Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Parallel translations
- WEB Simon answered, “He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most.” He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”
- BSB “I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied. “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
- NKJV Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
- NASB Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”
- NLT Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Simon rightly answers that the one forgiven more will love more, and Jesus affirms his judgment. Simon unwittingly judges his own situation.
Overview
Simon correctly identifies the principle that greater forgiveness yields greater love, and Jesus confirms it. Yet in answering, Simon condemns his own lack of love. The exchange sets up Jesus' direct application, exposing the contrast between the grateful woman and the unloving Pharisee.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 116:16–18O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
- 2 Cor 5:14–15For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
- Luke 7:47Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
- 1 Tim 1:13–16Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
- Luke 10:38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
- 1 Cor 15:9–10For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
- Mark 12:34And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 7:43 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.