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The text at hand:
“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.” Luke
23:34 NKJV
Many English translations still say “forgive”.
The definition of the Greek word that Jesus used for forgive (Jesus likely spoke Aramaic of course) is listed below:
ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)
Gloss:
to forgive, pardon, remit, cancel; to leave, abandon; to allow, permit, tolerate
Definition:
to send away, dismiss, suffer to depart; to emit, send forth;, τὴν φωνήν, the voice, to cry out, utter an exclamation, Mk. 15:37; τὸ πνεῦμα, the spirit, to expire, Mt. 27:50; to omit, pass over or by; to let alone, care not for, Mt. 15:14; 23:23; Heb. 6:1; to permit, suffer, let, forbid not; to give up, yield, resign, Mt. 5:40; to remit, forgive, pardon; to relax, suffer to become less intense, Rev. 2:4; to leave, depart from; to desert, forsake; to leave remaining or alone; to leave behind, sc. at one’s death, Mk. 12:19, 20, 21, 22; Jn. 14:27
Source: https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/aphiemi
If an interpreter of the Bible comes across this verse and they are familiar with the implications of the atonement, it sounds as if Jesus is asking God to forgive people who may not have already placed their faith in Him for the forgiveness of sins, since they are in the process of crucifying Him.
To compare Acts with Luke, we read the comparative text:
“Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not
charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell
asleep.” Acts 7:60 NKJV
Jesus didn’t say: “Father, do not charge them with this…”
Now back to Luke, was Jesus saying:
“Father, forgive them…”?
Or
“Father, tolerate them…”?
Because to be forgiven is to have your particular sins cleansed and completely removed from your account (cf. Romans 4).
Q: Has the English translation misused the Greek word in this context for “forgive”?
Similar questions:
Who were "them" in Luke 23:34 when Jesus forgave "them" on the Cross?
How to ascertain that Luke 23:46 is the last words of Jesus on Cross and not John 19:30?
What did Jesus mean when he said, Forgive them "for they know not what they do"?
Rod Mackert
Thank you for your careful attention to the meaning of the Greek. Dane Ortlund in his book, “Deeper,” wrote that “any Christian who will take the time to learn something of the original languages will profit tenfold from whatever energy is expended.” I have certainly found that to be true as I have read the New Testament through in Greek since 2017, after many years of study to reach the point where I could.
It is true that ἀφίημι has a wide semantic range. I agree with you that Jesus was not asking the Father to grant a blanket atonement for their sins, but was, in different words, requesting the same kind of release that Stephen prayed for in Acts 7:60: forgiveness for His unjust execution. I am not sure I would substitute “tolerate” for “forgive,” though, in Luke 23:34.
When a Greek word has a wide semantic range, another way to think about the problem of how to interpret the word as it appears in a particular context is as follows: when the human author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wants to express a concept, what word does he most often use? In the present example, when the meaning of the verb ‘forgive’ or the noun ‘forgiveness’ is intended, what word would the inspired human author most often use?
In the ESV, the 72 times that words conveying the idea of forgiveness (forgive, forgives, forgiven, or forgiveness) appear in the New Testament (i.e., with an underlying Greek word—the ESV supplies “I also forgive” for Paul’s κἀγώ in 2Cor 2:10, and “so you also must forgive” for Paul’s οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς in Col 3:13), 61 of these occurrences are either the verb ἀφίημι or the cognate noun ἄφεσις. The Greek words behind the remaining 11 occurrences of these words (forgive, forgives, forgiven, or forgiveness) are ἀπολύω (2 occurrences in Luke 6:37) and χαρίζομαι (9 occurrences: 1 in 2Cor 2:7, 3 in 2Cor 2:10, 1 in 2Cor 2:13, 1 in Eph 4:32, 1 in Col 2:13, and 2 in Col 3:13). The semantic ranges of ἀφίημι and ἀπολύω are very similar. There is less overlap in the semantic ranges of ἀφίημι and χαρίζομαι, with χαρίζομαι conveying more narrowly the idea of graciously giving or graciously forgiving.
If you have Accordance and would like to try this analysis in another translation, my search was as follows: [RANGE matt-rev] forgiv* ([KEY G0863] [KEY G0859])
Again, thanks for your article. What are your thoughts?
Dr. Mark
I found this article very insightful! The author raises some important questions regarding the interpretation of Jesus’ words in Luke 23:34. It’s crucial to examine the original Greek and how it translates into English, as language nuances can significantly affect meaning. For instance, the term ‘ἀφίημι’ (aphiēmi) encompasses a range of meanings, including to forgive, but also to tolerate or permit (Mounce). This suggests that Jesus might have been expressing a broader sentiment of compassion rather than an outright declaration of forgiveness without faith. Moreover, when comparing with Acts 7:60 where Stephen asks God not to charge his murderers with sin, it highlights the complexity surrounding divine forgiveness (Pew Research). The article prompts readers to consider who ‘them’ refers to and if they had the capacity for repentance at that moment. Overall, this analysis encourages a deeper understanding of scriptural context and theology. It is vital to approach these texts critically and recognize potential biases in interpretation. Therefore, while I appreciate the author’s efforts to analyze this passage, one must be cautious about jumping to conclusions that may not fully align with traditional Christian doctrine or biblical scholarship.