Matthew 6:12 Explained in Context

Selected verse

Verse 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions

Quick Meaning

Asks forgiveness of debts in relation to forgiving debtors.

Read It With

Matthew 6:5–6:15

Read Matthew 6:12 with 6:5–6:15. In isolation, this verse's contribution—asks forgiveness of debts in relation to forgiving debtors—can be detached from its speaker, audience, narrative or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Jesus contrasts public performance and empty repetition with private trust, gives the Lord's Prayer, and underscores forgiving others.

Read Matthew 6:9–13 together

Why these verses belong together: Address, petitions, provision, forgiveness, and deliverance form one prayer rather than detachable formulas.

Verse 9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Verse 10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Verse 11. Give us this day our daily bread.

Verse 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Verse 13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

What Remains True

Jesus contrasts public performance and empty repetition with private trust, gives the Lord's Prayer, and underscores forgiving others. Matthew 6:12's proportionate contribution is this: Asks forgiveness of debts in relation to forgiving debtors.

How It Can Shape Life

Matthew 6:12 contributes this specific claim: Asks forgiveness of debts in relation to forgiving debtors. Pray honestly before the Father, ask for daily needs and forgiveness, and pursue safe repair without using public performance or pressured reconciliation as proof of devotion.

Continue in Context

The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.

Read Matthew 6:5–6:15 — Prayer addresses the Father without performance

Sources used for this Verse Lens

How certain is this explanation? strong

These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Matthew 6:5–6:15, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control without treating one edition as a complete apparatus.

Exact location: SBLGNT official text file data/sblgnt/text/Matt.txt, Matthew 6:5–6:15

Open the Matthew Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for the expressions actually discussed in this thought unit.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data TAGNT rows for Matthew 6:5–6:15

Open source ↗

open translation and translator notes

NET Bible: Matthew with Translators' and Textual Notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, historical, Jewish-background, and Synoptic notes for this unit.

Exact location: NET Bible Matthew PDF, printed pp. 1808-1867, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 6:5–6:15

Open source ↗

Open the complete thought-unit research record