LUKE 7:47 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) so that’s why I’ll tell you this: Her many sins have been forgiven because she showed a lot of love, but the one who has been forgiven little, is loving little.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Therefore I say to you, her sins, the many, have been forgiven—for she loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”

UST So I tell you that God has forgiven her many sins, and that is why she loves me very much. But a person who thinks that God has only had to forgive him for a few sins will love me only a little bit.”

BSB Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

BLB Therefore I say to you this: Her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, he loves little."

AICNT [[Not]][fn] For this reason I say to you, {her many sins are forgiven}.[fn] [For she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, loves little.]”[fn]

7:47, Not: Some manuscripts include. D(05)

7:47, her many sins are forgiven: Some manuscripts read “many are forgiven her.” D(05) Latin(ff²)

7:47, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, loves little: Absent from some manuscripts. D(05) Latin(e).

OEB So I tell you, her great love shows that her sins, many as they are, have been pardoned. One who is pardoned little loves little.’

WEBBE Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”

LSV therefore I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom is forgiven little, loves little.”

FBV So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—that's why she loves so much.[fn] But whoever is forgiven little, only loves a little.”

7:47 This verse is sometimes understood as if it's woman's love that brings the great forgiveness. However, the context (especially verse 43) makes it clear that it's the extent of forgiveness that engenders the great love.

TCNT Therefore I tell yoʋ, her many sins are forgiven; that is why she has shown great love. But he to whom little is forgiven shows little love.”

T4T So I will tell you that even though this woman has sinned very much, she has been forgiven {I have forgiven her}. By what she has done she has shown that she loves me very much. But a person who has sinned just a little bit, but whom I have forgiven, will love me just a little bit.”

LEB _⌊For this reason_⌋[fn] I tell you, her sins—which were many—have been forgiven, for she loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”

7:47 Literally “on account of which”

BBE And so I say to you, She will have forgiveness for her sins which are great in number, because of her great love: but he who has small need of forgiveness gives little love.

Moff Therefore I tell you, many as her sins are, they are forgiven, for her love is great; whereas he to whom little is forgiven has but little love."

Wymth This is the reason why I tell you that her sins, her many sins, are forgiven—because she has loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."

ASV Wherefore 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.

DRA Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.

YLT therefore I say to thee, her many sins have been forgiven, because she did love much; but to whom little is forgiven, little he doth love.'

Drby For which cause I say to thee, Her many sins are forgiven; for she loved much; but he to whom little is forgiven loves little.

RV Wherefore 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.
(Wherefore I say unto thee/you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth/loves little. )

SLT For which I say to thee, Her many sins are remitted; for she loved much: and he to whom little is remitted, loves little.

Wbstr Wherefore I say to thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

KJB-1769 Wherefore 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.
( Wherefore I say unto thee/you, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth/loves little. )

KJB-1611 Wherefore, I say vnto thee, her sinnes, which are many, are forgiuen, for she loued much: but to whom litle is forgiuen, the same loueth litle.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Wherfore I say vnto thee, many sinnes are forgeuen her: for she loued much. To whom lesse is forgeuen, the same doth lesse loue.
(Wherefore I say unto thee/you, many sins are forgiven her: for she loved much. To whom less is forgiven, the same doth/does less love.)

Gnva Wherefore I say vnto thee, many sinnes are forgiuen her: for she loued much. To whom a litle is forgiuen, he doeth loue a litle.
(Wherefore I say unto thee/you, many sins are forgiven her: for she loved much. To whom a little is forgiven, he doth/does love a little. )

Cvdl Therfore I saye vnto the: Many synnes are forgeuen her, for she hath loued moch. But vnto whom lesse is forgeuen, the same loueth the lesse.
(Therefore I say unto them: Many sins are forgiven her, for she hath/has loved much. But unto whom less is forgiven, the same loveth/loves the lesse.)

TNT Wherefore I saye vnto the: many synnes are forgeve her for she loved moche. To whom lesse is forgeven the same doeth lesse love.
(Wherefore I say unto them: many sins are forgive her for she loved much. To whom less is forgiven the same doth/does less love. )

Wycl For the which thing Y seie to thee, many synnes ben foryouun to hir, for sche hath loued myche; and to whom is lesse foryouun, he loueth lesse.
(For the which thing I say to thee/you, many sins been forgiven to her, for she hath/has loved much; and to whom is less forgiven, he loveth/loves lesse.)

Luth Derhalben sage ich dir: Ihr sind viel Sünden vergeben, denn sie hat viel geliebet. Welchem aber wenig vergeben wird, der liebet wenig.
(Therefore said I you/to_you(sg): You(pl) are many sins(n) forgive, because/than they/she/them has many loved. Whichm but few forgive becomes, the/of_the loves few.)

ClVg Propter quod dico tibi: remittuntur ei peccata multa, quoniam dilexit multum. Cui autem minus dimittitur, minus diligit.[fn]
(Because that I_mean/say to_you: remittuntur to_him sins fine, since/because he_loved a_lot. To_whom however minus dismissesur, minus he_loves. )

7.47 Remittuntur ei peccata. In domo Pharisæi, id est, in custodia legis et prophetarum, non Pharisæus incredulus, sed peccatrix pœnitens glorificatur, quia ardor charitatis in ea rubiginem delictorum combussit.

7.47 Remittuntur to_him sins. In at_home Pharisees, that it_is, in/into/on custody law and of_the_prophets, not/no Pharisæus incredulous, but sinsrix pœnitens glorified, because ardor of_charity in/into/on them rubiginem I_sinrum burnt.

UGNT οὗ χάριν, λέγω σοι, ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί, ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ; ᾧ δὲ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται, ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ.
(hou ⱪarin, legō soi, afeōntai hai hamartiai autaʸs hai pollai, hoti aʸgapaʸsen polu; hō de oligon afietai, oligon agapa.)

SBL-GNT οὗ χάριν, λέγω σοι, ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί, ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ· ᾧ δὲ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται, ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ.
(hou ⱪarin, legō soi, afeōntai hai hamartiai autaʸs hai pollai, hoti aʸgapaʸsen polu; hō de oligon afietai, oligon agapa.)

RP-GNT Οὗ χάριν, λέγω σοι, ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί, ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ· ᾧ δὲ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται, ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ.
(Hou ⱪarin, legō soi, afeōntai hai hamartiai autaʸs hai pollai, hoti aʸgapaʸsen polu; hō de oligon afietai, oligon agapa.)

TC-GNT Οὗ χάριν, λέγω σοι, ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί, ὅτι ἠγάπησε πολύ· ᾧ δὲ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται, ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ.
(Hou ⱪarin, legō soi, afeōntai hai hamartiai autaʸs hai pollai, hoti aʸgapaʸse polu; hō de oligon afietai, oligon agapa. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:36–50: Jesus forgave a woman’s sins and taught a Pharisee about love

In this section a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to be the guest of honor at a dinner in his home. While Jesus was there, a sinful woman came and washed his feet with her tears. She dried them with her hair, kissed them, and poured scented oil on them. By these unusual actions, the woman honored Jesus and showed that she loved him.

By contrast, Simon neglected common ways to honor a guest. He did not greet Jesus with a kiss or give him water to wash his feet or put oil on his head. Jesus said that the woman’s acts of love showed that her sins had been forgiven. Simon’s failure to show love showed that his sins had not been forgiven.

Certain Jewish customs help to explain some of the actions in this story:

For special meals, the Jews usually ate at low tables and reclined on couches or cushions with their feet extended away from the table. This made it easier for the woman to kiss Jesus’ feet and pour perfume on them. (See the notes at 7:36b.)
When a religious teacher such as Jesus was invited to a feast, he ate with the host and the other invited guests. People who had not been invited were allowed to come in quietly and listen to what the teacher said. They were not supposed to join the invited guests.
Often a slave washed the feet of the guests. People considered feet to be dirty. When the woman washed Jesus’ feet and kissed them, she humbled herself and honored Jesus.

This section is not explicitly connected to the preceding one, but it does illustrate some of the statements in 7:29–35. The woman was a person who “acknowledged God’s justice” (7:29). Simon the Pharisee was one of those who “rejected God’s purpose for themselves” (7:30).

Some other possible headings for this section are:

A sinful woman washes Jesus’ feet at the home of a Pharisee named Simon

Jesus compares a Pharisee and a sinful woman

Paragraph 7:44–47

In this paragraph Jesus compared debts to sins. He also implied that the woman was like the man in the story who owed much money. Jesus was like the lender. The lender forgave the man his debt, and Jesus forgave the woman’s sins. The woman loved Jesus very much because he had forgiven her for many sins. Simon was like the man who borrowed only a little money. He did not love Jesus as much, because he thought that he did not need much forgiveness from Jesus.

7:47

many sins…loved much: There is an implied comparison in this verse. Jesus implied that the woman was like the man in the parable who owed much money and loved the lender for canceling his large debt. She loved Jesus much because she knew that he had forgiven her for many sins.

Make sure that the connection between receiving much forgiveness and loving much is clear in your translation. See the examples in the notes for this verse.

forgiven little loves little: In this verse Jesus also implied that Simon was like the man in the parable who owed only a small debt. This comparison is clear only because Jesus indicated that Simon did not show much love to him. This implies that Simon thought that he had not sinned much and did not need much forgiveness.

7:47a

Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven,

For this reason it is clear that this woman has been forgiven of/for her many sins,
And so I assure you that she has certainly received pardon/forgiveness for all her numerous sins.
I tell you that I have certainly forgiven her for the many things that she has done wrong.

7:47b

she has loved much.

for her great love/gratitude is the evidence/proof.
It/This is shown by how much she has loved me.
This/That is the reason that she has shown me so much love.

7:47a–b

Some English versinos, such as the ESV, NIV, and NLT, connect 7:47a and 7:47b with a dash. Other English versions do not use a dash here. It is probably not necessary to use a dash in your translation.

Therefore: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Therefore means “for this reason.” It introduces a conclusion. Jesus concluded that the woman showed so much love to him because she was grateful to him for forgiving her many sins. The way that she behaved toward him proved that this was true. Other ways to express this connection in English are:

I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. (GNT)

That’s why I’m telling you that her many sins have been forgiven. Her great love proves that. (GW)

So, I tell you, her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven… (REB)

The conjunction Therefore works together with the conjunction “for” in 7:47b. Consider the meaning of the whole statement and connect it to the context in a natural way in your language.

I tell you: Jesus often used the words I tell you to begin a statement that he wanted to emphasize. It indicates that the statement was important and that people should listen carefully to it. Some other ways to show this emphasis are:

Use a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:
Let me tell you this
Listen
I assure you
Use an emphatic word within Jesus’ statement. For example:
her many sins have certainly been forgiven.

If you have another way in your language to emphasize an important statement, consider using it here.

See 7:26c and 7:28a, where the same phrase occurs.

because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much is literally “her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much.” The Greek conjunction “for” indicates “as is shown by the fact that.” It implies that the woman’s love for Jesus was the proof that she understood for how much Jesus had forgiven her.

There are a number of ways to express the connection between these ideas:

it is clear that she must have been forgiven because she loved/loves much

her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love (NCV)

Express this connection in a clear way in your language.

The clause her many sins have been forgiven is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to translate it without using a passive verb. For example:

she has received forgiveness/pardon for her many sins

In some languages it may be helpful to say who had forgiven the woman’s sins. If that is true in your language, you may specify that Jesus had forgiven her sins.In the parable that Jesus told, he showed that it was natural for the men to be thankful to the person who had canceled their debts. In the same way, this woman was thankful to Jesus for forgiving her, and that is why she showed great love to him. For example:

I have forgiven her many sins

I have forgiven her for the many times that she has sinned

her many sins: In this context the phrase her many sins refers to the woman’s sins against God. Jesus used the phrase in a general way to refer to the sinful things that she had done in her life. He was not implying that the woman had offended him personally.

In general, the word sins refers to offenses against God. These sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves.In Greek, the verb that English versions translate as sin is also a term that is used in archery to mean “miss the target.” When a person sins, he “misses” the target, that is, he fails to reach God’s standard. A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do. God is also offended by actions that a person does to harm other people.

It is helpful to translate sins with a general term that can include any offense against God. Here are problems to avoid:

The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.
The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

See sin, sense A, in KBT.

Some ways to translate sins are:

wrong acts

offenses against God

In some languages it may be natural to translate sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:

the things that she has done wrong

have been forgiven: The verb form that the BSB translates as have been forgiven indicates that at a previous time in the past the woman’s sins were forgiven. The woman continued to live as a forgiven person. Use a natural form in your language to describe an action in the past that continues to be effective in the present.

In this context the verb have been forgiven indicates Jesus forgave the woman for all that she had ever done that was wrong. As a result, God would not punish her for any of her sins. He would cancel her guilt and treat her as though she had never sinned. Some other ways to translate have been forgiven are:

have been pardoned

have been canceled

have been taken away

7:47c

But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

But if a person sins in small ways and is forgiven for only those sins, that person will love the one who forgives him only a little.
But the person who thinks that he needs little pardon/forgiveness shows little love/gratitude to the one who forgives him.”

But he who has been forgiven little loves little: This clause expresses a fact that is true of people in general. It does not refer to Simon alone, but it explains Simon’s actions. Simon showed little love for Jesus because he did not think that he needed much forgiveness. Simon did not realize that he had sinned many times. In some languages it may be necessary to make this meaning more explicit. For example:

But whoever thinks that he does not need to be forgiven for many sins does not respond with much love.

As in 7:47a–b, the verb has been forgiven is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to translate the clause without using a passive verb. For example:

But if someone sins against a person in only small ways and the person forgives him, the one who sinned will not show much love to the one who forgave him.

But if someone forgives a person who sinned only a few times, the one who sins/sinned will love the one who forgives only a little.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

λέγω σοι

˱I˲_˓am˒_saying (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗ χάριν λέγω σοί ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ ᾧ δέ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ)

This phrase emphasizes the importance of the statement that follows. Alternate translation: [pay attention to this]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί

˓have_been˒_forgiven the sins ˱of˲_her ¬the many

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who has done the action. Alternate translation: [God has forgiven her many sins]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ

because ˱she˲_loved much

The implication is that her display of love was the evidence that her sins were forgiven. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: [We can tell this because she has shown that she greatly loves the one who forgave her]

ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ

because ˱she˲_loved much

Your language may require you to state the object of loved. Alternate translation: [because she greatly loves the one who forgave her]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ᾧ δὲ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται, ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ

˱to˲_whom (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗ χάριν λέγω σοί ἀφέωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι αὐτῆς αἱ πολλαί ὅτι ἠγάπησεν πολύ ᾧ δέ ὀλίγον ἀφίεται ὀλίγον ἀγαπᾷ)

In this sentence Jesus states a general principle. However, he is saying implicitly that Simon specifically has shown very little love for him. A further implication is that one to whom little is forgiven is actually someone who thinks he is better than others and mistakenly thinks he does not need to be forgiven for very much. Alternate translation: [a person like you who thinks that God has only had to forgive him for a few things does not show much love]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ᾧ & ὀλίγον ἀφίεται

˱to˲_whom & little ˓is_being˒_forgiven

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who has done the action. Alternate translation: [the person who thinks that God has only had to forgive him for a few things]