עָוֺן

From the study of Jeremiah 31:34

Range of meaning

From a root meaning to bend or twist: crookedness, iniquity. It also covers the guilt that comes from the wrong act and the punishment that follows it. One word holds the deed, the liability and the consequence.

Against the English

'Iniquity' sounds archaic and vague, and 'wickedness' (some modern versions) sounds like a character trait. Neither carries the sense of guilt and penalty that ʿāwōn includes. Cain's 'my ʿāwōn is greater than I can bear' (Gen 4:13) can mean his guilt or his punishment.

How it drifted

English splits into separate words (sin, guilt, punishment) what Hebrew holds together.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lev 26:39–41 speaks of exiles 'rotting in their iniquity' and then confessing it. Jeremiah: 'I will repay their iniquity and their sin double' (16:18). Lam 4:22: 'the punishment (ʿāwōn) of your iniquity is complete, O daughter of Zion.'

From the study of Isaiah 53:6

Range of meaning

A wrong act, especially a crooked or twisted one (the root is often linked to bending or twisting). Also the guilt that act leaves on the doer. Also the punishment or consequence that follows. Hebrew often uses one word for the whole chain from deed to outcome, and ʿāwōn is a prime example. Cain's cry in Genesis 4:13, "my ʿāwōn is greater than I can bear," means his punishment, or his guilt-and-punishment together. ʿāwōn is often something one "carries" (nāśāʾ ʿāwōn, "to bear guilt"), as in Leviticus 5:1 and Ezekiel 4:4–6.

Against the English

"Iniquity" (KJV, BSB, WEB, and most modern versions) is accurate for the act but is now an old-fashioned word that suggests only wickedness. It loses the sense of guilt and of the consequence that follows. YLT's "punishment" catches the consequence but loses the act. NLT's "sins" is broad but makes it sound like a list of misdeeds, not a single weight.

How it drifted

English separates sin, guilt and punishment into three words, and "iniquity" fell out of everyday speech. Hebrew holds all three in one word, and the verse depends on that.

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 4:13; Gen 15:16 (the ʿāwōn of the Amorites 'not yet complete'); Lev 16:21–22, where Aaron confesses 'all the ʿăwōnōt of the Israelites' over the goat for Azazel, which then 'carries all their ʿăwōnōt'; Ezek 4:4–6, where the prophet lies on his side 'bearing the ʿāwōn' of Israel and Judah; Isa 40:2, where Jerusalem's ʿāwōn is 'paid off'. The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation) uses hamartia, 'sin', or anomia, 'lawlessness', for it. Studies of the 'deed–consequence' link (e.g. K. Koch in TDOT) treat ʿāwōn as a key example.

From the study of Isaiah 50:1

Range of meaning

Iniquity, perversity or crookedness. It also covers the guilt that comes from wrongdoing and the punishment that results from it. Hebrew often uses one word for the wrong, the guilt and the consequence together (e.g. Gen 4:13, "my ʿāwōn is too great to bear", where it means guilt or punishment).

Against the English

"Iniquities" (BSB, KJV, WEB, YLT, ESV, NASB) or "sins" (NIV, NLT). Neither English word carries the idea that guilt is itself the debt or burden someone is carrying.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 40:2 opens this part of Isaiah by declaring that Jerusalem's ʿāwōn "is pardoned" (or "its penalty paid off", using the verb rāṣāh, which can mean "paid off"). That is debt language too. Lev 26:41, 43 says the exiles will "make amends for their ʿāwōn".