Matthew 18:22

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 18:22

I say not unto thee. Jesus gives the full weight of his authority to his precept, in distinction from Peter's suggestion and rabbinical glosses. Seventy times seven. No specific number, but practically unlimited. There is no measure to forgiveness; it must be practised whenever occasion arises. Some translate, "seventy-seven times," making an allusion to the retribution exacted from Lamech: "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold" ( Genesis 4:24 ).... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 18:22

The Christian limit of forgiveness, "Until seventy times seven." This is no fixed number. It is a figurative way of saying that there is, and there can be, no limit to Christian forgiveness. To understand the point and force of St. Peter's question, it is necessary to know the rabbinical rules of forgiveness with which he would be familiar. It was a settled rule of the rabbis that forgiveness should not be extended more than three times. Edersheim says, "It was a principle of rabbinism that,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 18:22

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... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 18:21-22

Matthew 18:21-22. Then came Peter When Jesus had given this advice for the accommodation of differences among his disciples, Peter, imagining it might be abused by ill-disposed persons, as an encouragement to offer injuries to others, came and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Must I go on to do it until he has repeated the injury seven times? He does not mean seven times a day, as Christ said, Luke 17:4, but seven times in his life, thinking, if a... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Matthew 18:15-35

79. Lessons in forgiveness (Matthew 18:15-35)Disciples of Jesus should be willing to forgive fellow believers who sin against them, but they should also be concerned that offenders realize their sin and turn from it. In each case the believer should go to the offender privately and point out the wrongdoing, so that the person might be spiritually helped. If this fails, two or three others should be called in, firstly to make sure that the offender is in fact guilty and secondly to appeal for... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Matthew 18:22

seventy times. Greek. hebdomekontakis. Occurs only here. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 18:22

Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.Christ did not mean that Christians should keep a ledger, exactly calculating a precise number such as 490, or using a variant reading, 70 times and 7. This simply means that a Christian must have the spiritual resources to keep on forgiving. Forgiveness of others was made a constant pre-condition of man's forgiveness by the Father, not only in these words of Jesus here, but upon other occasions as... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 18:21-22

Matthew 18:21-22. Then came Peter—and said, Lord, how oft, &c.— If my brother repeatedly trespass against me; how often must I forgive him? Campbell. When our Saviour had given his advice for the accommodation of differences among his disciples, Peter, imagining that it might be abused by ill-disposed persons, as an encouragement to offer injuries to others; asks his Lord, how often his brother might offend, and claim forgiveness? See Luk 17:4 where it is seven times in a day, which implies... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 18:22

22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven—that is, so long as it shall be needed and sought: you are never to come to the point of refusing forgiveness sincerely asked. (See on :-). read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 18:21-22

Jesus had been talking about excluding rather than forgiving (Matthew 18:17). This led Peter to ask how often he as a disciple should forgive an erring brother before he stopped forgiving. The rabbis taught that a Jew should forgive a repeated sin three times, but after that there need be no more forgiveness (Amos 1:3; Amos 2:6). [Note: Carson, "Matthew," p. 405; Lenski, p. 708.] Peter suggested seven times and probably felt very magnanimous doing so. Seven was a round number, sometimes... read more

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