say not vnto thee vntyll seuen tymes: but, vntyll seuentie tymes seuen.

English Revised Version
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

World English Bible
Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Till seven times? Jesus saith to him, I say not unto thee, till seven times, but till seventy times seven.

Weymouth's New Testament
"I do not say seven times," answered Jesus, "but seventy times seven times.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether til seuen tymes? Jhesus seith to hym, Y seie not to thee, til seuene sithis; but til seuenti sithis seuene sithis.

Update Bible Version
Jesus says to him, I do not say to you, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

Webster's Bible Translation
Jesus saith to him, I say not to thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

New English Translation
Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times!

New King James Version
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

New Living Translation
"No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!

New Life Bible
Jesus said to him, "I tell you, not seven times but seventy times seven!

New Revised Standard
Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Jesus saith to him - I say not unto thee, unto, seven, times, but, until seventy times seven.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.

Revised Standard Version
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Iesus sayd vnto him: I saye not vnto the seven tymes: but seventy tymes seven tymes.

Young's Literal Translation
Jesus saith to him, `I do not say to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Iesus saide vnto hi: I saye not vnto ye seue tymes, but seuetie tymes seuen tymes.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Jesus answered, I tell thee not only seven: but seventy times seven.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus replied, "No Pete, not seven times—every time!"

Contextual Overview

²¹ 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?" ²² Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. ²³"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. ²⁶"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt. ²⁸ "The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!' ²⁹"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king. ³²"The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

but: Matthew 6:11, Matthew 6:12, Matthew 6:14, Matthew 6:15, Isaiah 55:7, Micah 7:19, Mark 11:25, Mark 11:26, Romans 12:21, Ephesians 4:26, Ephesians 4:31, Ephesians 4:32, Ephesians 5:1, Colossians 3:13, 1 Timothy 2:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:24 - seventy Proverbs 19:11 - and Ecclesiastes 11:2 - seven Zechariah 8:23 - ten men Luke 17:4 - if

Cross-References

Genesis 18:1
God appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. It was the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing. He ran from his tent to greet them and bowed before them.

Genesis 18:16
When the men got up to leave, they set off for Sodom. Abraham walked with them to say good-bye.

Genesis 19:1
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening. Lot was sitting at the city gate. He saw them and got up to welcome them, bowing before them and said, "Please, my friends, come to my house and stay the night. Wash up. You can rise early and be on your way refreshed." They said, "No, we'll sleep in the street."

Psalms 106:23
Fed up, God decided to get rid of them— and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have. But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger, prevented it from destroying them utterly. They went on to reject the Blessed Land, didn't believe a word of what God promised. They found fault with the life they had and turned a deaf ear to God 's voice. Exasperated, God swore that he'd lay them low in the desert, Scattering their children hither and yon, strewing them all over the earth.

Jeremiah 15:1
Then God said to me: "Jeremiah, even if Moses and Samuel stood here and made their case, I wouldn't feel a thing for this people. Get them out of here. Tell them to get lost! And if they ask you, ‘So where do we go?' tell them God says, "‘If you're assigned to die, go and die; if assigned to war, go and get killed; If assigned to starve, go starve; if assigned to exile, off to exile you go!'

Ezekiel 22:30
"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one. So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of God , the Master."

1 Timothy 2:1
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee,.... Which is as if he had said, observe what I am about to say, I do not agree to what thou sayest to fix the number, "until seven times only", but

until seventy times seven; a certain number for an uncertain, see Genesis 4:24. Christ's meaning is, that a man should be all the days, and every day of his life, forgiving those that sin against him, as often as they repent and acknowledge their fault; and that no time is to be set for the exercise of the grace of forgiveness; but as often as there are objects and occasions, though ever so many and frequent, it should be used; and which he illustrates by the following parable.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Till seven times? - The Jews caught that a man was to forgive another three times, but not the fourth. Peter more than doubled this, and asked whether forgiveness was to be exercised to so great an extent.

I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven - The meaning is, that we are not to limit our forgiveness to any fixed number of times. See Genesis 4:24. As often as a brother injures us and asks forgiveness, we are to forgive him. It is, indeed, his duty to ask forgiveness, Luke 17:4. If he does this, it is our duty to declare that we forgive him, and to treat him accordingly. If he does not ask us to forgive him, yet we are not at liberty to follow him with revenge and malice, but are still to treat him kindly and to do him good, Luke 10:30-37.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 18:22. Seventy times seven. — There is something very remarkable in these words, especially if collated with Genesis 4:24, where the very same words are used-"If any man kill LAMECH, he shall be avenged seventy times seven." The just God punishes sin in an exemplary manner. Sinful man, who is exposed to the stroke of Divine justice, should be abundant in forgiveness, especially as the merciful only shall find mercy. Matthew 5:7, and on Matthew 6:14; Matthew 6:15. The sum seventy times seven makes four hundred and ninety. Now an offence, properly such, is that which is given wantonly, maliciously, and without ANY PROVOCATION. It is my opinion, that, let a man search ever so accurately, he will not find that he has received, during the whole course of his life, four hundred and ninety such offences. If the man who receives the offence has given any cause for it, in that case, the half of the offence, at least, towards his brother, ceases.