Hebrew word · H7683
שָׁגַג
shagag
to go astray
To go astray, to err, to make a mistake, especially without meaning to. The related noun שְׁגָגָה is the technical term in Leviticus and Numbers for 'unintentional sin', wrongdoing done in error rather than in open defiance. The root is closely related to שׁגה (next entry).
Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) to go astray, err, commit sin or error
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to err (mentally)
1a2) to sin (ignorantly or inadvertently)
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
- Range of meaning
To go astray, to err, to make a mistake, especially without meaning to. The related noun שְׁגָגָה is the technical term in Leviticus and Numbers for 'unintentional sin', wrongdoing done in error rather than in open defiance. The root is closely related to שׁגה (next entry).
- Against the English
KJV, WEB, YLT and BSB say 'the deceived'. ESV and NASB say 'the misled'. NIV says 'deceived'. 'Deceived' makes the person sound like the victim of someone's lie. The Hebrew word describes the one who goes wrong, whether he was misled or simply lost his way.
- How it drifted
'Deceive' in English always implies a deceiver who means to trick. Hebrew šgg is about the act of straying itself: wandering, mistaking the path, staggering.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Leviticus 4–5 and Numbers 15:22–29 use šəḡāḡāh for unintentional sin. Psalm 119:67: 'before I was afflicted I went astray (šōḡēḡ)'. Job himself uses the twin root later: 'if indeed I have erred (šāḡîṯî), my error remains with me' (19:4; compare 6:24).
From the study of Psalm 119:67
- Range of meaning
To go astray, wander, err, commit a sin by mistake. Closely related to shagah ('to stray, reel, go wrong'), used of wandering sheep (Ezek 34:6) and of staggering drunk (Isa 28:7). The noun shegagah is the legal term for sin done in error or without full awareness, as opposed to sinning 'with a high hand' (Num 15:27–31).
- Against the English
'Went astray' (BSB, KJV, NIV, ESV, NASB) keeps the picture of drifting off the path. 'Erring' (YLT) leans toward mistake. No major English version brings out that the Hebrew participle describes an ongoing condition rather than a single slip.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Lev 5:18 and Num 15:28 use it for sin committed in error, which still needs atonement. Job 12:16 pairs 'the one who errs and the one who misleads.' Psalm 119 uses the related shagah in vv. 10, 21, 118 ('those who stray from your commandments'). The Septuagint translates it here as eplēmmelēsa, 'I offended / did wrong.'
Where it appears
Leviticus · 1
-
Leviticus 5:18 שָׁגָ֛ג he has gone astray
He is to bring to the priest an unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.
Numbers · 1
-
Numbers 15:28 הַשֹּׁגֶ֛גֶת who has gone astray
And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by sinning unintentionally; and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven.
Job · 1
-
Job 12:16 שֹׁגֵ֥ג [one who] goes astray
True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
Here: A participle, 'the one who strays' or 'the one who errs'. The root describes wandering off course or making a mistake without meaning to, the root behind Leviticus' 'unintentional sin'. It does not necessarily describe someone who has been lied to.
Psalms · 1
-
Psalm 119:67 שֹׁגֵ֑ג [was] going astray
Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now I keep Your word.
Here: A participle, so it describes an ongoing condition: 'I was someone straying.' It pictures drifting off course. The same root gives the Torah's legal term for sin committed in error or without full awareness (Lev 4–5; Num 15). It means wandering from the path more than open, defiant rebellion.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.