# forgive, forgiveness

## Definition

To forgive someone means to not hold a grudge against a person who did something hurtful. "Forgiveness" is the act of forgiving someone.

* Forgiving someone often means not punishing that person for something he has done wrong.
* This term can be used figuratively to mean, "cancel" as in the expression, "forgive a debt."
* When people confess their sins, God forgives them based on Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross.
* Jesus taught his disciples to forgive others as he has forgiven them.


## Translation Suggestions



* Depending on the context, "forgive" could be translated as, "pardon" or "cancel" or "release" or "not hold against"