King James Bible Dictionary

The forgiveness of sins granted freely (Isaiah 43:25), readily (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:5), abundantly (Isaiah 55:7; Romans 5:20). Pardon is an act of a sovereign, in pure sovereignty, granting simply a remission of the penalty due to sin, but securing neither honour nor reward to the pardoned. Justification (q.v.), on the other hand, is the act of a judge, and not of a sovereign, and includes pardon and, at the same time, a title to all the rewards and blessings promised in the covenant of life.

P'ARDON, verb transitive [Latin per and dono, to give; per having the sense of the English for in forgive, and re in Latin remitto, properly to give back or away.]

1. To forgive; to remit; as an offense or crime. Guilt implies a being bound or subjected to censure, penalty or punishment. To pardon is to give up this obligation, and release the offender. We apply the word to the crime or to the person. We pardon an offense, when we remove it from the offender and consider him as not guilty; we pardon the offender, when we release or absolve him from his liability to suffer punishment.

I pray thee, pardon my sin. 1 Samuel 15:25.

2. To remit, as a penalty.

I pardon thee thy life before thou ask it.

3. To excuse, as for a fault.

4. pardon me, is a phrase used when one asks for excuse, or makes an apology, and it is often used in this sense, when a person means civilly to deny or contradict what another affirms.

P'ARDON, noun Forgiveness; the release of an offense or of the obligation of the offender to suffer a penalty, or to bear the displeasure of the offended party. We seek the pardon of sins, transgressions and offenses.

1. Remission of a penalty. An amnesty is a general pardon

2. Forgiveness received.

See Sin, Forgiveness of
Sin, Forgiveness of

P'ARDONABLE, adjective That may be pardoned; applied to persons. The offender is pardonable

1. Venial; excusable; that may be forgiven, overlooked or passed by; applied to things; as a pardonable offense.

P'ARDONABLENESS, noun The quality of being pardonable; venialness; susceptibility of forgiveness; as the pardonableness of sin.

P'ARDONABLY, adverb In a manner admitting of pardon; venially; excusably.

P'ARDONED, participle passive Forgiven; excused.

P'ARDONER, noun One that forgives; one that absolves an offender.

1. One that sells the pope's indulgences.

P'ARDONING, participle present tense Forgiving; remitting an offense or crime; absolving from punishment.