Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do

Cultural  

1. A prayer that Jesus spoke on the cross, concerning those who put him to death. (See Crucifixion.)

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Example Sentences

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Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do

Quoting the Bible, she said: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025

There is, of course, dramatic precedent for forgiving the unrepentant: the words of Jesus on the Cross, praying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

From Time Magazine Archive

So He spoke, and on the Cross He made the great word luminous for ever by His own prayer for His murderers: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

From The Teaching of Jesus by George Jackson

Christ is reported to have prayed on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

From God and my Neighbour by Robert Blatchford

Still no cry of pain--only the exclamation divinest of all recorded exclamations, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

From Ben-Hur; a tale of the Christ by Lewis Wallace