Daniel 9 and Ἑβδομηκοντάκις Ἑπτά in Matthew 18:22

In understanding the unusual numerical construction ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά in Matt. 18:22, Matthean scholars have routinely directed their attention to Gen. 4:24. This study does not downplay the relevance of Gen. 4:24, but argues that equally important is the intertextual connection between Matt. 18:22 and Dan. 9:24. While Matthean studies that are attentive to intertextual allusions have been silent about the connection between Matt. 18:22 and Dan. 9:24, with respect to the theme of forgiveness, the present article illuminates how Jesus’s instruction to forgive ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά can be read alongside Dan. 9:24. It thus seeks to demonstrate that the numerical construction ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά in Matt. 18:22 signals the completion of forgiveness for all sins in the light of the “seventy weeks” of Dan. 9:24. Although the exact linguistic expression in LXX Dan. 9:24 is different from Matthew 18, both texts commonly articulate the completion of forgiveness and the multiplication of seventy and seven (70 × 7). This study suggests that the ideas (e.g., the completion of forgiveness, multiplication, global totality) presented in Dan. 9:24 offer a helpful analog for understanding the nature of Jesus’s instruction to forgive seventy times seven. When reading the two texts based on these connections, we can read that Jesus’s instruction to forgive seventy times seven signifies the completion of forgiveness for all sins.