7:47
many sins…loved much: There is an implied comparison in this verse. Jesus implied that the woman was like the man in the parable who owed much money and loved the lender for canceling his large debt. She loved Jesus much because she knew that he had forgiven her for many sins.
Make sure that the connection between receiving much forgiveness and loving much is clear in your translation. See the examples in the notes for this verse.
forgiven little loves little: In this verse Jesus also implied that Simon was like the man in the parable who owed only a small debt. This comparison is clear only because Jesus indicated that Simon did not show much love to him. This implies that Simon thought that he had not sinned much and did not need much forgiveness.
7:47a–b
Some English versinos, such as the English Standard Version, New International Version, and New Living Translation (2004), connect 7:47a and 7:47b with a dash. Other English versions do not use a dash here. It is probably not necessary to use a dash in your translation.
Therefore: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Therefore means “for this reason.” It introduces a conclusion. Jesus concluded that the woman showed so much love to him because she was grateful to him for forgiving her many sins. The way that she behaved toward him proved that this was true. Other ways to express this connection in English are:
I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. (Good News Translation)
-or-
That’s why I’m telling you that her many sins have been forgiven. Her great love proves that. (God’s Word)
-or-
So, I tell you, her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven… (Revised English Bible)
The conjunction Therefore works together with the conjunction “for” in 7:47b. Consider the meaning of the whole statement and connect it to the context in a natural way in your language.
I tell you: Jesus often used the words I tell you to begin a statement that he wanted to emphasize. It indicates that the statement was important and that people should listen carefully to it. Some other ways to show this emphasis are:
• Use a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:
Let me tell you this
-or-
Listen
-or-
I assure you
• Use an emphatic word within Jesus’ statement. For example:
her many sins have certainly been forgiven.
If you have another way in your language to emphasize an important statement, consider using it here.
See 7:26c and 7:28a, where the same phrase occurs.
because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much is literally “her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much.” The Greek conjunction “for” indicates “as is shown by the fact that.” It implies that the woman’s love for Jesus was the proof that she understood for how much Jesus had forgiven her.
There are a number of ways to express the connection between these ideas:
it is clear that she must have been forgiven because she loved/loves much
-or-
her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love (New Century Version)
Express this connection in a clear way in your language.
The clause her many sins have been forgiven is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to translate it without using a passive verb. For example:
she has received forgiveness/pardon for her many sins
In some languages it may be helpful to say who had forgiven the woman’s sins. If that is true in your language, you may specify that Jesus had forgiven her sins. For example:
⌊I⌋ have forgiven her many sins
-or-
⌊I⌋ have forgiven her for the many times that she has sinned
her many sins: In this context the phrase her many sins refers to the woman’s sins against God. Jesus used the phrase in a general way to refer to the sinful things that she had done in her life. He was not implying that the woman had offended him personally.
In general, the word sins refers to offenses against God. These sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do. God is also offended by actions that a person does to harm other people.
It is helpful to translate sins with a general term that can include any offense against God. Here are problems to avoid:
(a) The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.
(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.
See sin, sense A, in Key Biblical Terms.
Some ways to translate sins are:
wrong acts
-or-
offenses ⌊against God⌋
In some languages it may be natural to translate sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:
the things that she has done wrong
have been forgiven: The verb form that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have been forgiven indicates that at a previous time in the past the woman’s sins were forgiven. The woman continued to live as a forgiven person. Use a natural form in your language to describe an action in the past that continues to be effective in the present.
In this context the verb have been forgiven indicates Jesus forgave the woman for all that she had ever done that was wrong. As a result, God would not punish her for any of her sins. He would cancel her guilt and treat her as though she had never sinned. Some other ways to translate have been forgiven are:
have been pardoned
-or-
have been canceled
-or-
have been taken away
See also forgive in Key Biblical Terms.
she has loved much: In this context the word loved refers to showing devotion and affection to a person. The love here is based on gratitude. If the word that you use for “love” refers more to a feeling than an action, you may need to add a word like “shown” or “demonstrated” to this clause. For example:
she has shown that she loves (me) very much
See how you translated “love” in 7:42c. See also love, sense A1(b), in Key Biblical Terms for more information.
7:47c
But he who has been forgiven little loves little: This clause expresses a fact that is true of people in general. It does not refer to Simon alone, but it explains Simon’s actions. Simon showed little love for Jesus because he did not think that he needed much forgiveness. Simon did not realize that he had sinned many times. In some languages it may be necessary to make this meaning more explicit. For example:
But whoever ⌊thinks that he⌋ does not ⌊need⌋ to be forgiven for many sins does not respond with much love.
As in 7:47a–b, the verb has been forgiven is passive. In some languages it may be necessary to translate the clause without using a passive verb. For example:
But if someone sins against a person in only small ways and the person forgives him, the one who sinned will not show much love to the one who forgave him.
-or-
But if someone forgives a person who sinned only a few times, the one who sins/sinned will love the one who forgives only a little.
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