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חֲטָאָה

𐤇𐤈𐤀𐤄

chăṭâʼâh

H2401 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חטא to miss, to do wrong, to go astray, to incur guilt

Definition

A misdeed, transgression, or act incurring guilt, with special reference either to the action itself (sin, transgression) or the ritual sacrifice provided for its expiation (sin-offering). While primarily denoting an act that violates moral or ritual norms, the term can also refer to the condition resulting from such acts or the prescribed cultic offering made to remedy them.

Semantic Range

sin, transgression, offense, act of wrongdoing, condition of guilt, sin-offering, expiatory sacrifice

Root / Etymology

From the root חטא, which chiefly means 'to miss a mark, to err, to do wrong.' The word חֲטָאָה is a feminine noun formed from this root, signifying both 'an act of missing/erring' (i.e., a transgression) and, by extension, the ritual means of dealing with it (sin-offering).

Historical & Contextual Notes

חֲטָאָה belongs to a cluster of terms derived from the root חטא, all related to the concept of error or deviation, both in moral and ritual contexts. In narrative and legal texts from the Israelite period, חֲטָאָה may refer to the specific action of wrongdoing or to the state of guilt incurred. In priestly and cultic passages (especially in Leviticus and Numbers), it frequently references a specific sacrificial offering intended for the removal of such guilt, thereby emphasizing restorative ritual rather than simple moral failure. English translations often render it simply as 'sin,' 'sin-offering,' or 'offense,' which may obscure the dual focus of the word in Hebrew: both the act and its ritual expiation. The semantic overlap with related terms such as חֵטְא (cheit, general 'sin') and אָשָׁם (asham, 'guilt, guilt-offering') is significant; however, חֲטָאָה more specifically denotes ritual sin and its prescribed means of expiation in priestly contexts. Over successive periods, the ritual/offerings sense is especially pronounced in Second Temple and later literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of חֵטְא; an offence, or a sacrifice forit; sin (offering).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חטא (ḥ-ṭ-ʾ) — to miss, to do wrong, to go astray, to incur guilt

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2398 חָטָא I will purge her of offense
H2399 חֵטְא in his transgression
H2400 חַטָּא offenders
H2402 חַטָּאָה for wrongdoing
H2403 חַטָּאָה in wrongdoing

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2401-01 חֲטָאָ֣ה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed 6
H2401-03 וַ֝/חֲטָאָ֗ה vachataah HC/Ncfsa and sin-offering a wrongdoing 1
H2401-02 לַֽ/חֲטָאָֽה lachataah HR/Ncfsa sin for a transgression 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2401-01 Genesis 20:9 חֲטָאָ֣ה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2401-01 Exodus 32:21 חֲטָאָ֥ה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2401-01 Exodus 32:30 חֲטָאָ֣ה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2401-01 Exodus 32:31 חֲטָאָ֣ה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2401-01 2 Kings 17:21 חֲטָאָ֥ה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2401-01 Psalms 32:1 חֲטָאָֽה chataah HNcfsa sin a guilt-incurring misdeed
H2401-03 Psalms 40:7 וַ֝/חֲטָאָ֗ה vachataah HC/Ncfsa and sin-offering a wrongdoing
H2401-02 Psalms 109:7 לַֽ/חֲטָאָֽה lachataah HR/Ncfsa sin for a transgression
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