Hebrew word · H2401

חֲטָאָה

chata'ah

sin

Sin, offence, failure, the guilt of an offence. The root ch-t-' basically means to miss a mark or fall short (Judg 20:16, slingers who 'do not miss'). This rare feminine form is used of grave offences (Gen 20:9; Exod 32:21, 30–31, the golden calf).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

1) sin, sin offering

1a) sin

1b) sin offering

Aramaic equivalent: chat.ta.ah (חַטָּאָה "sin offering" H2402)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 32:1

Range of meaning: Sin, offence, failure, the guilt of an offence. The root ch-t-' basically means to miss a mark or fall short (Judg 20:16, slingers who 'do not miss'). This rare feminine form is used of grave offences (Gen 20:9; Exod 32:21, 30–31, the golden calf).
Against the English: 'Sin' is accurate. English readers sometimes reduce it to inner moral impurity. The Hebrew word covers the failed act and the guilt it leaves behind.
Used elsewhere in the period: Exodus 32 uses this exact form for the golden-calf 'great sin', which Moses hopes God will 'lift' (32:32, using nasa). The Septuagint uses hamartia.

From the study of Psalm 40:6

Range of meaning: Usually 'sin' or 'guilt' (Gen 20:9; Exod 32:21; Ps 32:1). Here, in a list of offerings, it must mean the sin offering, normally called chatta't (H2403). This use is unique to this verse.
Against the English: 'Sin offering' (all major versions) is the traditional term. Many specialists prefer 'purification offering', because in Leviticus this offering cleanses the sanctuary and the person from sin and from ritual impurity (e.g. after childbirth, Lev 12:6–8, or skin disease, Lev 14:19). It covers more than personal moral guilt.
How it drifted: English 'sin offering' sounds like a payment for a moral wrong. In Leviticus the offering is mainly for unintentional sins and for impurity, and its blood is applied to the altar. The 'purification' reading is associated especially with Jacob Milgrom, and other scholars dispute parts of it.
Used elsewhere in the period: Leviticus 4–5; 16; Numbers 15:22–29 (the offering is for unintentional sins, while defiant sin 'with a high hand' has no offering). The Septuagint here renders 'concerning sin' (peri hamartias), its usual phrase for this offering.

From the study of Exodus 32:21

Range of meaning: The root ח-ט-א at its most basic means 'to miss' (Judg 20:16, slingers who 'do not miss'). In relationships and law it means to fail an obligation, to offend against someone. The noun covers (1) the offending act, (2) the guilt or liability that results, and sometimes (3) the punishment that follows. The feminine form חֲטָאָה is rare. It turns up mostly in this set phrase 'a great sin': Gen 20:9; Exod 32:21, 30, 31; 2 Kgs 17:21. It also occurs at Ps 32:1.
Against the English: English 'a great sin' or 'so great a sin' is accurate as far as it goes. What it can lose is the sense of a known, almost formal category, the gravest kind of breach, and the idea that the 'sin' now rests on the people as a liability with consequences, not only as a bad act in the past.
How it drifted: Modern 'sin' tends to mean an individual's private moral failing. In Israel's world it was just as much a breach of a relationship, and it could rest on a whole community.
Used elsewhere in the period: Genesis 20:9: Abimelech, believing he nearly took Abraham's wife, says 'you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin'. This is the same verb 'bring' and the same phrase. Outside the Bible, Ugaritic texts and Egyptian marriage contracts use 'the great sin' for adultery (W. L. Moran, JNES 18, 1959; J. J. Rabinowitz, JNES 18, 1959). 2 Kings 17:21 uses the phrase for Jeroboam's golden calves at Bethel and Dan, which deliberately echo this scene. The Septuagint renders it ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην ('great sin').

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

Genesis 20:9 חֲטָאָ֣ה a sin

Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”

Here: A rare noun for sin. It covers the offense together with the guilt and penalty that come with it. 'Guilt' (BSB) brings out that the king did not commit the act knowingly.

Exodus · 3

Exodus 32:21 חֲטָאָ֥ה a sin

“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”

Here: A rare form of the common word for sin. It covers both the offence (the calf-worship) and the guilt and liability that now hang over the people because of it.
Exodus 32:30 חֲטָאָ֣ה a sin

The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
Exodus 32:31 חֲטָאָ֣ה a sin

So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.

Here: The noun from the same root as the verb, so the Hebrew says 'sinned a sin'. The repetition gives weight. This form of the noun is uncommon, and it is the one used for this incident three times in the chapter.

2 Kings · 1

2 Kings 17:21 חֲטָאָ֥ה a sin

When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.

Psalms · 3

Psalm 32:1 חֲטָאָֽה׃ sin

Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Here: A less common form of the ordinary root for 'sin', whose basic picture is missing a target or falling short of what is owed. Paired with pesha, it widens the scope from outright rebellion to every kind of failure.
Psalm 40:6 וַ֝חֲטָאָ֗ה and sin offering

Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.

Here: This form usually means 'sin', but here, next to 'burnt offering', it stands for the offering usually called chatta't: the offering that cleansed the sanctuary and the worshipper from sin and impurity.
Psalm 109:7 לַֽחֲטָאָֽה׃ <into> sin

When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.