Hebrew word · H7684

שְׁגָגָה

shegagah

unintentionally

An error, straying or mistake. It means an act done without intent: through ignorance, oversight or accident. It comes from a root meaning 'to go astray'.

Appears 19 times in 18 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) sin, sin of error or inadvertence, inadvertent sin

1a) error

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 Joshua 20:3

Range of meaning

An error, straying or mistake. It means an act done without intent: through ignorance, oversight or accident. It comes from a root meaning 'to go astray'.

Against the English

'Unintentionally' (BSB, WEB), 'unawares' (KJV) and 'inadvertently' (YLT) are all fair. 'Accidentally' is a little narrower: shegagah can also cover an act done carelessly without seeing the consequence, as long as there was no hostile intent.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is the key word in the laws on sin offerings for unintentional sins (Lev 4:2, 22, 27; 5:15; Num 15:22–29). There it is set against sinning 'with a high hand', meaning defiantly (Num 15:30). Numbers 35:11, 15 uses it for the accidental killer, which is the passage Joshua 20 is applying.

From the study of Joshua 20:9

Range of meaning

An error, a mistake, an act done without intent or without knowing. It comes from a root meaning to stray or go astray. In the priestly laws it names sins committed unknowingly or by mistake (Lev 4:2, 22, 27; Num 15:24–29). These are set against sins done 'with a high hand' (Num 15:30), meaning in open defiance.

Against the English

'Unintentionally' (BSB, WEB, NASB), 'without intent' (ESV), 'accidentally' (NIV, NLT), 'at unawares' (KJV), 'inadvertently' (YLT). All are close. 'Accidentally' is a little narrower than the Hebrew. Šǝgāgāh can include a death caused by a misjudgement, not only a pure accident, such as the axe-head flying off in Deut 19:5.

Used elsewhere in the period

Leviticus 4–5; Numbers 15:22–31; Numbers 35:11, 15; Joshua 20:3; Ecclesiastes 5:6 and 10:5. Joshua 20:3 pairs it with 'without knowing' (bivli-daʿat), and v. 5 adds 'he did not hate him before'.

From the study of Leviticus 4:2

Range of meaning

An error, a mistake, going astray without meaning to. It comes from the root šgg/šgh, "to stray, wander, go wrong" (used of sheep wandering off, or a drunk man staggering, Isa 28:7). In law it covers two kinds of situation: (1) ignorance: not knowing the act was forbidden, or not knowing a fact (for example, that the meat was forbidden fat, or that the thing touched was holy); (2) accident or negligence: knowing the law but slipping, as when a man swings an axe and the head flies off and kills someone (Deut 19:5).

Against the English

KJV and YLT say "through ignorance." That covers only the first kind. Most modern versions say "unintentionally" (BSB, NASB, NIV), and JPS says "unwittingly." These are closer, but "unintentionally" can suggest the sin hardly matters. The Hebrew treats the act as a real offense that has to be remedied.

How it drifted

"Through ignorance" goes back to the Latin Vulgate's per ignorantiam, and the Greek Septuagint's akousiōs ("involuntarily") is close to it. The English "ignorance" narrowed a word that also covers accidents done by people who knew the law.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same word is used for accidental manslaughter in the city-of-refuge laws: "whoever kills a person bišgāgâ" (Num 35:11, 15; Josh 20:3, 9). Num 15:22–31 sets šəgāgâ against sin done "with a high hand," that is, openly and defiantly, for which no offering is available. Eccl 5:6 has someone pleading "it was a šəgāgâ" before a temple messenger. At Qumran, the Community Rule (1QS 8–9) punishes a member who sins bišgāgâ with a period of exclusion, but expels one who sins "with a high hand." The Mishnah (Keritot 1:1–2) restricts the purification offering to inadvertent breaches of prohibitions which, if done on purpose, would bring the penalty of being "cut off" (karet).

Where it appears

Leviticus · 6

  1. Leviticus 4:2 בִשְׁגָגָה֙ by inadvertence

    “Tell the Israelites to do as follows with one who sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commandments and does what is forbidden by them:

    Here: "In inadvertence": by going astray without meaning to. The person either did not know the act was forbidden or did not realise what they were doing. This one word sets the limits of the whole provision.

  2. Leviticus 4:22 בִּשְׁגָגָ֖ה by inadvertence

    When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the commandments of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt.

  3. Leviticus 4:27 בִשְׁגָגָ֖ה by inadvertence

    And if one of the common people sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the LORD’s commandments, he incurs guilt.

  4. Leviticus 5:15 בִּשְׁגָגָ֔ה by inadvertence

    “If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.

    Here: "By error, unintentionally." The person did not know, or did not realise, that what they used or ate was holy. This marks the offence as not deliberate, which is why a sacrifice can deal with it at all.

  5. Leviticus 5:18 שִׁגְגָת֧וֹ inadvertence his

    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.

  6. Leviticus 22:14 בִּשְׁגָגָ֑ה by inadvertence

    If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest.

Numbers · 9

  1. Numbers 15:24 לִשְׁגָגָה֒ to inadvertence

    and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, then the whole congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.

  2. Numbers 15:25 שְׁגָגָ֣ה שִׁגְגָתָֽם׃ [was] inadvertence, inadvertence their

    The priest is to make atonement for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to the LORD a food offering and a sin offering, presented before the LORD for their unintentional sin.

  3. Numbers 15:26 בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃ ס by inadvertence

    Then the whole congregation of Israel and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.

  4. Numbers 15:27 בִשְׁגָגָ֑ה by inadvertence

    Also, if one person sins unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering.

  5. Numbers 15:28 בִשְׁגָגָ֖ה by inadvertence

    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.

  6. Numbers 15:29 בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃ by inadvertence

    You shall have the same law for the one who acts in error, whether he is a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.

  7. Numbers 35:11 בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃ by inadvertence

    designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

  8. Numbers 35:15 בִּשְׁגָגָֽה׃ by inadvertence

    These six cities will serve as a refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there.

Joshua · 2

  1. Joshua 20:3 בִּשְׁגָגָ֖ה by inadvertence

    so that anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

    Here: 'In error, inadvertently'. This is the same word Leviticus and Numbers use for 'unintentional sins' (Lev 4; Num 15). The act was real and had real consequences, but it did not come from intent.

  2. Joshua 20:9 בִּשְׁגָגָ֑ה by inadvertence

    These are the cities appointed for all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

    Here: 'By inadvertence.' The death came through a mistake or accident, without intent or prior hatred (v. 5: 'without knowing… he did not hate him before'). It is the same word used for unintentional sins in the sacrificial laws.

Ecclesiastes · 2

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:6 שְׁגָגָ֖ה [was] inadvertence

    Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?

  2. Ecclesiastes 10:5 כִּשְׁגָגָ֕ה like an inadvertence

    There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:

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