For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Parallel translations
- WEB “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- KJV For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
- ESV For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
- NKJV “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- NASB For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- NLT “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
If you forgive others their wrongs, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. A forgiving spirit is the mark of one who has received God's mercy.
Overview
Jesus singles out the petition on forgiveness for further comment, underscoring its weight. Those who have truly grasped God's pardon will mirror it toward others, and the Father's forgiveness flows toward such people. This is not earning grace but evidence of grace received, anticipating Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant and pointing to the cross as the ground of all true forgiveness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Eph 4:32Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Mark 11:25And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”
- Col 3:13Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
- Matt 7:2For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- Jas 2:13For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Matt 18:21–35Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
- Matt 6:12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
- Prov 21:13Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
- 1 Jn 3:10By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 6:14 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.