The Meaning of Luke 17:4 Explained

Luke 17:4

KJV: And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

YLT: and if seven times in the day he may sin against thee, and seven times in the day may turn back to thee, saying, I reform; thou shalt forgive him.'

Darby: And if he should sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times should return to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.

ASV: And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  if  he trespass  against  thee  seven times  in a day,  and  seven times  in a day  turn again  to  thee,  saying,  I repent;  thou shalt forgive  him. 

What does Luke 17:4 Mean?

Study Notes

trespass
Sin.
sinned
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

Luke 17:1-10 - "take Heed To Yourselves"
The world is full of stumbling-blocks. Men are perpetually placing them in each other's way; and especially before little children, the simple and the weak. Let us take heed to ourselves and endeavor to make life's pathway easier for others. Let us spend lives of helpfulness and sympathy, full of love and forgiveness, of light and joy.
Do these precepts seem too difficult? Does a sevenfold forgiveness seem impossible? Then learn the lesson of the mustard seed, which opens its tiny door to the inflow of Nature's energy and is therefore enabled to produce what, to its unaided strength, would be impossible. Open your soul to God! His love through you will forgive and save to the uttermost!
But when you have done all, you have nothing to be proud of, and neither God nor man is under any obligation to you. Love is the elementary duty of the follower of Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 17

1  Jesus teaches to avoid occasions of offense;
3  and to forgive one another
5  The power of faith
6  How we are bound to God
11  Jesus heals ten lepers
22  Of the kingdom of God, and the coming of the Son of Man

Greek Commentary for Luke 17:4

Seven times in a day [επτακις της ημερας]
Seven times within the day. On another occasion Peter‘s question (Matthew 18:21) brought Christ‘s answer “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), which see note. Seven times during the day would be hard enough for the same offender. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 17:4 mean?

And if seven times in the day he should sin against you should return to saying I repent you shall forgive him
καὶ ἐὰν ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς σὲ ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς λέγων Μετανοῶ ἀφήσεις αὐτῷ

ἑπτάκις  seven  times 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἑπτάκις  
Sense: seven times.
τῆς  in  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἡμέρας  day 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἡμέρα  
Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night.
ἁμαρτήσῃ  he  should  sin 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἁμαρτάνω  
Sense: to be without a share in.
εἰς  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
ἐπιστρέψῃ  should  return 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιστρέφω  
Sense: transitively.
λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Μετανοῶ  I  repent 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: μετανοέω  
Sense: to change one’s mind, i.
ἀφήσεις  you  shall  forgive 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἀφίημι 
Sense: to send away.