Lexical Summary
chet: Sin, offense, fault
Original Word:חֵטְא
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:chet'
Pronunciation:khayt
Phonetic Spelling:(khate)
KJV: fault, X grievously, offence, (punishment of) sin
NASB:sin, sins, offenses, greatly, penalty
Word Origin:[fromH2398 (חָטָא - sinned)]
1. a crime or its penalty
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fault, grievously, offence, punishment of sin
Fromchata'; a crime or its penalty -- fault, X grievously, offence, (punishment of) sin.
see HEBREWchata'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
chataDefinitiona sin
NASB Translationgreatly (1), offenses (2), penalty (1), sin (22), sins (7).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Deuteronomy 15:9 (on formation see Lag
BN 142) —
Leviticus 19:17 15t.; suffix
Leviticus 24:15 5t.,
Lamentations 3:39,
Leviticus 20:20; plural
Ecclesiastes 10:4; construct
2 Kings 10:29;
Ezekiel 23:49; suffix
Genesis 41:9,
Isaiah 38:17;
Psalm 51:11,
Daniel 9:16;
Psalm 103:10,
Isaiah 1:18; —
sin:
Genesis 41:9 (E)Ecclesiastes 10:4.
elsewhere ag. God, absoluteIsaiah 31:7;Hosea 12:9;Lamentations 1:8 compareDeuteronomy 19:15;2 Kings 10:29;sin worthy of deathDeuteronomy 21:22 =Deuteronomy 22:26; with ,because of,Daniel 9:16; God is entreated:hide thy face from my sinsPsalm 51:11; and it is said in faith,thou wilt cast behind thy back all my sinsIsaiah 38:17.
guilt of sin:sin (the guilt of sin)come on oneDeuteronomy 15:9;Deuteronomy 21:22;Deuteronomy 23:22;Deuteronomy 23:23;Deuteronomy 24:15;in his sin (guilt)dieNumbers 27:3 (P);each for his own sinDeuteronomy 24:16 =2 Kings 14:16 2Chronicles 25:4;Psalm 51:7in sin (condition of sin and guilt)my mother conceived me;Isaiah 1:18though your sins be like scarlet (in guilt);Psalm 103:10not according to our sins (their guilt)hath he done to us.
punishment for sin:bear sin (its punishment)Leviticus 20:20;Leviticus 24:15 (H),Numbers 9:13;Numbers 18:22 (P); with ,bear sin because ofLeviticus 19:17;Leviticus 22:9 (H)Numbers 18:32 (P); bear sins of idols (in worshipping idols)Ezekiel 23:49; the ideal servant of Yahwehbore the sins of manyIsaiah 53:12; without , onlyLamentations 3:39 (wherefore doth)a man (complain)for the punishment of his sin ?
[] (see Biblical Hebrew ); — suffixDaniel 4:24 (Qr K§ 57 a) )), < plural (for ) Hi Bev Kmp Behrm, compare "" .
Topical Lexicon
חֵטְא (Strong’s 2399)
Definition and Range of Meaning
The noun designates (1) the act of missing God’s mark—sin itself, (2) the liability incurred—guilt, and (3) the remedy supplied by God— the sin-offering. Context determines which nuance is uppermost, yet all three ideas remain organically connected.
Representative Occurrences
• Sin as moral failure: “You number my steps; You do not keep track of my sin” (Job 14:16).
• Personal guilt borne by the priesthood: “It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, so that Aaron may bear the guilt relating to the holy things” (Exodus 28:38).
• Collective guilt requiring annual atonement: “Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering for the atonement” (Exodus 30:10).
• Recollection of guilt in providence: “Have you come to remind me of my guilt and cause the death of my son?” (1 Kings 17:18).
These samples illustrate the breadth of usage among the approximately thirty-four attestations in the Old Testament.
Sin as Moral Deviation
חֵטְא exposes humanity’s failure to conform to God’s revealed will. Whether the speaker is Job (Job 14:16), David (Psalm 69:5), or the anonymous worshipper, the term underscores that sin is primarily offence against the LORD. It is personal (“my sin”), specific, and known to God even when hidden from others. Consequently, confession in Scripture is never mere self-expression but an appeal for divine mercy.
Guilt and Its Consequences
In several priestly texts, חֵטְא moves from the act to its judicial aftermath—culpability. Aaron “bears” guilt on behalf of the people (Exodus 28:38, 28:43), a burden so serious that entering the sanctuary wrongly attired results in death. The same idea surfaces narratively when disaster revives a person’s sense of unresolved guilt (1 Kings 17:18). Scripture thus links sin with real, objective liability before God, not merely subjective feelings.
Sin Offering and Atonement
Because guilt is objective, it must be expiated. חֵטְא therefore also names the offering that removes guilt (Exodus 30:10; compareLeviticus 5, where the cognate term predominates). Blood applied to the golden altar proclaims that substitution is God’s appointed means of satisfaction. The annual Day of Atonement magnifies this truth: atonement must be perfect, repeated, and God-initiated.
Theological Significance in Israel’s Worship
The dual usage—sin and sin-offering—teaches that the Holy One both identifies the transgression and supplies the remedy. Priestly mediation, sacrificial blood, and strict ritual purity all dramatize the gospel in shadow form: sinners cannot approach God unless their guilt is borne away. The sanctuary becomes a living parable of grace administered through covenantal structures.
Christological Foreshadowing
New Testament writers adopt Septuagintal equivalents of חֵטְא to declare that the Messiah “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The interchange of “sin” and “sin-offering” inIsaiah 53:10 anticipates this climactic fulfillment. When Hebrews contrasts repeated Levitical sacrifices with the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:1-14), it assumes the Old Testament’s multifaceted concept: act, guilt, and offering converge at the cross.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Preaching must maintain the biblical tension: sin is both behaviour and standing.
2. Pastoral care should acknowledge the reality of guilt while directing people to the perfect offering of Jesus Christ.
3. Corporate worship profits from readings and prayers that reflect the Old Testament pattern—confession, assurance of pardon, and joyful service.
4. Ethical instruction gains clarity by showing that God, not cultural consensus, defines חֵטְא.
Conclusion
חֵטְא reveals the seriousness of sin, the certainty of guilt, and the sufficiency of God’s provision. From Aaron’s forehead plate to Calvary’s cross, Scripture testifies that the LORD both confronts and cancels sin, securing a people who can “serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all their days” (compareLuke 1:74-75).
Forms and Transliterations
בְּחֶטְא֖וֹ בְחֶטְא֣וֹ בַחֲטָאֵ֙ינוּ֙ בחטאו בחטאינו וַחֲטָאֵ֥י וּ֝בְחֵ֗טְא ובחטא וחטאי חֲטָאִ֥ים חֲטָאֵ֞י חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם חֲטָאַ֕י חֲטָאָֽי׃ חֲטָאָֽיו׃ חֵ֔טְא חֵ֖טְא חֵ֛טְא חֵ֣טְא חֵ֤טְא חֵֽטְא׃ חֵטְא־ חֶטְא֥וֹ חֶטְאָ֥ם חֶטְאֽוֹ׃ חַטָּא֔וֹת חטא חטא־ חטא׃ חטאו חטאו׃ חטאות חטאי חטאי׃ חטאיו׃ חטאיכם חטאים חטאם כַ֭חֲטָאֵינוּ כחטאינו מֵחֲטָאָ֑י מחטאי ḇa·ḥă·ṭā·’ê·nū ḇaḥăṭā’ênū bə·ḥeṭ·’ōw ḇə·ḥeṭ·’ōw bechetO bəḥeṭ’ōw ḇəḥeṭ’ōw Chachataeinu chataAi chataAv chataEi chataeiChem chataIm chattaot Chet chetAm chetO ḥă·ṭā·’āw ḥă·ṭā·’ay ḥă·ṭā·’āy ḥă·ṭā·’ê ḥă·ṭā·’ê·ḵem ḥă·ṭā·’îm ḥaṭ·ṭā·’ō·wṯ ḥăṭā’āw ḥăṭā’ay ḥăṭā’āy ḥăṭā’ê ḥăṭā’êḵem ḥăṭā’îm ḥaṭṭā’ōwṯ ḥêṭ ḥêṭ- ḥeṭ’ām ḥeṭ’ōw ḥeṭ·’ām ḥeṭ·’ōw ḵa·ḥă·ṭā·’ê·nū ḵaḥăṭā’ênū mê·ḥă·ṭā·’āy mechataAi mêḥăṭā’āy ū·ḇə·ḥêṭ ūḇəḥêṭ uveChet vachataEi vachataEinu vechetO wa·ḥă·ṭā·’ê waḥăṭā’ê
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