H2403b H2403b
Sin or sin-offering — the act of missing the mark before God, and the sacrificial remedy prescribed to atone for it.
Perhaps the most theologically loaded noun in the Levitical vocabulary, chattat famously carries two intimately connected meanings: the sin itself and the offering that addresses it. This double duty is not accidental — it encodes the biblical logic that the remedy bears the name of the disease. The sin-offering sense dominates Leviticus and Numbers, where French 'offrande pour le peche' and German 'Sundopfer' make the sacrificial meaning explicit, while the sin sense pervades narrative and prophetic literature, where Spanish 'pecado' and French 'peche' stand alone without sacrificial qualifiers. The two senses share over 40 verses in Leviticus 4 alone, sometimes appearing in both meanings within a single verse.
Senses
1. sin, transgression — Sin as act, condition, or offense — the fundamental sense of moral failure or transgression against God or neighbor. Covering 170 occurrences, this is the majority usage across narrative, prophetic, and wisdom literature. Genesis 4:7 ('sin is crouching at the door') personifies it; Leviticus 4:3 ('if the anointed priest sins') introduces the cultic context. All languages use their basic sin-word: English 'sin,' Spanish 'pecado,' French 'peche,' German 'Sunde.' Possessive suffixes are extremely common ('his sin,' 'your sins,' 'my sin'), reflecting the deeply personal nature of chattat in Hebrew theology. 170×
AR["خَطيئَتُهُ","خَطيئَتِهِ","خَطَايَا","خَطِيئَتَهُ","خَطِيئَتُهُ","خَطِيئَتِهِ","خَطِيَّتِهِ"]·ben["তাঁর-পাপ","তার-পাপ","তার-পাপের","পাপ","পাপগুলির","পাপসমূহের","পাপে"]·DE["Suende","Suende-sein","Suende-von","Suenden-von","sein-Suende"]·EN["his-sin","sin-his","sin-of","sins-of"]·FR["péché","péché-de","péché-son","sins-de","son-péché","son-péché-lui"]·heb["חטא-ו","חטאות","חטאת","חטאתו"]·HI["उस-का-पाप","उसका-पाप","उसके-पाप","खट्टाओत","खत्तोत","पाप-अपना","पाप-अपने","पाप-अपने-की","पाप-अपने-से","पाप-उसका","पापों","पापों-में"]·ID["dosa-dosa","dosanya"]·IT["peccare-suo","peccati-di","peccato","peccato-di","peccato-suo","suo-peccare"]·jav["dosa","dosa-dosa","dosa-dosanipun","dosa-ipun","dosanipun"]·KO["그-의-죄-의","그-의-죄를","그-죄","그-죄-가","그의-죄","그의-죄가","그의-죄를","죄","죄-그의-를","죄들","죄들에"]·PT["pecado-dele","pecados-de","seu-pecado"]·RU["грех-его","греха-его","греха-своего","грехами","грехах","грехи","грехов","греху-своему"]·ES["pecado-suyo","pecados-de","su-pecado"]·SW["chataּtwo","dhambi-ya","dhambi-yake","dhambi-za"]·TR["gunahini","günahları","günahlarında","günahlarının","günahı","günahını-onun","günahının","günahının-onun"]·urd["اس-کے-گناہ","اُس-کا-گناہ","اُس-کے-گناہ","اُس-کے-گناہ-کو","اُس-کے-گناہ-کے-لیے","اپنا-گناہ","اپنے گناہ","اپنے-گناہ-کے-لیے","گناہ","گناہ-اُس-کے-سے","گناہوں","گناہوں-میں"]
2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin — The sin-offering — the specific sacrificial animal or ritual prescribed in the Priestly legislation to effect atonement. With 120 occurrences concentrated in Leviticus 4-5, Numbers 15, 28-29, and Ezekiel 40-46, this is a fully technical cultic term. The multilingual evidence is decisive: English adds 'offering' (sin-offering), Spanish expands to 'ofrenda por el pecado,' French to 'offrande pour le peche,' and German compounds it as 'Sundopfer' — all signaling that translators recognize a distinct referent (the sacrifice) rather than the abstract moral condition. Key passages include Leviticus 4:8 (the fat of the sin-offering) and Exodus 30:10 (annual sin-offering on the Day of Atonement). 120×
AR["لِ-الخَطِيئَةِ","لِ-خَطِيئَةٍ","لِ-ذَبِيحَةِ-خَطِيئَةٍ","لِخَطِيَّةٍ"]·ben["-পাপার্থক-বলির-জন্য","পাপ-বলির-জন্য","পাপবলির-জন্য","পাপার্থক-বলি-রূপে","পাপার্থক-বলিরূপে"]·DE["fuer-Suendopfer","fuer-der-Suendopfer","fuer-ein-Suende-Opfergabe","fuer-ein-Suendopfer"]·EN["for-a-sin-offering","for-sin-offering","for-the-sin-offering"]·FR["pour-le-offrande-pour-le-péché","pour-offrande-pour-le-péché","pour-un-offrande-pour-le-péché","pour-un-péché-offrande","pour-une-offrande-pour-le-péché"]·heb["ל-ה-חטאת","ל-חטאת"]·HI["पापबलि के लिए","पापबलि-के-लिए","या"]·ID["sebagai-korban-penghapus-dosa","untuk-korban-penghapus-dosa"]·IT["per-il-sacrificio-per-il-peccato","per-sacrificio-per-il-peccato","per-un-peccare-offerta","per-un-sacrificio-per-il-peccato"]·jav["kangge-kurban-dosa","kanggé-kurban-dosa","kanggé-kurban-dosa;"]·KO["속죄제-로","속죄제-를-위해","속죄제로","속죄제를-위한","에-속죄제"]·PT["para-hattat","para-o-pecado","para-oferta-pelo-pecado","para-pecado","por-pecado"]·RU["для-греха","для-грехоочистительной-жертвы","для-грехоочищения","для-жертвы-за-грех"]·ES["para-la-ofrenda-por-el-pecado","para-ofrenda-por-el-pecado","para-ofrenda-por-pecado"]·SW["kwa-dhabihu-ya-dhambi","kwa-dhambi","kwa-sadaka-ya-dhambi"]·TR["-e-günah-sunusu","-için-günah-sunusu","günah-sunusu-için"]·urd["لئے-گناہ-کی-قربانی-کے","گناہ-کی-قربانی-کے-لیے"]
3. sense 3 — A small cluster (3x) where chattat appears in contexts blending sin with its punishment or consequence, making 'sin' and 'guilt/punishment' nearly interchangeable. Psalm 109:14 ('let the sin of his mother not be blotted out') and Daniel 9:20 ('confessing my sin and the sin of my people') show chattat in penitential contexts where the weight of consequence is foregrounded. German 'Sunde' and Spanish 'pecado' persist, but the contextual framing — alongside iniquity ('avon) and in prayers for divine remembrance — tilts toward the sin-as-burden reading. 3×
AR["وَ-خَطيئَة","وَ-خَطِيئَةِ","وَخَطِيئَةُ"]·ben["এবং-পাপ"]·DE["und-Suende","und-der-Sünde-von"]·EN["and-punishment-of","and-the-sin-of"]·FR["et-péché"]·heb["ו-חטאת"]·HI["और-पाप"]·ID["dan-dosa","dan-hukuman"]·IT["e-peccato"]·jav["lan-dosa-nipun","lan-dosané","lan-paukuman-dosa"]·KO["그리고-죄","그리고-죄-가","그리고-죄-를"]·PT["e-o-pecado","e-o-pecado-de","e-pecado-de"]·RU["и-грех"]·ES["y-castigo-de","y-el-pecado-de","y-pecado-de"]·SW["na-adhabu-ya","na-dhambi","na-dhambi-ya"]·TR["ve-günahı","ve-günahını"]·urd["اور-سزا","اور-گناہ","اور-گناہوں"]
4. sense 4 — A single occurrence in Proverbs 14:34 ('sin is a disgrace to any people') where chattat functions as a collective abstract — sin as a national condition or reproach. English renders 'peoples' in the gloss data (likely reflecting the object rather than chattat itself), while Spanish and French maintain 'pecado/peche.' The proverbial, wisdom-literature context gives this instance a gnomic, universalizing quality distinct from the narrative or cultic uses. 1×
AR["خَطيئَةٌ"]·ben["পাপ"]·DE["Suende"]·EN["peoples"]·FR["péché"]·heb["חטאת"]·HI["पाप"]·ID["adalah-kehinaan"]·IT["peccato"]·jav["kanisthan"]·KO["수치-다"]·PT["pecado"]·RU["позор"]·ES["pecado"]·SW["ni-aibu"]·TR["günahtır"]·urd["شرمندگی-ہے"]
5. sense 5 — A unique occurrence in Numbers 8:7 where chattat appears in the context of Levitical purification ('sprinkle the water of purification upon them'). Spanish renders 'purificacion' rather than 'pecado' or 'ofrenda,' and German uses 'Sundopfer,' suggesting this lies at the boundary between sin-offering and purification ritual. The passage describes cleansing the Levites for service, and the chattat-water here functions more as a purifying agent than as a standard sin-offering, representing a specialized cultic extension of sense 2. 1×
AR["الْـخَطِيئَةِ"]·ben["পাপ-শুদ্ধির"]·DE["Suendopfer"]·EN["sin-offering"]·FR["offrande-pour-le-péché"]·heb["חטאת"]·HI["पापबलि-का"]·ID["penghapus-dosa"]·IT["sacrificio-per-il-peccato"]·jav["dosa"]·KO["속죄"]·PT["purificação"]·RU["грехоочищения"]·ES["purificación"]·SW["utakaso"]·TR["günahın"]·urd["گناہ-کا"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חַטָּאת n.f. 1 S 14:38 (Gn 4:7 no exception for רֹבֵץ is noun = crouching beast) sin, sin-offering, ח׳ Gn 4:7 + 124 times; לְחַטָּ֯ת Nu 15:24 (textual error for לחטאת), לְחַטַּאת Zc 13:1 (but read לְחַטָּאת StaZAW i. 35); cstr. חַטַּאת Ex 30:10 + 19 times; sf. חַטָּאתִי Gn 31:36 + 16 times; חַטָּאתֹיו֯ 1 K 16:26, חַטַּאתְכֶם Ex 32:30 + 3 times, etc., + 52 times sf.; pl. חַטָּאוֹת 2 K 12:17 + 3…