Paragraph 6:14–15

And lastly, Jesus taught that when his disciples pray for God to forgive them, they must also forgive others (6:14–15). The understanding is that if they do not forgive others, then God will not forgive them.

6:14a

For: Verses 6:14–15 are the reason why we can ask God to forgive us (in 6:12). The Greek indicates that these verses are the reason with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.

Jesus taught us to pray 12a“Forgive us our debts…for/because 14byour heavenly Father will forgive you 14aif you forgive others their trespasses.”

Since 6:13 comes between the two parts about forgiveness, it may be necessary to make the connection more clear. For example:

⌊You should pray for God to forgive you⌋ for/because
-or-

⌊Pray this way⌋ because

Many English versions do not translate this word. In some languages, it may not be necessary to translate this word either.

if you forgive: The word forgive is the same word as in 6:12a. For help in translating this word, see the notes there.

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to people in general.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

other people
-or-
people

their trespasses: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as trespasses is another word for “sins.”

Here are some other ways to translate their trespasses:

when they sin against you (New International Version)
-or-
the wrongs they have done to you (Good News Translation)
-or-
the bad things that they have done ⌊against you⌋

6:14b

your heavenly Father: The phrase your heavenly Father refers to God. It is very similar to the phrase “Our Father in heaven” in 6:9b.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

⌊God⌋ your heavenly Father

-or-

⌊God⌋ your Father ⌊who is/lives⌋ in heaven

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