ἥττημα

From the study of 1 Corinthians 6:7

Range of meaning

A noun from the verb ἡττάομαι, 'to be defeated, beaten, overcome, to come off worse'. The noun means defeat, loss, a worse outcome, coming up short. It is a word about losing, not mainly about moral blame.

Against the English

Most modern versions say 'defeat' (BSB, NASB, ESV, NIV). KJV 'fault', YLT 'fault' and WEB 'defect' move it toward blame or moral flaw, which is a different idea.

How it drifted

The Latin Vulgate rendered it delictum ('offense, fault'), and the older English tradition followed the Latin. Today 'fault' sounds like 'blame', so Paul's picture of a lost contest disappears.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare word. In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), Isaiah 31:8 says Assyria's young men will become ἥττημα, meaning beaten and reduced to subjection. The only other New Testament use is Romans 11:12, of Israel's 'loss' or 'shortfall' set against its 'fullness'. Both uses are about losing or falling short. BDAG gives 'defeat' for 1 Cor 6:7.

From the study of Romans 11:12

Range of meaning

A rare noun from hēttaomai, "to be defeated, to be inferior, to come off worse." Its possible senses are: (1) a defeat or setback; (2) a loss, a coming-short, a state of being less. In Romans 11:12 it is set against plērōma ("fullness"), so many readers also hear a numerical sense: a reduction, only a remnant.

Against the English

KJV has "diminishing" and YLT "diminution," both following the Latin diminutio. BSB, ESV and NASB have "failure"; NIV and WEB have "loss." "Failure" is the softest and most interpretive choice. "Diminishing" brings out the contrast with fullness. "Defeat" would be closest to how the word is attested elsewhere, but no major version uses it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Only two other biblical uses survive. In Isaiah 31:8 (Septuagint), Assyria's young men "shall be for defeat/subjection," a military rout. In 1 Corinthians 6:7, "to have lawsuits at all is already a defeat (hēttēma) for you." The word is almost absent from Greek before Paul, which is why its exact sense here is debated.