Bible Strands
Luke 7:48
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the woman at the meal, pronouncing her sins forgiven immediately after stating that her great love demonstrates the extent of her forgiveness.
The words — The Greek ἀφέωνται (aphēōntai) appears in the text as a perfect passive verb translated literally as “have been forgiven,” denoting a completed action with ongoing effect.
The thread — Jesus employs this identical declaration in Luke 5:20, Mark 2:5, and Matthew 9:2 when speaking to a paralytic.
Why it lands — The text explicitly states that forgiveness is pronounced by Jesus before the onlookers question His authority, requiring the reader to acknowledge that the claim to forgive sins is a direct exercise of divine prerogative rather than a moral suggestion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
Cross-references
- Matthew 9:2 Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
- Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
- Luke 5:20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”