H819 — אַשְׁמָה (ʼashmah)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H819
Original: אַשְׁמָה
Transliteration: ʼashmâh
Pronunciation: ash-maw'
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From H817 אָשָׁם (ʼâshâm) — guilt, trespass offering; ultimately from H816 אָשַׁם (ʼâsham) — to be guilty
Occurrences: 17 unique verses (23 tokens) across 6 books
First Occurrence: Lev 4:3 — "If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people..."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Feminine of H817; guiltiness, a fault, the presentation of a sin-offering: offend, sin, (cause of) trespass(-ing, offering).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
trespass (various forms)	11	65%
sin/sins	3	18%
offended	1	6%
trespassed	1	6%
other	1	6%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Ezra	6	2.1
Amos	1	0.7
Leviticus	4	0.5
2 Chronicles	4	0.5
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
Psalms	1	0.0

Ezra dominates with 35% of all occurrences at the highest density, concentrated in the intermarriage-confession prayer of chapters 9-10. The word clusters in contexts of national/communal guilt rather than individual ritual infraction.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Communal/National Guilt Before God¶

The dominant usage — collective trespass against YHWH requiring corporate repentance. - Ezra 9:6 — "our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens" - Ezra 9:7 — "Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day" - Ezra 9:13 — "after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass" - Ezra 9:15 — "we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this"

2. Cause of Guilt / Liability¶

The word denotes a condition that brings guilt upon a person or community — a cause of trespass. - 1 Chr 21:3 — "why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?" (Joab warning David about the census) - 2 Chr 28:13 — "ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great" - Ezra 10:10 — "Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel"

3. Cultic/Ritual Trespass¶

Used in Levitical legislation describing offenses against holy things. - Lev 4:3 — "If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people" (ashmah as the sin-condition) - Lev 6:5 — "he shall even restore it... in the day of his trespass offering" - Lev 6:7 — "it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein" - Lev 22:16 — "suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things"

4. Idolatrous Guilt¶

Applied to apostasy and idol-worship. - 2 Chr 24:18 — "they left the house of the LORD... and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass" - 2 Chr 33:23 — "Amon trespassed more and more" (following his father Manasseh's idolatry) - Amos 8:14 — "They that swear by the sin of Samaria" (the calf-idol at Bethel)

5. Personal Acknowledgment of Sin¶

Psa 69:5 — "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee"
2 Chr 28:10 — "are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh)	H3068	9x (53%)	Trespass directed against YHWH
עַל (ʻal)	H5921	9x (53%)	"trespass upon/against" — marks the offended party
אֱלֹהִים (ʼĕlôhîym)	H430	7x (41%)	"God of our/their fathers" in guilt contexts
אָמַר (ʼâmar)	H559	6x (35%)	Confession/declaration of trespass
כֹּהֵן (kôhên)	H3548	4x (24%)	Priestly role in guilt-atonement
עָוֺן (ʻâvôn)	H5771	4x (24%)	Paired with iniquity — "iniquities... and trespass"
יָסַף (yâçaph)	H3254	4x (24%)	"add to" trespass — accumulation of guilt
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrâʼêl)	H3478	4x (24%)	National/communal trespass of Israel

Word Family / Cognates¶

H816 אָשַׁם (ʼâsham) — root verb: to be guilty, to offend, to trespass
H817 אָשָׁם (ʼâshâm) — masculine noun: guilt, fault, trespass offering (the concrete offering)
H818 אָשֵׁם (ʼâshêm) — adjective: guilty, faulty (the state)

H819 is the feminine abstract noun denoting the condition/state of guiltiness or the act of trespass itself, while H817 is the masculine form denoting both the guilt-state and the concrete offering that resolves it.

Synonyms¶

H2403 חַטָּאת (chaṭṭâʼth) — sin, sin-offering (broader: any missing-the-mark; ashmah is specifically guilt-liability)
H5771 עָוֺן (ʻâvôn) — iniquity, guilt, punishment (inner crookedness; ashmah is the resulting liable condition)
H200 אִוֶּלֶת (ʼivveleth) — foolishness (moral folly leading to guilt)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
מַעַל (maʻal)	H4604	"trespass" (5v)	maʻal = treachery, unfaithfulness (breach of trust); ashmah = resulting guilt-state
פֶּשַׁע (peshaʻ)	H6588	"trespass" (1v)	peshaʻ = rebellion, revolt (willful defiance); ashmah = guilt-condition from any offense
אָשַׁם (ʼâsham)	H816	"trespass" (1v)	H816 is the verb "to be guilty"; H819 is the abstract noun "guiltiness"
אָשָׁם (ʼâshâm)	H817	"trespass" (1v)	H817 = guilt + trespass offering (concrete); H819 = guiltiness/fault (abstract condition)

Semantic Domains¶

[002003003014] Guilty — alongside H816 ʼâsham, H818 ʼâshêm, H817 ʼâshâm, H2398 châṭâʼ, H2399 chêṭʼ, H2400 chaṭṭâʼ
[002003002020] Sacrifice — alongside H801 ʼishsheh, H817 ʼâshâm, H818 ʼâshêm

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἀνομία (anomia) G458	4x	4.91	"lawlessness" — primary LXX rendering
ἁμαρτία (hamartia) G266	3x	3.54	"sin" — generic sin term
προστίθημι (prostithemi) G4369	3x	4.18	"to add" — renders the "adding to trespass" idiom

No single dominant Greek equivalent. The LXX translators rendered ashmah variously, with anomia ("lawlessness") slightly preferred.