Matthew 18:22 (DRB)

Passage

Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:20 For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

Matthew 18:22 Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times.

Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants.

Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to take the account, one as brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "saith", "thee", "till", "seven", "times", and "seventy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Then came Peter unto him and said..." into verse 23's "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened...", so "jesus" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.