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חָטָא

𐤇𐤈𐤀

châṭâʼ

H2398 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חטא to miss, to err, to commit an offense

Definition

To miss a goal or mark (literal or metaphorical); by extension, to err, to commit an offense, particularly an offense against divine or moral standard. In the Hebrew Bible, the verb is predominantly used in contexts of failing to meet obligations, especially those established by covenant, and thus is most often rendered as 'to sin.' The word also appears in contexts of unintentional error, moral or ritual failure, and occasionally of incurring guilt or forfeiting a right. In specific forms, can indicate causing another to err, or bearing the consequence of error or offense.

Semantic Range

to miss (a mark or goal), to fail, to err, to commit an offense, to incur guilt, to offend morally or ritually, to bear the consequence of sin, to cause another to sin, to lead astray, to purify (in some causative forms, e.g. in ritual context)

Root / Etymology

Root: חטה (ḥṭʼ). The root meaning is 'to miss (a target or mark),' which expands metaphorically to signify failure, wrongdoing, or offense. The verb חָטָא regularly functions in Qal (active) to express missing the way, erring, or sinning, and in the Hiphil (causative) to denote causing someone to sin or lead astray. Derived nouns and forms (e.g., חַטָּאת, 'sin/offering') expand this semantic domain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early biblical texts, חָטָא primarily conveys the notion of 'missing the mark,' which then develops into a broader ethical and legal sense of violating a standard, commandment, or expectation, whether intentionally or unintentionally. In priestly or legal passages (notably in the Leviticus and Numbers), the term takes on a technical meaning denoting ritual failure or the incurring of impurity requiring rectification. This usage expands further in post-exilic and later Second Temple period literature to encompass a general sense of moral wrongdoing. In non-priestly narrative, the focus is often on the relational or communal rupture caused by sin. Distinct from עָוָה (ʻāvâ, 'to do wrong, act perversely') and פָּשַׁע (pāsha‘, 'to rebel, transgress'), חָטָא does not inherently denote willfulness or rebellion, but encompasses both inadvertent and deliberate offense. Standard English translations frequently collapse the nuance into 'sin,' but the original Hebrew possesses a breadth of application not always conveyed by the term; some contexts demand a sense closer to 'fail, miss, err.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn; bear the blame, cleanse, commit (sin), by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin(-ful, -ness), trespass.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חטא (ḥ-ṭ-ʾ) — to miss, to err, to commit an offense

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2399 חֵטְא in his transgression
H2400 חַטָּא offenders
H2401 חֲטָאָה a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2402 חַטָּאָה for wrongdoing
H2403 חַטָּאָה in wrongdoing

Word Forms

65 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2398-03 חָטָ֞א chata HVqp3ms he has sinned he missed the mark 30
H2398-08 חָטָ֣אתִי chatati HVqp1cs I have sinned I have missed the mark 26
H2398-05 חָטָֽאנוּ chatanu HVqp1cp we have sinned we have missed the mark 24
H2398-22 הֶחֱטִ֖יא hecheti HVhp3ms he made sin he caused to err 19
H2398-11 חָֽטְא֛וּ chateu HVqp3cp have sinned they erred 16
H2398-62 יֶחֱטָ֖א yecheta HVqi3ms sins he will err 13
H2398-34 תֶחֱטָ֤א techeta HVqi3fs sins she errs 9
H2398-26 לַ/חֲטֹ֑א lachato HR/Vqc to sin to err 7
H2398-63 יֶחֶטְאוּ yecheteu HVqi3mp they sin they will miss the mark 6
H2398-07 חֲטָאתֶ֖ם chatatem HVqp2mp you have sinned you have erred 6

Occurrences in Scripture

240 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2398-31 Genesis 20:6 מֵ/חֲטוֹ mechato HR/Vqc from sinning from erring
H2398-08 Genesis 20:9 חָטָ֣אתִי chatati HVqp1cs have I sinned I have missed the mark
H2398-01 Genesis 31:39 אֲחַטֶּ֔/נָּה achatenah HVpi1cs/Sp3fs bore its loss I will purge her of offense
H2398-49 Genesis 39:9 וְ/חָטָ֖אתִי vechatati HC/Vqq1cs and sin and I erred
H2398-11 Genesis 40:1 חָֽטְא֛וּ chateu HVqp3cp offended they erred
H2398-36 Genesis 42:22 תֶּחֶטְא֥וּ techeteu HVqj2mp sin you (masculine plural) may err
H2398-49 Genesis 43:9 וְ/חָטָ֥אתִֽי vechatati HC/Vqq1cs then let me bear the blame and I erred
H2398-49 Genesis 44:32 וְ/חָטָ֥אתִי vechatati HC/Vqq1cs then I will have sinned and I erred
H2398-48 Exodus 5:16 וְ/חָטָ֥את vechatat HC/Vqq2ms but the fault is and you erred
H2398-08 Exodus 9:27 חָטָ֣אתִי chatati HVqp1cs I have sinned I have missed the mark
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