Heptakis marks a sevenfold limit or repeated action in sayings about sin and forgiveness.

The attested use marks a count of seven in repeated acts: sinning and turning back in Luke 17:4, and the proposed limit of forgiveness in Matthew 18:21 and Matthew 18:22.

1. A sevenfold count in repeated dealings · dominant

   In Luke 17:4, the adverb occurs in the clauses about someone sinning and then turning back within a day; the APB renders both repetitions as “seven times.” In Matthew 18:21 and Matthew 18:22, it marks Peter's proposed number for forgiving a brother, which Jesus contrasts with “seventy times seven” in the APB.

   Luke 17:4Matthew 18:21Matthew 18:22

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the repeated count as “seven times” in Luke 17:4 and Matthew 18:21, then repeats that wording as the number contrasted with “seventy times seven” in Matthew 18:22. This reflects the clauses' presentation rather than a separate lexical distinction.