Word Study: Khata - "Sin"

Introduction

• The Bible has unique vocabulary for human fallibility: sin, iniquity, transgression.
• Modern readers often view these terms as outdated but they offer profound insights into human nature.

Definitions

• Iniquity: Behavior that is crooked.
• Transgression: Breaking trust.
• Sin: Most common term for human failure in the Bible.

Etymology

• Sin translates to Hebrew "Khata" and Greek "Hamartia".
• "Khata" means "to fail" or "miss the goal"—non-religious origin.

Biblical Examples

• Benjamin's slingshot army: Hitting a target without "khata" (failing).
• Proverbs: Warns against rash decisions leading to "khata" (failure).

Biblical Goal

• Humans are made in God's image, deserving respect.
• Sin is failure to love God and others.
• Ten Commandments: Divided into commands for loving God and others.
• Failing one is connected to failing the other.

Sin in Stories

• Joseph and Potiphar’s wife: Not honoring people is akin to not honoring God.
• Sin is a failure to be fully human.

Human Misjudgment

• People often unaware of their failures, believing they are succeeding.
• Pharaoh: Thought enslaving Israelites was justified.
• King Saul: Tried to kill David, believing he was just until realizing his sin.

Sin as a Force

• It deceives and leads to redefined bad decisions as good.
• Cain and Abel: Sin depicted as a lurking beast.
• Apostle Paul: Describes sin as a power ruling humans, leading to actions against our will.

Theological Insight

• Sin is a comprehensive depiction of human failure to love God and others.
• It's rooted in selfish impulses.

The Role of Jesus

• Jesus is portrayed as a perfectly human being who overcame sin.
• Lived and died to cover human failures.
• Apostles' teachings: "He committed no sin but bore ours on the cross."

Conclusion

• This study is part of a series on "bad words" in the Bible.
• The project is crowd-funded. More resources are available at thebibleproject.com.

Acknowledgements

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