WHAT IS SIN
IN HEBREW?

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin
וַחָנֵּנִי אֱלֹהִים כְּחַסְדֶּךָ; כְּרֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ, מְחֵה פְשָׁעָי. הֶרֶב, כַּבְּסֵנִי מֵעֲו‍ֹנִי; וּמֵחַטָּאתִי טַהֲרֵנִי
(Psalm 51:1-2)
Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg
Dean of the Jewish Studies Faculty at eTeacher"
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THE ORIGINS OF THE WORD SIN IN HEBREW

Ask people to define the concept of sin and most would start going through a list of commandments, listing murder, theft and other prohibited acts. Hebrew, however, uses the word "חֵטְא" (pronounced: chet) for sin. The word "לְהַחטִיא" carries an idea of making a mistake and missing the target. Judges 20:16 says this about warriors from Benjamin, “Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.” This phrase לֹא יַחֲטִא (pronounced: lo yachti) means “missing the target”.

WHAT DOES “SIN” HAS IN
COMMON WITH “PURIFICATION”?

Related to "חֵטְא" (pronounced: chet) is another longer form of this word "חַטָּאת" (pronounced: chatat) this was the name of “sin offering” in Jerusalem Temple (Lev 4:3). It is breathtaking to see how Hebrew language can work. This same word that meant “sin/making an error/missing the mark”, connected to the sin offering in the Temple itself, becomes a word that can signify the concept of purification!
In Leviticus 14:49 Israelites are instructed about how to cleanse the house from strange mold, “To cleanse the house then, he shall take two birds…” The phrase “to cleanse the house” is "לְחַטֵּא אֶת־הַבַּיִת" (lechateh et habait) in Hebrew has the word "חֵטְא"(chet) – same word that is connected with “sin/sin offering”. So much so that in Modern State of Israel for “disinfection” we use the term "חִטֵּא" (pronounced: chiteh).


EXPLORE THE RICHES OF BIBLICAL HEBREW

By reading the Hebrew Bible in its original language, you will be able to understand the deeper meanings of the text. Enroll in our next Biblical Hebrew online course taught live from Israel and start your journey to understanding the Holy Scriptures.

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