ἁμαρτία

ἁμαρτία, ίας, ἡ (w. mngs. ranging fr. involuntary mistake/ error to serious offenses against a deity: Aeschyl., Antiphon, Democr.+; ins fr. Cyzicus JHS 27, 1907, p. 63 [III B.C.] ἁμαρτίαν μετανόει; PLips 119 recto, 3; POxy 1119, 11; LXX; En, TestSol, TestAbr, TestJob, Test12Patr; JosAs 12:14; ParJer, ApcEsdr, ApcSed, ApcMos; EpArist 192; Philo; Jos., Ant. 13, 69 al.; Ar. [Milne 76, 42]; Just., A I, 61, 6; 10; 66, 1, D. 13, 1 al.; Tat. 14, 1f; 20, 1; Mel., P. 50, 359; 55, 400; s. ClR 24, 1910, 88; 234; 25, 1911, 195–97).

① a departure fr. either human or divine standards of uprightness

ⓐ sin (w. context ordinarily suggesting the level of heinousness), the action itself (ἁμάρτησις s. prec.), as well as its result (ἁμάρτημα), πᾶσα ἀδικία ἁ. ἐστίν 1J 5:17 (cp. Eur., Or. 649; Gen 50:17). ἁ. w. ἀνομήματα Hv 1, 3, 1; descr. as ἀνομία (cp. Ps 58:3; TestJob 43:17) 1J 3:4; but one who loves is far from sin Pol 3:3, cp. Js 5:20; 1 Pt 4:8, 1 Cl 49:5; Agr 13. ἀναπληρῶσαι τὰς ἁ. fill up the measure of sins (Gen 15:16) 1 Th 2:16. κοινωνεῖν ἁ. ἀλλοτρίαις 1 Ti 5:22. ποιεῖν ἁ. commit a sin (Tob 12:10; 14:7S; Dt 9:21) 2 Cor 11:7; 1 Pt 2:22; Js 5:15; 1J 3:4, 8. For this ἁμαρτάνειν ἁ. (Ex 32:30; La 1:8) 1J 5:16; ἐργάζεσθαι ἁ. Js 2:9; Hm 4, 1, 2 (LXX oft. ἐργάζ. ἀδικίαν or ἀνομίαν). μεγάλην ἁ. ἐργάζεσθαι commit a great sin m 4, 1, 1; 8:2. Pl. (cp. Pla., Ep. 7, 335a τὰ μεγάλα ἁμαρτήματα κ. ἀδικήματα) Hs 7:2. ἐπιφέρειν ἁ. τινί Hv 1, 2, 4. ἑαυτῷ ἁ. ἐπιφέρειν bring sin upon oneself m 11:4; for this ἁ. ἐπισπᾶσθαί τινι m 4, 1, 8 (cp. Is 5:18). προστιθέναι ταῖς ἁ. add to one’s sins (cp. προσέθηκεν ἁμαρτίας ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίας PsSol 3:10) Hv 5:7; m 4, 3, 7; Hs 6, 2, 3; 8, 11, 3; φέρειν ἁ. 1 Cl 16:4 (Is 53:4). ἀναφέρειν vs. 14 (Is 53:12). γέμειν ἁμαρτιῶν B 11:11. εἶναι ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις 1 Cor 15:17 (cp. Alex. Aphr., Eth. Probl. 9 II 2 p. 129, 13 ἐν ἁμαρτήμασιν εἶναι).—Sin viewed from the perspective of God’s or Christ’s response: ἀφιέναι τὰς ἁ. let go = forgive sins (Lev 4:20 al.) Mt 9:2, 5f; Mk 2:5, 7, 9f; Lk 5:20ff; Hv 2, 2, 4; 1 Cl 50:5; 53:5 (Ex 32:32) al. (ἀφίημι 2); hence ἄφεσις (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν (Iren. 1, 21, 2 [Harv. I 182, 4]) forgiveness of sins Mt 26:28; Mk 1:4; Lk 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; Ac 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; Hm 4, 3, 2; B 5:1; 6:11; 8:3; 11:1; 16:8. διδόναι ἄφεσιν ἁ. AcPl Ha 2, 30; λαβεῖν ἄφεσιν ἁ. receive forgiveness of sins Ac 26:18 (Just., D. 54 al); καθαρίζειν τὰς ἁ. cleanse the sins (thought of as a stain) Hs 5, 6, 3; καθαρίζειν ἀπὸ ἁ. 1 Cl 18:3 (Ps 50:4; cp. Sir 23:10; PsSol 10:1); also καθαρισμὸν ποιεῖσθαι τῶν ἁ. Hb 1:3; ἀπολούεσθαι τὰς ἁ. Ac 22:16 ([w. βαπτίζειν] Just., D. 13, 1 al.). λύτρον ἁ. ransom for sins B 19:10.—αἴρειν J 1:29; περιελεῖν ἁ. Hb 10:11; ἀφαιρεῖν (Ex 34:9; Is 27; 9) vs. 4; Hs 9, 28, 3; ῥυσθῆναι ἀπὸ ἁ. 1 Cl 60:3; ἀπὸ τῶν ἁ. ἀποσπασθῆναι AcPlCor 2:9. Sin as a burden αἱ ἁ. κατεβάρησαν Hs 9, 28, 6; as a disease ἰᾶσθαι Hs 9, 28, 5 (cp. Dt 30:3); s. also the verbs in question.—Looked upon as an entry in a ledger; hence ἐξαλείφεται ἡ ἁ. wiped away, cancelled (Ps 108:14; Jer 18:23; Is 43:25) Ac 3:19.—Opp. στῆσαι τὴν ἁ. 7:60; λογίζεσθαι ἁ. take account of sin (as a debt; cp. the commercial metaphor Ro 4:6 and s. FDanker, Gingrich Festschr. 104, n. 2) Ro 4:8 (Ps 31:2); 1 Cl 60:2 (Just., D. 141, 3). Pass. ἁ. οὐκ ἐλλογεῖται is not entered in the account Ro 5:13 (GFriedrich, TLZ 77, ’52, 523–28). Of sinners ὀφειλέτης ἁ. Pol 6:1 (cp. SIG 1042, 14–16 [II A.D.] ὸ̔ς ἂν δὲ πολυπραγμονήσῃ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ περιεργάσηται, ἁμαρτίαν ὀφιλέτω Μηνὶ Τυράννωι, ἣν οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἐξειλάσασθαι).—γινώσκειν ἁ. (cp. Num 32:23) Ro 7:7; Hm 4, 1, 5. ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας Ro 3:20; ὁμολογεῖν τὰς ἁ. 1J 1:9; ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἐπὶ ταῖς ἁ. B 19:12; ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τὰς ἁ. Mt 3:6; Mk 1:5; Hv 3, 1, 5f; Hs 9, 23, 4; ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁ. confess your sins to each other Js 5:16.—ἐλέγχειν τινὰ περὶ ἁ. convict someone of sin J 8:46; cp. ἵνα σου τὰς ἁ. ἐλέγξω πρὸς τὸν κύριον that I might reveal your sins before the Lord Hv 1, 1, 5.—σεσωρευμένος ἁμαρτίαις loaded down w. sins 2 Ti 3:6; cp. ἐπισωρεύειν ταῖς ἁ. B 4:6; ἔνοχος τῆς ἁ. involved in the sin Hm 2:2; 4, 1, 5. μέτοχος τῆς ἁ. m 4, 1, 9.—In Hb sin is atoned for (ἱλάσκεσθαι τὰς ἁ. 2:17) by sacrifices θυσίαι ὑπὲρ ἁ. 5:1 (cp. 1 Cl 41:2). προσφορὰ περὶ ἁ. sin-offering 10:18; also simply περὶ ἁ. (Lev 5:11; 7:37) vss. 6, 8 (both Ps 39:7; cp. 1 Pt 3:18); προσφέρειν περὶ ἁ. bring a sin-offering Hb 5:3; cp. 10:12; 13:11. Christ has made the perfect sacrifice for sin 9:23ff; συνείδησις ἁ. consciousness of sin 10:2; ἀνάμνησις ἁ. a reminder of sins of the feast of atonement vs. 3.

ⓑ special sins (ἁ. τῆς ἀποστασίας Iren. 5, 26, 2 [Harv. II 397, 4]): πρὸς θάνατον that leads to death 1J 5:16b (ἁμαρτάνω e); opp. οὐ πρὸς θάνατον vs. 17. μεγάλη ἁ. a great sin Hv 1, 1, 8 al. (Gen 20:9; Ex 32:30 al.; cp. Schol. on Pla., Tht. 189d ἁμαρτήματα μεγάλα). μείζων ἁ. m 11:4; ἥττων 1 Cl 47:4. μεγάλη κ. ἀνίατος Hm 5, 2, 4; τέλειαι ἁ. Hv 1, 2, 1; B 8:1, cp. τὸ τέλειον τῶν ἁ. 5:11 (Philo, Mos. 1, 96 κατὰ τῶν τέλεια ἡμαρτηκότων); ἡ προτέρα ἁ. (Arrian, Anab. 7, 23, 8 εἴ τι πρότερον ἡμάρτηκας) sin committed before baptism Hm 4, 1, 11; 4, 3, 3; Hs 8, 11, 3; cp. v 2, 1, 2.

② a state of being sinful, sinfulness, a prominent feature in Johannine thought, and opposed to ἀλήθεια; hence ἁ. ἔχειν J 9:41; 15:24; 1J 1:8. μείζονα ἁ. ἔχειν J 19:11; ἁ. μένει 9:41. γεννᾶσθαι ἐν ἁμαρτίαις be born in sin 9:34 (ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ v.l).; opp. ἐν ἁ. ἀποθανεῖν die in sin 8:21, 24; AcPl Ha 1, 16. ἁ. ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν 1J 3:5.

③ a destructive evil power, sin

ⓐ Paul thinks of sin almost in pers. terms (cp. Sir 27:10; Mel., P. 50, 359; PGM 4, 1448 w. other divinities of the nether world, also Ἁμαρτίαι χθόνιαι; Dibelius, Geisterwelt 119ff) as a ruling power that invades the world. Sin came into the world Ro 5:12 (JFreundorfer, Erbsünde u. Erbtod b. Ap. Pls 1927; ELohmeyer, ZNW 29, 1930, 1–59; JSchnitzer, D. Erbsünde im Lichte d. Religionsgesch. ’31; ROtto, Sünde u. Urschuld ’32; FDanker, Ro 5:12: Sin under Law: NTS 14, ’67/68, 424–39), reigns there vs. 21; 6:14; everything was subject to it Gal 3:22; people serve it Ro 6:6; are its slaves vss. 17, 20; are sold into its service 7:14 or set free from it 6:22; it has its law 7:23; 8:2; it revives (ἀνέζησεν) Ro 7:9 or is dead vs. 8; it pays its wages, viz., death 6:23, cp. 5:12 (see lit. s.v. ἐπί 6c). As a pers. principle it dwells in humans Ro 7:17, 20, viz., in the flesh (s. σάρξ 2cα) 8:3; cp. vs. 2; 7:25. The earthly body is hence a σῶμα τῆς ἁ. 6:6 (Col 2:11 v.l.).—As abstr. for concr. τὸν μὴ γνόντα ἁ. ὑπέρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν (God) made him, who never sinned, to be sin (i.e. the guilty one) for our sakes 2 Cor 5:21.

ⓑ In Hb (as in OT) sin appears as the power that deceives humanity and leads it to destruction, whose influence and activity can be ended only by sacrifices (s. 1a end): ἀπάτη τῆς ἁ. Hb 3:13.—On the whole word s. ἁμαρτάνω, end. GMoore, Judaism I 445–52; ABüchler, Studies in Sin and Atonement in the Rabb. Lit. of the I Cent. 1928; WKnuth, D. Begriff der Sünde b. Philon v. Alex., diss. Jena ’34; EThomas, The Problem of Sin in the NT 1927; Dodd 76–81; DDaube, Sin, Ignorance and Forgiveness in the Bible, ’61; AGelin and ADescamps, Sin in the Bible, ’65.—On the special question ‘The Christian and Sin’ see PWernle 1897; HWindisch 1908; EHedström 1911; RBultmann, ZNW 23, 1924, 123–40; Windisch, ibid. 265–81; RSchulz, D. Frage nach der Selbsttätigkt. d. Menschen im sittl. Leben b. Pls., diss. Hdlb. ’40.—JAddison, ATR 33, ’51, 137–48; KKuhn, πειρασμός ἁμαρτία σάρξ im NT: ZTK 49, ’52, 200–222; JBremer, Hamartia ’69 (Gk. views).—B. 1182. EDNT. DELG s.v. ἁμαρτάνω. M-M. TW.