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ἁμάρτημα

hamártēma

G265 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ἁμαρτ- to miss, to err, to do wrong

Definition

A specific act or instance of wrongdoing; an individual transgression or offense against moral, legal, or divine standards. Primarily denotes a concrete occurrence of violation (most often of customary, civic, or religious law), rather than the abstract concept of sinfulness. Secondary senses can refer to the result or consequence brought about by such a misdeed.

Semantic Range

individual transgression, specific offense, wrongdoing, misdeed, act of sin, concrete violation

Root / Etymology

Derived from ἁμαρτάνω ('to miss the mark, to do wrong, to err'), with the nominal suffix -μα, forming a noun that denotes the concrete result or instance of the action.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἁμάρτημα occurs primarily in post-classical and Hellenistic Greek, where it refers to an individual misdeed or offense, contrasted with ἁμαρτία which can carry both the abstract sense ('sinfulness') and concrete sense ('a sin'). In the Septuagint, ἁμάρτημα translates various Hebrew terms related to guilt or transgression (e.g., עָוֹן, חֵטְא), with a focus on specified acts. In the New Testament, the word is rare and typically found in more formal, legal, or ritual contexts as a term for a specific transgression, particularly those requiring restitution or sacrifice. English translations often render it as 'sin' or 'offense,' but the nuance of a particular, countable misdeed can be obscured. The word is less frequent than ἁμαρτία, which leads to some overlap but also subtle distinctions: ἁμάρτημα emphasizes the concrete case, while ἁμαρτία can denote the principle or abstract notion. Not in classical Greek major authors, reinforcing its special usage in later and biblical Greek.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἁμαρτάνω; a sin (properly concrete):--sin.

Root Family

ἁμάρτημα (hamartēma) — to miss, to err, to do wrong; concrete act of wrongdoing

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G265-03 ἁμαρτημάτων amartematon N GEN N PL of transgressions 1
G265-02 ἁμαρτήματα amartemata N NOM N PL sins acts of wrongdoing 1
G265-04 ἁμαρτήματος amartematos N GEN N SG sin of a specific wrongdoing 1
G265-01 ἁμάρτημα amartema N NOM N SG sin an act of wrongdoing 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G265-02 Mark 3:28 ἁμαρτήματα amartemata N NOM N PL sins acts of wrongdoing
G265-04 Mark 3:29 ἁμαρτήματος amartematos N GEN N SG sin of a specific wrongdoing
G265-03 Romans 3:25 ἁμαρτημάτων amartematon N GEN N PL of transgressions
G265-01 1 Corinthians 6:18 ἁμάρτημα amartema N NOM N SG sin an act of wrongdoing
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