Overview
The Bible addresses pardon across 89 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Luke, Psalms and Isaiah. Closely related themes include Repentance, Sin, Penitent and Mercy of God, the. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, David, Manasseh and Nathan.
Key Bible verses about pardon
Old Testament
2 Chronicles
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. which: Heb. upon whom my name is called
For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one
And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.
Job
Psalms
For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. A Psalm: or, A Psalm of David giving instruction
I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Isaiah
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. for peace: or, on my peace came great bitterness thou hast in: Heb. thou hast loved my soul from the pit
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. comfortably: Heb. to the heart warfare: or, appointed time
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. the unrighteous: Heb. the man of iniquity abundantly: Heb. multiply to pardon
Jeremiah
For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
Daniel
Micah
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
New Testament
Matthew
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mark
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Verily I say unto you All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Luke
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, by: or, for
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? sinners: or, debtors
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again;2532 he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
John
Acts
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Romans
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; set forth: or, foreordained remission: or, passing over
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Colossians
Hebrews
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. And their: some copies have, Then he said, And their
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
1 John
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
People in the Bible and pardon
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying pardon for yourself
- Begin with Exodus 34:7, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Luke, Psalms and Isaiah each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Jesus, David and Manasseh and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Repentance, Sin, Penitent and Mercy of God, the.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about pardon?
The Bible addresses pardon across 89 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Luke, Psalms and Isaiah. Closely related themes include Repentance, Sin, Penitent and Mercy of God, the. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus, David, Manasseh and Nathan.
How many Bible verses are about pardon?
The Bible references pardon in 89 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention pardon?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Exodus 34:7: “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”
Which people in the Bible are associated with pardon?
Jesus, David, Manasseh, Nathan and Hezekiah.
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