ἁμαρτ-ία G0266
Sin; a failure to meet God's standard, moral transgression, missing the mark of righteousness
Derived from the image of an archer missing the target, hamartia became the New Testament's primary word for sin in all its dimensions — from individual acts of disobedience to the ruling power that enslaves humanity. In John 1:29, the Baptist declares the Lamb of God who takes away 'the sin of the world,' while Romans 6:23 names its wages as death. The remarkable uniformity across translations — 'pecado' (Spanish), 'péché' (French), 'Sünde' (German), 'peccato' (Italian) — reflects how central and unambiguous this concept stands in Christian theology.
Senses
1. sin, failure, transgression — The fundamental New Testament term for moral and spiritual failure before God, encompassing both deliberate transgression and the condition of fallenness. Used 173 times across every case and number, it ranges from specific sinful acts (Matt 12:31) to sin as a personified power that reigns over humanity (Rom 5:21). Translations across all 43 languages converge on a single equivalent, underscoring its semantic clarity. 173×
AR["-خَطِيَّةِ", "الخَطيئَةُ", "الخَطيئَةِ", "خَطيئَة", "خَطيئَةً", "خَطِيئَةً", "خَطِيئَةٍ", "خَطِيئَةَ", "خَطِيَّةً"]·ben["পাপ", "পাপ।", "পাপে", "পাপের", "পাপের,"]·DE["Suende", "Sünde"]·EN["sin"]·FR["péché"]·heb["הַחֲטָאָה", "חֵטְא", "חַטָּאת"]·HI["पअप", "पाप", "पाप?", "पाप।"]·ID["dosa", "dosa,", "dosa."]·IT["peccato"]·jav["dosa", "dosa,", "dosa.", "dosa;", "dosa?", "dosanipun."]·KO["죄", "죄-를", "죄가", "죄를", "죄에-대하여", "죄에서", "죄와", "죄의"]·PT["pecado"]·RU["-так", "в-", "грех", "греха", "греха;", "грехе", "грехе,", "грехом"]·ES["pecado"]·SW["dhambi"]·TR["bunu", "günah", "günahları", "günahı", "günahın", "günahını", "günahınız", "günahınızda"]·urd["گناہ"]
Matt 12:31, John 1:29, John 8:21, John 8:34, John 8:34, John 8:46, John 9:41, John 9:41, John 15:22, John 15:22, John 15:24, John 16:8 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)H3477 1. upright, righteous (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἁμαρτ-ία, ἡ, a failure, fault, τῶνδ᾽ ἁ. δόμωνRefs 5th c.BC+; ἁ. δόξης error of judgement, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 in Philos. and Religion, guilt, sin, NT+5th c.BC+