Bible Strands
Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus instructs his disciples to pray this line while teaching them the Lord’s Prayer, positioning it between a request for daily bread and a plea for deliverance from testing.
The words — ἄφες (aphes) literally means "do forgive" and ὀφειλήματα (opheilēmata) translates as "debts," presenting sin in the text as a financial obligation.
The thread — The pattern appears in Ephesians 4:32, which commands believers to forgive one another just as God forgave them, and Mark 11:25, which ties the Father’s forgiveness of trespasses to the believer’s practice of forgiveness.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge their own need for pardon while actively extending that same pardon to others before making further requests.
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 forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
- Mark 11:25 And 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.”
- Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
- Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
- Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
- 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
- Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
- Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
- Exodus 34:7 maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
- Psalms 32:1 Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.