Peter asks how often he must forgive, even proposing seven times. Jesus answers with a number translated either "seventy-seven times" or traditionally "seventy times seven," depending on how the Greek expression is understood.
Either way, the response is not a new maximum number after which forgiveness may stop.
The Greek numerical expression can be rendered in more than one way, which explains the difference among translations. The saying may also echo the language of Genesis 4 concerning Lamech's escalating vengeance, creating a striking reversal from multiplied revenge to multiplied forgiveness.
The following parable of the unforgiving servant confirms that Jesus' point is not mathematical bookkeeping.
The linguistic detail frees the reader from debating whether the correct forgiveness limit is 77 or 490. Both readings communicate abundance far beyond Peter's proposed seven.
If the echo of Lamech is heard, the contrast is even sharper: the multiplication once associated with vengeance becomes a pattern for forgiveness among Jesus' disciples.