H0816 H0816
Offend, be guilty, incur guilt — to commit a trespass or become liable before God, sometimes involving desolation as consequence.
At the heart of Israel's sacrificial system stands this verb for the experience of guilt. Unlike words for general sin, this root carries a distinctly cultic and legal weight — it describes becoming liable for a specific offense that requires restitution or atonement. Leviticus 4-5 builds its guilt-offering legislation around this verb: when someone 'becomes guilty' (Lev 4:13, 22, 27; 5:2-5), a prescribed sacrifice follows. Spanish captures the full range with 'culpable' (guilty, liable), while French and German often leave the Hebrew untranslated, signaling its technical precision. Hosea uses it prophetically — Israel will 'acknowledge their guilt' (Hos 5:15) and 'be made desolate' (Hos 10:2) — extending the cultic concept into national judgment.
3. suffer desolation or punishment — To suffer desolation as the consequence of guilt — a Niphal passive sense found in Joel 1:18 where the cattle 'are made desolate' or 'suffer punishment.' German 'verschuldete' preserves the guilt-consequence link. This extends the semantic range from the act of incurring guilt to bearing its devastating results, showing how the root bridges offense and its aftermath — a theology of consequences built into the verb itself. 1×
AR["هَلَكَتْ"]·ben["অপরাধী-হয়েছে"]·DE["verschuldete"]·EN["are-made-desolate"]·FR["être-coupable"]·heb["נאשמו"]·HI["पीड़ित-हैं।"]·ID["menderita."]·IT["essere-colpevole"]·jav["nandang"]·KO["황폐하도다"]·PT["sofrem"]·RU["страдают"]·ES["sufren"]·SW["yanateseka"]·TR["suçlu-sayıldı"]·urd["سزا-پاتے-ہیں"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. be or become guilty — To be or become guilty — incurring guilt before God through a specific trespass, especially in cultic and legal contexts. This is the dominant Qal sense spanning nearly all occurrences. Leviticus 4:13-27 and 5:2-5 use it repeatedly as the trigger for guilt offerings: once a person 'becomes guilty,' sacrificial remedy is required. Numbers 5:6-7 pairs it with confession and restitution. Spanish 'se hizo culpable' and 'fue culpable' consistently mark the transition into a state of liability. Hosea 4:15 and 10:2 extend the concept to national guilt, while 2 Chronicles 19:10 warns judges to help others avoid 'becoming guilty before the LORD.' 32×
AR["أَذْنَبَ","إِثْمًا","وَ-أَثِمَ","وَ-أَثِمُوا","وَ-أَذْنَبَتْ","وَ-يَأْثَمُ","وَ-يُذنِبُ","وَأَثِمَ","وَأَذْنَبُوا","يَأْثَمُونَ","يُذْنِبونَ","يُذْنِبُ"]·ben["আর-দোষী-হল","এবং-দোষী-হয়","এবং-সে-অপরাধী-হল","এবং-সে-দোষী","ও-দোষী-হয়েছে","দোষ","দোষী-হবে","দোষী-হয়েছে","যেন-তারা-দোষী-হয়","সে-দোষী"]·DE["[אשום]","[ויאשמו]","[יאשמו]","er-war-guilty","und-er-ist-guilty","und-ist-guilty","und-sie-sind-guilty","und-verschuldete","wird-sein-condemned"]·EN["and-becomes-guilty","and-he-became-guilty","and-he-is-guilty","and-is-guilty","and-they-are-guilty","and-they-incurred-guilt","guilt","he-was-guilty","the-inhabitants","they-will-become-guilty","will-be-condemned","will-be-guilty"]·FR["[ויאשמו]","[יאשמו]","et-est-guilty","et-il-est-guilty","et-ils-sont-guilty","et-être-coupable","il-était-guilty","être-coupable"]·heb["אשום","אשם","ו-אשם","ו-אשמו","ו-יאשמו","יאשמו"]·HI["और-दोषी-ठहरे","और-दोषी-हुई","और-दोषी-हो","और-दोषी-हों","और-वह-दोषी-हुआ","दोषी-ठहरेंगे","दोषी-हुआ","दोषी-होंगे","दोषीहों"]·ID["akan-bersalah","bersalah","dan-bersalah","dan-bersalah;","dan-bersalahlah","dan-mereka-bersalah","ia-telah-bersalah","mereka-bersalah"]·IT["[ויאשמו]","[יאשמו]","e-e-guilty","e-egli-e-guilty","e-essere-colpevole","e-essi-sono-guilty","egli-fu-guilty","essere-colpevole","fu-colpevole"]·jav["badhe-kluputan","dados-lepat","dipun-lepat","lan-dados-lepat","lan-dipun-ukum","lan-dosa","lan-kaluputan","lan-lepat","lan-sami-dados-lepat","lepat","sami-dosa"]·KO["그러나-범하였느니라","그리고-그-가-죄를-졌다","그리고-그들-이-죄를-졌다","그리고-범죄하느니라","그리고-범하였다-그들이","그리고-죄가-있고","그리고-죄가-있다","그리고-죄가-있으면","그리고-죄있으리라","그리고-형벌받았으니","정죄-받으리로다","정죄-받지","죄-지으리라","죄가-있다","죄를-지리라","죄지었다","크게"]·PT["culpa","e-for-culpada","e-for-culpado","e-foram-culpados","e-forem-culpados","e-será-culpada","e-será-culpado","e-tornaram-se-culpados","e-tornou-se-culpado","foi-culpado","serão-condenados","serão-culpados"]·RU["будут-виновны","будут-осуждены","виной","и-виноватился","и-виновен","и-виновна","и-виновной-станет","и-виновны","и-несут-наказание","и-провинится","и-стал-виновен","преступлением","провинился","провинятся"]·ES["fue-culpable","grandemente","se-hizo-culpable","sean-culpables","serán-culpables","y-fuere-culpable","y-fueren-culpables","y-fueron-hallados-culpables","y-se-hace-culpable","y-se-hicieron-culpables","y-se-hizo-culpable","y-sea-culpable","y-será-culpable"]·SW["Uashmh","amehatia","kosa-kubwa","kuhukumiwa","kuwa-na-hatia","na-akahatia","na-akawa-na-hatia","na-ana-hatia","na-anakuwa-na-hatia","na-wakahatia","na-wakakosa","na-wanaadhibiwa","sadaka-ya-hatia","watahukumiwa"]·TR["suç-işledi","suç-işleyerek","suçlu-bulunurlar","suçlu-olacaklar","suçlu-oldu","suçlu-olurlar","ve-suclu-oldular","ve-suçlu-oldu","ve-suçlu-oldular","ve-suçlu-olur","ve-suçlu-olurlarsa","ve-suçlu-olursa"]·urd["اور-قصوروار-ٹھہرائے-گئے","اور-قصوروار-ہو","اور-قصوروار-ہوں","اور-مجرم-ہو","اور-مجرم-ہوئے","اور-مجرم-ہوا","اور-مجرم-ہوتا-ہے","جرم","قصوروار-ہوا","مجرم-ٹھہریں-گے","مجرم-ہوں-گے","وہ-گناہ-کریں"]
2. declare or hold guilty — Hifil causative: to declare or hold guilty — pronouncing someone culpable. This rare form appears in Psalm 5:10, where David prays that God would 'hold them guilty' — a judicial petition asking for divine condemnation of the wicked. Spanish 'Haz los culpables' (make them guilty) and English 'hold them guilty' both capture the causative force. It is the forensic counterpart to the experiential Qal, shifting agency from the offender to the judge. 1×
AR["أَدِنْهُمْ"]·ben["তাদের-দোষী-করো"]·DE["hold-ihnen-guilty"]·EN["hold-them-guilty"]·FR["le-être-coupable"]·heb["האשימם"]·HI["उन्हें-दोषी-ठहरा"]·ID["Nyatakanlah-bersalah-mereka"]·IT["fu-colpevole"]·jav["Ukumana-piyambak-ipun"]·KO["정죄하소서-그들-을"]·PT["Declara-os-culpados"]·RU["обвини-их"]·ES["Haz-los-culpables"]·SW["Wahukumu"]·TR["suçlu-say-onları"]·urd["مجرم-ٹھہرا-اُنہیں"]
4. acknowledge guilt — To acknowledge or recognize one's guilt — a cognitive-reflexive nuance of the Qal appearing in Hosea 5:15, where God waits until the people 'acknowledge their guilt' and seek His face. Spanish 'se reconozcan culpables' elegantly captures the reflexive self-recognition. This sense is theologically significant: it marks the turning point from guilt as a state to guilt as a pathway toward repentance, forming the bridge between offense and restoration in prophetic literature. 1×
AR["يَعتَرِفوا-بِإثمِهِم"]·ben["দোষী-হবে"]·DE["verschuldete"]·EN["they-acknowledge-guilt"]·FR["être-coupable"]·heb["יאשמו"]·HI["अपराध-मानेंगे"]·ID["mereka-menanggung-kesalahan-mereka"]·IT["essere-colpevole"]·jav["lan-sami-madosi"]·KO["자백하리라"]·PT["reconheçam-culpa"]·RU["осознают-вину"]·ES["se-reconozcan-culpables"]·SW["na-hatia"]·TR["suçlu-sayılsınlar"]·urd["قصوروار-ٹھہریں-گے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אָשַׁם, אָשֵׁם vb. offend, be guilty (Arabic أَثِمَ peccavit, إِثْمٌ offence, أَثَامٌ, إِثَامٌ, requital, fault, mulct, cf. Ethiopic ሕሠም:)— Qal Pf. אָשַׁם Lv 5:19 Nu 5:7; אָשֵׁם Hb 1:11 + 7 times; אָֽשְׁמָה Nu 5:6; אָשָׁ֑מְתָּ Pr 30:10; אָשַׁמְתְּ Ez 22:4; אָשֵׁ֑מוּ Lv 4:13; Impf. יֶאְשַׁם Ho 4:15 + 13 times; Inf. abs. אָשֹׁם Lv 5:19; אָשׁוֹם Ez 25:12;— 1. commit an offence, a trespass, do a…