The Words for "Sin" in the Bible - Making Scriptural Connections

Below is a summary of Hebrew and Greek words for “sin.”

Lexham Theological Workbook

Sin is any deviation from a divinely revealed will. It is the source of evil, corruption, and death, and is what humanity and all of creation must be saved from, according to the Scriptures.

Concept Summary

In biblical usage, sin may be expressed in the negative, indicating a lack of conformity to divine standards (e.g., 1 John 3:4), or in the positive, referring to a condition or act which explicitly opposes divine standards (e.g., Rom 8:7). Sin may also refer to a habitual state, specific act, or an evil force in and of itself (e.g., Rom 7:8). In Hebrew, the generic concept is most often expressed with the root חטא (ḥāṭāʾ), meaning any type of error, and the root עון (ʿāwōn), meaning any type of guilt-worthy deed. In Greek it is most often expressed with the root αμαρτ- (amart-), which indicates some type of error. Παράβασις (parabasis) denotes sin as a violation or transgression of a given law. In Paul’s thought, the law was given for the purpose of showing sin to be a violation of God’s will, which requires atonement for salvation (Gal 3:19).

Theological Overview

Sin’s most characteristic feature is that it is an offense directly against God (Psa 51:4; Rom 8:7). In the OT and NT, sin is caused by a lack of faithfulness to God (Gen 3:1–6; Psa 78:32; Matt 14:31). As such it is the source of evil and leads to corruption and, ultimately, death (Rom 6:23). This corruption leads to, among other things, errors of judgment (Prov 14:12; Rom 1:21–22), a strong desire toward what is evil (1 Cor 10:6; Eph 2:3), and separation from, or even hatred toward (e.g., Rom 8:7), God, fellow people, and all creation (Titus 3:3).

Sin may be intentional or accidental (Luke 23:34; Acts 17:30), and it may be of commission (Matt 15:19; Jas 1:15) or omission (Jas 4:17). Intentional sins sear the conscience and can lead to a “hardening” of the heart, which in turn may ultimately lead to, but is not identical with, the so-called unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:16–17; Heb 6:4–6; Matt 12:31–32).

Lexical Information

Old Testament

חָטָא (ḥāṭāʾ). vb. to do wrong, go astray, miss the mark. The basic meaning is falling short of a norm or goal.

The verb ḥāṭāʾ fundamentally means to make an error. As such, it can refer to slingers who do not miss their target (Judg 20:16), someone in a hurry who takes a wrong path (Prov 19:2), and failing an inspection (Job 5:24). It is also closely connected to atoning for uncleanness (or impurity) in cultic contexts (Lev 4:3, 33; Psa 40:6).

חֵטְא (ḥēṭĕʾ). n. masc. sin. The result of falling short of a norm or goal.

This noun most often refers to any sinful deed but also can be used for punishment for sin (Zech 14:19) and guilt over sin (Lev 19:17; Lam 3:39). The range of meaning encompasses breaking the rules of a monarch (Gen 41:9), the abstract concept of sinfulness (Isa 5:18), and misdeeds in cultic, social, and political contexts.

עָוֹן (ʿāwōn). n. masc. iniquity. A deed that incurs guilt or punishment due to guilt.

The word in its basic meaning is used of bending over (Psa 38:7). From this comes the idea of twisting or acting perversely against God’s will. It can refer to both the deed and its consequences or guilt itself, often focusing on one or the other (Hos 12:8; Gen 15:16; 1 Sam 3:13; Gen 4:13; Lam 4:6, 22). Accordingly, it is quite closely related to אָשָׁם (ʾāšām), which is also the name of the offering which makes reparation for guilt (Lev 5). It is commonly used for denouncing idolatry, and Wisdom texts associate it with foolishness.

פָּשָׁע (pāšāʿ). vb. rebel. It often connotes rebellion or intentionally violating relationships.

The verb and its noun form, פֶּשַׁע (pešaʿ), refer to intentionally violating a known relationship. As such it is sometimes used as an occasion for war (2 Kgs 1:1) or to refer to Israel’s secession from Judah (1 Kgs 12:19). The word is closely related to the verb סָרָה (sārâ), which means to deviate from a path, often with the connotation of stubbornness (Deut 13:5; Isa 1:5; Jer 28:16), and the noun מַעַל (maʿal), which emphasizes the treachery or faithlessness of such actions (Ezek 15:8; 17:20; 18:24; 20:27; Dan 9:7). It is often rendered as ἀσέβεια (asebeia) in Greek.

תּוֹעֵבָה (tôʿēbâ). n. fem. abomination. The connotation of this word is something that is repulsive, but not necessarily evil in and of itself.

This denotes something of a physical, cultic, or ethical nature which either God or people abhor, and has a broad range of uses, from the Egyptians’ ritual abhorrence to eating with Hebrews (Gen 43:32) to someone being physically repulsive (Psa 88:8), offering improper sacrifices (Deut 17:1), sexual perversions (Lev 18:22–30), eating unclean food (Deut 14:3–8), and performing human sacrifice (Deut 12:31). As such, it occasionally refers to idols or foreign deities (Isa 44:19; 2 Kgs 23:13).

אָרַר (ʾārar). vb. curse. It is often used in so-called curse formulas.

The basic sense is to bind someone or make them unable to resist something. Most uses are formulaic declarations of punishments (Gen 3:14, 17), threats (Jer 11:3; Mal 1:14), and laws (Deut 27:15–26). Such curses are often given by God in response to sin.

New Testament

ἁμαρτάνω (hamartanō). vb. to sin. It is the most general and common word for sin in the NT.

While the basic idea of “missing the mark” or “making a mistake” is behind the Jewish and Graeco-Roman use of the term, the biblical (and also general Second Temple Jewish) usage of the verb differs markedly from Graeco-Roman usage, in which it refers to semi-voluntary errors or mishaps which are not particularly blameworthy. In contrast, biblical usage denotes deviation from God’s law (John 8:46; Jas 1:15) in the form of either a specific act itself, often with ἁμάρτημα (hamartēma), or a force in and of itself (John 8:34; Rom 5:21). As such it is closely related to κακία (kakia) and πονηρία (ponēria) in referring to that which is evil (Acts 8:22; Rom 1:29).

ἁμαρτία (hamartia). n. fem. sin. It denotes sin in the most generic sense.

This is related to the verb hamartanō and carries the same connotation of sin in the most comprehensive sense. In the NT it tends to denote offenses against God and emphasizes the guilt which follows, though it can refer to the abstract concept of sinfulness (John 8:21) and sin as a power in and of itself (Rom 5:12).

ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos). adj. sinful. It denotes sinful behavior.

This is again related to the verbal root hamartanō. It can be used derogatorily to describe people (Mark 2:16; Jas 4:8); to describe individuals who are guilty of specific sins (Luke 13:2); or to describe humanity’s natural relationship to God (Rom 5:8).

σάρξ (sarx). n. fem. flesh. It literally denotes physical flesh but figuratively represents humanity’s sinful earthly state.

This term is used in a literal sense to refer to bodily flesh (Luke 24:3), to designate a human being as naturally constituted (Matt 16:17), for blood relationships (Rom 9:3), and all animal life (Gen 6:17, 19). While present in OT (LXX) usage, during the NT period it increasingly took on the connotation of mortality and weakness (1 Pet 2:4) and domination by sin (John 3:6; Rom 7:5).

ἀδικία (adikia). n. masc. injustice. It is often used in juridical contexts.

This denotes that which deserves condemnation in court, and biblical usage aligns closely with Graeco-Roman usage. It occurs mostly in the singular and thereby focuses more on the phenomenon of transgression rather than specific acts. As such, it shows sin as that which disrupts relationships between communities and God. It is closely related to ἀνομία (anomia, “lawlessness”), which denotes that which opposes custom or law, whether in commission or omission (i.e., “nonobservance”).

πίπτω (piptō). vb. to fall. It often refers to the beginning of sin(s) in a general sense.

The basic sense refers to a person falling physically (whether stumbling or prostrating) or buildings collapsing, and, by extension, any moral failure. In Second Temple Jewish literature it often refers to the sin of Adam (Rom 5:17–19; 4 Ezra 7:118–26 contains the earliest attested reference of the metaphor “fall into sin” for the origination of evil).

παράπτωμα (paraptōma). n. neut. violation. It denotes general moral failure.

This is the noun form of piptō and carries the same connotation of moral failure. It can denote the greatest of moral failures, such as the sin of Adam or the totality of sin (Rom 5:20), as well as less severe lapses (Gal 6:1).

παράβασις (parabasis). n. fem. transgression. It refers to a violation of a given law.

This denotes sin as violation or transgression of a given law, with the imagery being crossing over a boundary; it is similar to disobedience, παρακοή (parakoē). Eve is described as a transgressor because she violated God’s command (Gal 3:19). In Paul’s thought there is no parabasis from Adam to Moses since the law (which has the purpose of showing that sin is a transgression of God’s will) was not yet given (Gal 3:19).

ἀσέλγεια (aselgeia) n. fem. self-abandonment. It refers commonly to a lifestyle.

This refers to a lack of control over oneself, often in the form of excesses of sex and/or food. It is often linked to other vices that are associated with undisciplined and wasteful living; it occurs 10 times in the NT, mostly in vice lists where it is linked with sexual sins. It is closely related to ἀσωτία (asōtia), which means “reckless abandon” or “prodigal living.”

DAVID J. SIGRIST