forgiveness
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forgiveness
The act of forgiving someone for a mistake, a wrong, or an offense and giving up resentment or revenge.
Nach dem langen Streit war die Vergebung ein wichtiger Schritt zur Versöhnung.
After the long argument, forgiveness was an important step toward reconciliation.
to ask for forgiveness
To ask a person to forgive one for a mistake or misdeed.
Er hat eingesehen, dass er einen großen Fehler gemacht hat, und will sie nun um Vergebung bitten.
He realized that he had made a big mistake and now wants to ask her for forgiveness.
'Die Vergebung' (forgiveness) comes from the verb 'vergeben' (to forgive). This consists of the prefix 'ver-' and the verb 'geben' (to give). The ending '-ung' turns it into a feminine noun.
Es fiel ihm schwer, seinem Freund zu vergeben.
It was hard for him to forgive his friend.
When you ask someone to forgive you, you use the fixed expression 'um Vergebung bitten' (to ask for forgiveness). The preposition 'um' is a fixed part of this expression.
Nach dem Streit hat er sie angerufen, um Vergebung zu bitten.
After the argument, he called her to ask for forgiveness.
When forgiveness is granted, the person who is forgiven is in the dative. Typical verbs are 'jemandem Vergebung schenken' (to give someone forgiveness) or 'jemandem Vergebung gewähren' (to grant someone forgiveness).
Sie konnte ihm seine Untreue nicht vergeben und schenkte ihm keine Vergebung.
She could not forgive him for his infidelity and gave him no forgiveness.
The word 'Vergebung' (forgiveness) often has a strong religious or spiritual meaning. A very common collocation in this context is 'die Vergebung der Sünden' (the forgiveness of sins).
Im Gebet bat er um die Vergebung seiner Sünden.
In prayer, he asked for the forgiveness of his sins.
grace / mercy
Die Gnade and die Vergebung can both express a lenient response to guilt or an offense. Gnade emphasizes that a person with decision-making authority waives a deserved punishment or grants leniency. Vergebung, by contrast, emphasizes that someone gives up a personal accusation and resentment.
Nach seiner Entschuldigung gab die Frau ihm Vergebung und ließ ihren Groll los.
After he apologized, the woman forgave him and let go of her resentment.
Der Richter gewährte dem Angeklagten Gnade und erließ ihm einen Teil der Strafe.
The judge showed the defendant mercy and waived part of his sentence.
