H5771 — עָוֺן (ʻâvôn)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5771
Original: עָוֺן
Transliteration: ʻâvôn
Pronunciation: aw-vone'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Related to H5753 עָוָה (ʻâvâh) — to bend, twist, commit perversity; Aramaic cognate H5758
Occurrences: 213 unique verses (234 tokens) in 26 books
First Occurrence: Gen 4:13 — "My punishment [is] greater than I can bear"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

BDB: iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity

Three semantically distinct senses distinguished in BDB: 1. Iniquity — the wrongful act itself; moral perversity or crookedness 2. Guilt of iniquity — the culpable state resulting from the act 3. Punishment / consequence of iniquity — the penalty borne by the offender

TWOT: 1577a

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
iniquity (all inflected phrases)	~170	~80%
punishment / punishment of iniquity	~5	~2%
fault	2	<1%
sin, mischief	2	<1%

Dominant rendering is "iniquity." The rendering "punishment" surfaces where context emphasizes consequence rather than act (Gen 4:13; Isa 40:2; Num 5:31).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hosea	10	5.1
Lamentations	5	3.2
Ezekiel	38	3.0
Leviticus	16	1.9
Isaiah	24	1.9
Micah	2	1.9
Malachi	1	1.8
Jeremiah	23	1.7
Job	15	1.4
Psalms	29	1.2
Ezra	3	1.1
2 Samuel	6	0.9
Zechariah	2	0.9
Daniel	3	0.8
Numbers	9	0.7
1 Samuel	6	0.7
Amos	1	0.7
Nehemiah	2	0.5
Exodus	5	0.4
Genesis	4	0.3
Joshua	2	0.3
Deuteronomy	2	0.2
Proverbs	2	0.2
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
1 Kings	1	0.1
2 Kings	1	0.1

Concentration peaks in the prophets (Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, Isaiah) and in penitential poetry (Psalms, Lamentations). Pentateuchal usage is largely in priestly/legal texts (Leviticus, Numbers). Absent from most historical narratives and from wisdom literature outside Job.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Moral Iniquity — the Act of Perversity¶

The dominant sense: the wrongful deed itself, emphasizing moral crookedness or perversity rather than legal status.

Gen 15:16 — "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (iniquity accumulates toward judgment)
Isa 1:4 — "a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers"
Hosea 13:12 — "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid"
Jer 2:22 — "thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD"

2. Guilt of Iniquity — the Culpable State¶

The standing or condition of being guilty; the weight of iniquity resting on a person or community.

Gen 44:16 — "God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants"
Num 5:31 — "this woman shall bear her iniquity"
Ps 51:5 — "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me"
Ps 38:4 — "mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me"

3. Punishment / Consequence of Iniquity¶

BDB identifies a distinct sense where עָוֺן = the penalty borne, not the act itself (cf. Gen 4:13).

Gen 4:13 — "My punishment [is] greater than I can bear" (Cain, after the murder)
Isa 40:2 — "her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double" (punishment served)
Jer 31:30 — "every one shall die for his own iniquity"
Ezek 18:20 — "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" (individual accountability)

4. Bearing / Carrying Iniquity — Priestly and Vicarious Contexts¶

The formula נָשָׂא עָוֺן (nâsâʼ ʻâvôn, "bear iniquity") appears 37× — used of priests bearing communal guilt, of the scapegoat ritual, and of the Suffering Servant.

Lev 16:21 — Aaron confesses "all the iniquities of the children of Israel" over the scapegoat
Ezek 4:4–5 — Ezekiel lies on his side to "bear the iniquity of the house of Israel"
Isa 53:6 — "the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all"
Isa 53:11 — "he shall bear their iniquities"

5. Confession, Forgiveness, and Removal of Iniquity¶

Penitential and prophetic passages where עָוֺן is the object of God's forgiveness, covering, or atonement.

Exo 34:7 — "forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin"
Ps 32:5 — "thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin"
Ps 103:3 — "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases"
Dan 9:24 — "to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occ	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh)	H3068	48x	God's visitation or forgiveness of iniquity
חַטָּאָה (chaṭṭâʼâh)	H2403	43x	"iniquity and sin" — the classic sin-pair
נָשָׂא (nâsâʼ)	H5375	37x	"bear iniquity" (priestly/vicarious formula)
אָב (ʼâb)	H1	27x	"iniquity of the fathers" (generational guilt)
פָּנִים (pânîym)	H6440	26x	"set iniquity before thee / before my face"
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl)	H3478	26x	"iniquity of Israel / house of Israel"
פֶּשַׁע (peshaʻ)	H6588	19x	"transgression and iniquity" — the three-sin triad (with H2403)
יוֹם (yôwm)	H3117	19x	"day of iniquity," "time of iniquity"

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5753 עָוָה (ʻâvâh) — related verb: to bend, be crooked, commit iniquity
H5766 עֶוֶל (ʻevel) — cognate noun: moral perverseness, injustice (judicial frame)
H5758 עִוָּא (ʻivvâʼ) — Aramaic cognate (BDB cross-reference)

Synonyms¶

H819 אַשְׁמָה (ʼashmâh) — guilt/trespass vocabulary returned by search_relationships.py; overlaps where ʻâvôn emphasizes culpability and liability.
A2402 — Aramaic sin vocabulary surfaced by search_relationships.py alongside the Hebrew sin-word cluster.
H2403 חַטָּאת / חַטָּאָה (chaṭṭâʼth / chaṭṭâʼâh) — sin/sin-offering vocabulary in the same moral-culpability field.
H6588 פֶּשַׁע (peshaʻ) — transgression/rebellion vocabulary paired with ʻâvôn in the classic sin triad.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H5771.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
חַטָּאָה (chaṭṭâʼâh)	H2403	"iniquity" (occasional)	chatta'ah = sin as missing the mark; avon = moral perversity with accumulated guilt
פֶּשַׁע (peshaʻ)	H6588	"iniquity" (occasional)	pesha = willful rebellion / breach of covenant; avon = the crooked bent and its guilt
עֶוֶל (ʻevel)	H5766	"iniquity"	evel = injustice / perverseness in a judicial frame; cognate with avon but more legal
אָוֶן (ʼâven)	H205	"iniquity"	aven = trouble / emptiness / wickedness (emphasis on futility/falseness)

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002003003018] Sin — search_relationships.py places ʻâvôn in the core moral-failure field with nearby terms such as H2154/H2155, H2398, and A2408.
[002003003014] Guilty — a culpability/liability field with neighbors including H816, H817/H818/H819, H2398, and H2399.
[002003002005] Chastise — a punishment/consequence field matching passages where ʻâvôn denotes the penalty borne, with neighbors such as H1576/H1578 and H2015.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
ἀδικία (adikía)	G93	78x	24.64	Primary — "injustice, unrighteousness"
ἀνομία (anomía)	G458	70x	22.69	Secondary — "lawlessness"
ἁμαρτία (hamartía)	G266	93x	21.71	Broad sin word; lower PMI
κόλασις (kólasis)	G2851	5x	11.23	Used where punishment-sense is dominant

The LXX renders עָוֺן with two dominant Greek frames: adikia (moral wrong as injustice/unrighteousness) and anomia (lawlessness). The choice reflects which aspect of the word is foregrounded in each context.