Midvash

חָטָאchâṭâʼ

miss (a goal or way), go wrong, sin

Pronunciation: khaw-taw' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H2398

Meanings

Qal

1. miss (Job 5:24; Proverbs 19:2; Proverbs 8:36)

2. sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty

a. against man, wherein have I sinned against thee? (Exodus 5:16; 1 Samuel 26:21; 2 Samuel 19:21)

b. against God, I have not permitted my palate to sin (Exodus 20:20; Exodus 9:34; Joshua 7:11)

3. incur guilt, penalty by sin, forfeit (Genesis 43:9; Genesis 44:32; Proverbs 20:2)

Pi`el

1. bear loss (Genesis 31:39)

2. make a sin-offering (Leviticus 9:15; Leviticus 6:19; Exodus 29:36)

3. purity from sin (Leviticus 8:15; Ezekiel 43:20; Ezekiel 43:22)

4. purity from uncleanness (Leviticus 14:49; Leviticus 14:52; Numbers 19:19)

Hiph`il

1. miss the mark (Judges 20:16)

2. induce or cause to sin (Exodus 23:33; Nehemiah 13:26; 1 Kings 14:16)

3. bring into guilt, condemnation, punishment (Isaiah 29:21; Deuteronomy 24:4; Ecclesiastes 5:4)

Hithpa`el

1. miss oneself, lose oneself, figurative for be bewildered, beside oneself (Job 41:17)

2. purity oneself from uncleanness

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 238 times in the Bible.

  • Genesis 20:6 In the dream God responded, “Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against me, and why I did not let you touch her.
  • Genesis 20:9 Then Abimelech called for Abraham. “What have you done to us?” he demanded. “What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done!
  • Genesis 31:39 If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.
  • Genesis 39:9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
  • Genesis 40:1 Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master.
  • Genesis 42:22 “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!”
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).