H2401 H2401
Sin, transgression — a great moral offense before God; rarely, a sin-offering presented at the altar
The feminine noun חֲטָאָה is a variant form of the common חַטָּאת, denoting sin as a weighty moral reality. It appears almost exclusively in the phrase חֲטָאָה גְדֹלָה ('great sin'), marking acts of extraordinary gravity — Abimelech's near-violation of Sarah (Gen 20:9), the golden calf (Exod 32:21, 30, 31), and Jeroboam's idolatry (2 Kgs 17:21). The Psalms add theological depth: sin can be 'covered' in forgiveness (Ps 32:1) or even a wicked man's prayer can 'become sin' (Ps 109:7). A single occurrence in Ps 40:6 may denote a sin-offering, linking moral failure to its ritual remedy.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Sin as moral transgression, especially grave offense before God. Six of seven occurrences carry this meaning, frequently in the powerful phrase חֲטָאָה גְדֹלָה ('great sin'). Abimelech protests 'you have brought a great sin upon me' (Gen 20:9), Moses confronts Aaron about the golden calf with the same phrase (Exod 32:21, 30, 31), and Jeroboam 'caused Israel to sin with a great sin' (2 Kgs 17:21). The Psalms use it for sin as a spiritual condition: 'blessed is he whose sin is covered' (Ps 32:1) and the prayer of the wicked 'becomes sin' (Ps 109:7). Multilingual glosses uniformly render it with terms for sin — Spanish 'pecado,' French 'péché,' German 'Sünde.' 7×
AR["خَطيئَة", "خَطيئَةً", "خَطِيئَةً", "خَطِيئَتِهِ"]·ben["পাপ", "পাপ-রূপে"]·DE["Suende", "Sünde", "ein-suendigen", "eine-Sünde", "für-Sünde"]·EN["a-sin", "for-sin", "sin"]·FR["péché", "un-péché", "à-péché"]·heb["חטאה", "ל-חטאה"]·HI["पअप", "पाप", "पाप-के-लिए"]·ID["dosa"]·IT["peccato", "un-peccato"]·jav["dosa", "dosanipun"]·KO["죄", "죄-로", "죄가", "죄를"]·PT["como-pecado", "o-pecado", "pecado"]·RU["грех", "грехом"]·ES["para-pecado", "pecado"]·SW["dhambi"]·TR["günah", "günahı"]·urd["گناہ", "گناہ-جس-کی"]
2. sense 2 — A sin-offering — the ritual sacrifice prescribed to address sin. In Ps 40:6, 'burnt offering and sin-offering (חֲטָאָה) you have not required,' the word appears alongside עוֹלָה in a context that most ancient versions and commentators read as sacrificial terminology. The multilingual evidence reflects this: English 'and sin-offering,' Spanish 'y ofrenda por pecado,' German 'und Sünde-Opfer.' This cultic sense parallels the far more common חַטָּאת in Leviticus, linking the moral weight of sin to its prescribed ritual resolution. 1×
AR["وَخَطيئَةً"]·ben["ও-পাপ-বলি"]·DE["und-Sünde-Opfer"]·EN["and-sin-offering"]·FR["et-péché"]·heb["ו-חטאה"]·HI["और-पापबलि"]·IT["e-peccato"]·jav["lan-kurban-dosa"]·KO["그리고-속죄제-를"]·PT["e-oferta-pelo-pecado"]·RU["и-жертвы-за-грех"]·ES["y-ofrenda-por-pecado"]·SW["na-sadaka-ya-dhambi"]·TR["ve-günah-sunusu"]·urd["اور-گناہ-کی-قربانی"]
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×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֲטָאָה n.f. sin, sin-offering (?)— 1. sin, chiefly in the phrase ח׳ גְדֹלָה great sin Gn 20:9 (E) Ex 32:21, 30, 31 (JE), 2 K 17:21; כְּסוּי ח׳ ψ 32:1 he whose sin is covered is blessed; but the prayer of the wicked becomes sin when he is judged ψ 109:7. 2. sin-offering (according to most) עולה וחטאה ψ 40:7 whole burnt-offering and sin-offering (so Vrss Thes MV SS al., but whole burnt-offering with sin v. BrMP 329).