WG: Transgressions — The OT Sin Triad
Overview
Hebrew Scripture distinguishes sin with a precision Greek and English flatten. The core vocabulary for human moral failure forms a three-term triad (pesha / chattah / avon) that appears together in the most solemn passages of the OT — the Sinai covenant renewal, the Day of Atonement liturgy, Job's great complaint, and Daniel's prayer. A fourth term (asham) addresses the guilt liability dimension. The root verb pasha anchors the nominal cluster.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H6588 |
פֶּשַׁע |
peshaʻ |
noun |
90 |
The act — willful revolt/defection from authority |
H6588 |
| H2403 |
חַטָּאָה |
chattaah |
noun |
270 |
The miss — falling short, sin offering |
H2403-chattaah |
| H5771 |
עָוֺן |
avon |
noun |
213 |
The weight — iniquity, accumulated guilt |
H5771-avon.md |
| H817 |
אָשָׁם |
asham |
noun |
41 |
The liability — guilt, trespass/guilt offering |
H817-asham.md |
| H6586 |
פָּשַׁע |
pasha |
verb |
37 |
The action — to rebel, transgress |
H6586-pasha.md |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- H6588 (peshaʻ, noun) and H6586 (pasha, verb) share the same root — the noun is the substantive of the verb
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| H2403 chattah |
H5771 avon |
43 |
"iniquity and sin" — the two most frequent pair |
| H6588 pesha |
H2403 chattah |
24 |
"transgression and sin" |
| H6588 pesha |
H5771 avon |
19 |
"iniquity and transgression and sin" — full triad |
| H2403 chattah |
H817 asham |
13 |
Levitical ritual — sin offering and guilt offering |
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| pesha + chattah + avon |
all → ἁμαρτία (G266) |
LXX collapses the triad under one word |
| avon + pesha |
both → ἀνομία (G458) |
"lawlessness" covers both revolt and iniquity |
| avon + chattah |
both → ἀδικία (G93) |
"injustice/unrighteousness" |
Roles in the Concept
- pesha (H6588): The volitional dimension — conscious defection, rebellion, breaking away from authority. Prophetic vocabulary par excellence.
- chattah (H2403): The directional dimension — missing the mark, falling short of the target. Covers both the act and the offering that addresses it.
- avon (H5771): The consequential dimension — the crooked, distorted state that sin produces; the accumulated weight of guilt.
- asham (H817): The legal/liability dimension — guilt that creates an obligation for restitution or offering.
- pasha (H6586): The verbal root — the active breaking away from which pesha derives.
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Exod 34:7 — [pesha + chattah + avon] "forgiving iniquity (avon) and transgression (pesha) and sin (chattah), and that will by no means clear the guilty" — the Sinai theophany, YHWH's self-declaration
- Lev 16:21 — [pesha + chattah + avon] "Aaron shall... confess over him all the iniquities (avon) of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions (pesha) in all their sins (chattah)" — Day of Atonement
- Ps 32:5 — [pesha + chattah + avon] "I will confess my transgressions (pesha) unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity (avon) of my sin (chattah)" — David's penitential psalm
- Job 13:23 — [pesha + chattah + avon] "How many are mine iniquities (avon) and sins (chattah)? make me to know my transgression (pesha) and my sin (chattah)"
- Isa 59:12 — [pesha + chattah + avon] "our transgressions (pesha) are multiplied... our sins (chattah) testify against us: for our transgressions (pesha) are with us; and as for our iniquities (avon), we know them"
- Dan 9:24 — [pesha + chattah + avon] "to finish the transgression (pesha), and to make an end of sins (chattah), and to make reconciliation for iniquity (avon)"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py
Last updated: 2026-04-01