WG: Sin (Hebrew Sin-Terminology Cluster)¶
Overview¶
The Hebrew Bible uses a cluster of overlapping but distinct terms to describe wrongdoing, each emphasizing a different facet of sin: missing the mark (châṭâʼ), crookedness/guilt-consequence (ʻâvôn), willful rebellion (peshaʻ), incurred liability (ʼâsham), and defiant resistance (mârâh). These words frequently appear together in confessional and covenant contexts, particularly in the triad pesha + avon + chattaah (Exo 34:7; Lev 16:21; Dan 9:24).
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H2398 | חָטָא | châṭâʼ | verb | 220v | The verbal action: to sin / miss; Piel: to purify | H2398-chata.md |
| H2403 | חַטָּאָה | chaṭṭâʼâh | noun | 270v | Sin as offense + sin/purification offering | H2403-chattaah.md |
| H5771 | עָוֹן | ʻâvôn | noun | 213v | Iniquity — crookedness, perversity, guilt-consequence | H5771-avon.md |
| H6588 | פֶּשַׁע | peshaʻ | noun | 90v | Transgression — willful rebellion, covenant-breaking | H6588-pesha.md |
| H816 | אָשַׁם | ʼâsham | verb | 32v | Incur guilt — liability requiring restitution | H816-asham.md |
| H4784 | מָרָה | mârâh | verb | 44v | Rebel — bitter defiance against authority | H4784-marah.md |
Relationships¶
Word Family¶
- H2398 châṭâʼ → H2403 chaṭṭâʼâh → H2399 chêṭʼ → H2400 chaṭṭâʼ (all from root ח-ט-א)
- H816 ʼâsham → H817 ʼâshâm (guilt offering) → H818 ʼâshêm (adjective "guilty")
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| châṭâʼ (H2398) | chaṭṭâʼâh (H2403) | 51 | Verb + cognate noun: "sinned a sin" / sin-offering legislation |
| chaṭṭâʼâh (H2403) | ʻâvôn (H5771) | 43 | Covenant formula: "iniquity and sin" |
| chaṭṭâʼâh (H2403) | peshaʻ (H6588) | 24 | Full triad contexts: "transgression and sin" |
| ʻâvôn (H5771) | peshaʻ (H6588) | 19 | Paired in confessional passages |
| châṭâʼ (H2398) | ʻâvôn (H5771) | 13 | "If a soul sin... iniquity" — Levitical formulae |
| châṭâʼ (H2398) | ʼâsham (H816) | 6 | "Sinned and is guilty" — cultic liability |
LXX Overlaps¶
| Hebrew Words | Shared Greek | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| châṭâʼ + chaṭṭâʼâh + ʻâvôn + peshaʻ | all → ἁμαρτία (G266) | Greek conflates four Hebrew distinctions into one term |
| châṭâʼ + ʻâvôn + peshaʻ + ʼâsham | all → ἁμαρτάνω (G264) | The sin-verb also absorbs all Hebrew sin-nouns |
| ʻâvôn + peshaʻ + chaṭṭâʼâh | all → ἀνομία (G458) | "Lawlessness" used for all three |
| ʻâvôn + chaṭṭâʼâh + peshaʻ | all → ἀδικία (G93) | "Unrighteousness" used for all three |
This convergence is significant: the NT reader working in Greek cannot distinguish the four nuances that the Hebrew text carefully separates.
Roles in the Concept¶
- Missing / going astray: châṭâʼ (H2398) — the broadest term; includes inadvertent sin
- Crookedness / consequence: ʻâvôn (H5771) — emphasizes moral distortion and its entailed guilt
- Willful revolt: peshaʻ (H6588) — deliberate rebellion against known authority
- Incurred liability: ʼâsham (H816) — the guilt-state requiring restitution
- Defiant resistance: mârâh (H4784) — bitter refusal to obey, provoking authority
- The offering that addresses sin: chaṭṭâʼâh (H2403) — both the offense and its ritual remedy
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Exo 34:7 — [ʻâvôn + peshaʻ + chaṭṭâʼâh] "forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin"
- Lev 16:21 — [ʻâvôn + peshaʻ + chaṭṭâʼâh] "confess over him all the iniquities... and all their transgressions in all their sins"
- Dan 9:24 — [peshaʻ + chaṭṭâʼâh + ʻâvôn] "to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity"
- Psa 32:5 — [chaṭṭâʼâh + ʻâvôn + peshaʻ] "I acknowledged my sin... mine iniquity... I said, I will confess my transgressions"
- Isa 59:12 — [peshaʻ + chaṭṭâʼâh + ʻâvôn] "our transgressions are multiplied... our sins testify against us... our iniquities, we know them"
- Lev 5:17 — [châṭâʼ + ʻâvôn + ʼâsham] "if a soul sin... he is guilty... his trespass offering"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py Last updated: 2026-05-03