Original translation of the word sin

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What is the original translation of the word sin in the original texts?
 
I’m no expert; I’ve never studied Greek. I just look things up in Strong’s dictionary. According to them, the literal meaning of the word is “to miss the mark.” The inference is that we miss the mark, and thus don’t share in the prize.

The common usage is to err - make a mistake, and from there, sin.

The problem is that there are several different words that can be translated as sin. From the quick look I gave today, they all seem to have a meaning of “to make a mistake,” or “be at fault.”

I wish I knew enough Greek to understand the subtle differences. For instance, mosey, saunter, stroll, and pace all mean “walk,” but there are differences in speed and attitude.

ETA: Not according to my paperback English dictionary. Sigh. I wish I owned the complete OED!)

Now, maybe someone who is fluent in NT Greek will comment on “sin”… I hope!

God bless you,

Ruthie
 
meridith said:
What is the original translation of the word sin in the original texts?
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Which ones ? 🙂​

Hebrew has several words, including chatah & awon - Greek has hamartia. I’m sure others could be found in both languages, just as we have sin, fault, transgression, offence, iniquity, & so on.
 
The origianl texts that Paul, Jesus, etc would have read, had access to.We’re they all hebrew texts?
 
HI Ruth,

“Hamartia”, mentioned above, means “error”. In a religious context it means “sin”.

Verbum
 
Hi Meredith,

Jesus knew how to read, and he would have read from the Hebrew Bible. Paul was certainly fluent in Hebrew and Greek, and would have read both the Hebrew and Greek Bibles.

Verbum
 
meridith said:
The origianl texts that Paul, Jesus, etc would have read, had access to.We’re they all hebrew texts?
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The NT writers may have used targums - which are Aramaic paraphrases (often including matter from legendary expansions of the text) of the Hebrew Bible in its Jewish form (i.e. not including the Samaritan Bible, which is restructed to the first five books of the OT).​

 
What I learned at some point and I don’t remember where is that sin meant “to miss the mark” as has already been said. It was an archery term in fact. What is interesting to me in the Hebrew idea of missing the mark is the absence of the idea of a supernatural force for evil Christianity seems to associate with the term today. Sinning for the Hebrews apparently was not so much about giving in to the evil or the devil but rather not being as good as you could be.
 
Verbum said:
Hi Leela,

You could draw any pious meditation from the etymology, but when all is said and done, “hamartia” means “error” and “sin”.
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Right. Error, not evil.

All the business of sin being about demons and Saran tempting you away from God is a later Christian reading rather than the “orginal translation of the word sin.”
 
Leela said:
Right. Error, not evil.

All the business of sin being about demons and Saran tempting you away from God is a later Christian reading rather than the “orginal translation of the word sin.”
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Missing the mark, or not being as good as you could be, is a good way to think about sin. But I don’t think that Catholics think you can blame Satan and demons for causing us to sin. That is why we confess our sins. We look into ourselves and find what we have done wrong, and ask for forgiveness. We don’t say, “the Devil made me do it”!
 
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