CHATAAH - UNINTENTIONAL SIN

Petra Hadžidaova
Jan 18
2 min read

He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?

Exodus 23: 21 (NIV)

(1)

INTRODUCTION

We have all fallen short of God’s mark and sinned. There are different words for sin in the Bible. The most commonly used is chataah. It carries the meaning of sin, sin offering, and guilt. Then there is pesha, which means transgression, and avon, describing iniquity. Yeshua came to redeem us. He was wounded for our transgressions (pesha), crushed for our iniquities (avon), and carried our sins (chataah).

CHATAAH - THE HEBREW WORD FOR SIN

There they were; only a few steps remained to be taken. Their eyes were gazing upon the good land of milk and honey, but their ears were listening to an evil report. All it took was faith. But that is easier said than done. Instead of faith, fear filled their hearts. They began to complain and were in great despair. Sin had clouded their judgment and covered their eyes. They refused to go once, and the second time, they could not go.

The Hebrew word for sin is chaatah. It means sin, sin offering, guilt. It derives from the Hebrew word chatah, which means to sin, to miss, to go wrong, or to incur guilt. (2, 3)

THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF SIN

There are different words for sin in Hebrew. The most common word is chataah. As determined, it means “missing the mark”. It is a mistake, an error, or as Chaim BenTorah calls it, “unintentional sin”. (4)

There are more serious offenses mentioned in the Bible. There is pesha, the willful transgression done to spite God. And then there is Avon - iniquity. It conveys the meaning of wilfully twisting and distorting God’s will for selfish gain. (5)

YESHUA AND THE FORGIVENESS

Yeshua came to redeem us. He was wounded for our transgressions (pesha), crushed for our iniquities (avon), and carried our sins (chataah). Those of us who believe in Him are made happy and given His shalom - our sins are forgotten (covered), our transgressions forgiven, taken up, and we are not held guilty for our iniquities. (5)

CONCLUSION

There was but only one man who walked this earth and was without blemish, without sin. That man was Yeshua Messiah. There are different levels of sin. There is chataah, describing unintentional sin. Then there is pesha, speaking of transgression. And lastly, there is avon, depicting iniquity. Yeshua came to redeem us from them all. He was wounded for our transgressions (pesha), crushed for our iniquities (avon), and carried our sins (chataah).