How many times does the Bible mention forgiveness?

The English count

Words in the forgiveness family — “forgive,” “forgiveness,” “pardon” — appear approximately 130 to 170 times across major English translations. The exact figure depends on:

• Whether “pardon” (a near-synonym) is included.
• How the underlying Hebrew and Greek verbs are translated in each translation.
• Whether passages describing forgiveness without using the word are counted (they are not, by standard counting).

The Hebrew vocabulary

The Old Testament uses several Hebrew verbs to describe forgiveness:

• nasa (נָשָׂא, “to lift, take away”): used about 16 times in the sense of forgiving sin. The basic image is of lifting or carrying away a burden.
• salach (סָלַח, “to forgive, pardon”): used about 45 times. The subject is almost always God; humans are usually said to “forgive” with other verbs.
• kapar (כָּפַר, “to cover, atone”): used about 102 times in various forms. The basic image is of covering. Closely related to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

The Greek vocabulary

The New Testament’s primary verb for forgiveness is:

• aphiēmi (ἀφίημι, “to send away, let go, forgive”): about 142 occurrences in all senses, of which roughly half are in the specific sense of forgiving sin or debt. The basic image is of releasing or letting go.
• charizomai (χαρίζομαι, “to give graciously, forgive”): used about 23 times, several in the sense of forgiving.

Where forgiveness concentrates

The Psalms, particularly the penitential psalms (Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), contain dense vocabulary around forgiveness and atonement. The Gospel of Matthew and the Pauline epistles develop the theme most fully in the New Testament. Jesus’ instruction on forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-35 and the Lord’s Prayer petition (“forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” Matthew 6:12) are central.