Word study
Forgive
2 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
In brief
The Greek aphiēmi means to send away or release, and is used of cancelling a debt; the noun aphesis is forgiveness as release. Charizomai, from the word for grace, is to forgive as a gift. In Hebrew, salah is used only of God forgiving, while nasa, "lift" or "carry," pictures sin being borne away.
Written and reviewed by our editorial team.
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: forgive, forgiven, forgave, forgiving, forgives. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “forgive” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- סָלַח sâlachforgive, pardontranslated this way 40 times of its 46 uses · Strong’s H5545Verb · Translated: forgive 25, forgiven 14, absolve 3, Pardon 2Full study and all 45 verses →
Exodus 34:9 “O Lord,” he said, “if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our iniquity and sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”
Leviticus 4:20 He shall offer this bull just as he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.
- נָשָׂא nâsâlift, take, carrytranslated this way 18 times of its 642 uses · Strong’s H5375Verb · Translated: bear 49, lift 45, lifted 41, carried 38Full study and all 601 verses →
Genesis 50:17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
Exodus 10:17 Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.”
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἀφίημι aphíēmiI send away, release, remit, forgive, permittranslated this way 47 times of its 142 uses · Strong’s G863Verb · Translated: left 36, forgive 22, forgiven 22, let 12Full study and all 130 verses →
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
- χαρίζομαι charízomaiI show favor to, forgivetranslated this way 12 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s G5483Verb · Translated: forgave 4, forgiven 3, forgive 3, gave 2Full study and all 19 verses →
Luke 7:42 When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”
2 Corinthians 2:7 So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
- ἀπολύω apolýōI release, let go, send away, divorcetranslated this way 2 times of its 66 uses · Strong’s G630Verb · Translated: release 20, released 8, dismissed 7, divorces 6Full study and all 61 verses →
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.
- ἄφεσις áphesisdeliverance, pardon, complete forgivenesstranslated this way 2 times of its 16 uses · Strong’s G859Noun · Translated: forgiveness 13, forgiven 2, liberty 1Full study and all 16 verses →
Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”
Hebrews 10:18 And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed .
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.