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NASB | Matthew 18:22 Jesus *said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 18:22 Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven. |
Bible Question:
Is seventy times seven, mean anything? Why not 100 times 10, you know? Could you please answer me Thank you Edwin Funes |
Bible Answer: Seven is the number of Wholeness, Perfection and Completeness. If the number 7 is associated with anything in the bible, it declares that it is whole, complete, lacking nothing, in a sense, perfect. That is why they say 7 is "God's number" So, when Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive his brother, he thought he was being wise by saying "seven times?" thinking that if you forgive someone seven times, then you've shown a Godlike quality and Godlike patience in forgiving that person, completely and wholly. But Jesus' answer shows us that we are to forgive someone completely and wholly to such a degree (seventy TIMES seven) that it would seem like we've shown Godlike forgiveness in it's entirety, and THEN forgive multiplied seven times more than that amount, and THEN forgive a number of times equal to ten times multiplied that amount. I'm sure if we forgave someone 490 times we would accomplish this as well, but I don't think that counting the number of times you forgive a person is what Jesus was intending to imply because it is not in line with the true nature of forgiveness. The bottom line is, keep forgiving a don't stop. After all, that is how we would like God to treat us right? |