Original Word: ἁμαρτάνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hamartanó
Pronunciation: hah-mar-TAH-no
Phonetic Spelling: (ham-ar-tan'-o)
Definition: To sin, to miss the mark, to err
Meaning: originally: I miss the mark, hence (a) I make a mistake, (b) I sin, commit a sin (against God); sometimes the idea of sinning against a fellow-creature is present.

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek root ἁμαρτία (hamartia), meaning "sin" or "error."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - H2398 (חָטָא, chata): To sin, to miss, to go wrong.

- H6588 (פֶּשַׁע, pesha): Transgression, rebellion.

Usage: The verb ἁμαρτάνω primarily means "to sin" or "to miss the mark." In the New Testament, it is used to describe the act of violating God's law or falling short of His standards. The term conveys the idea of moral failure or transgression against divine law. It is often used in the context of personal sin, highlighting the human tendency to deviate from God's will.

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Greek culture, the concept of "missing the mark" was often associated with archery, where an archer would fail to hit the target. This imagery was adopted in the New Testament to describe the spiritual and moral failures of humanity. The Jewish understanding of sin, rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, emphasized the breach of covenantal relationship with God. In the Greco-Roman world, moral and ethical behavior was also a significant concern, but the New Testament uniquely frames sin as a relational breach with God, necessitating repentance and redemption through Christ.

Cognate: 264 hamartánō (from 1 /A "not" and 3313 /méros, "a part, share") – properly, having no share in; to sin, which always brings forfeiture – i.e. eternal loss due to missing God's mark. Like 266 /hamartía, 264 (hamartánō) is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target (Homer, Aesch., etc). Every decision (action) done apart from faith (4102 /pístis) is sin (Ro 14:23; cf. Heb 11:6). See 266 (hamartia).

Word Origin
from an early root hamart-
Definition
to miss the mark, do wrong, sin
NASB Translation
commit sin (1), committed...offense (1), committing (1), sin (11), sinned (17), sinning (4), sins (8).

STRONGS NT 264: ἁμαρτάνω

ἁμαρτάνω; future ἁμαρτήσω (Matthew 18:21; Romans 6:15; in the latter passage L T Tr WH give ἁμαρτήσωμεν for R G ἁμαρτήσομεν), in classical Greek ἁμαρτήσομαι; 1 aorist (later) ἡμάρτησα, Matthew 18:15; Romans 5:14, 16 (cf. Winers Grammar, 82 (79); Buttmann, 54 (47)); 2 aorist ἥμαρτον; perfect ἡμάρτηκα; (according to a conjecture of Alexander Buttmann (1873), Lexil. i., p. 137, from the alpha privative and μείρω, μείρομαι, μέρος, properly, to be without a share in, namely, the mark); properly, to miss the mark, (Homer, Iliad 8, 311, etc.; with the genitive of the thing missed, Homer, Iliad 10, 372; 4, 491; τοῦ σκοποῦ, Plato, Hipp. min., p. 375 a.; τῆς ὁδοῦ, Aristophanes Plutarch, 961, others); then to err, be mistaken; lastly to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong. ("Even the Sept., although the Hebrew חָטָא also means primarily to miss, endeavor to reserve ἁμαρτάνω exclusively for the idea of sin: and where the Hebrew signifies to miss one's aim in the literal sense, they avail themselves of expressive compounds, in particular ἐξαμαρτάνειν, Judges 20:16." Zezschwitz, Profangraec, u. Biblical Sprachgeist, p. 63f) In the N. T. to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin;

a. absolutely: Matthew 27:4; John 5:14; John 8:11; John 9:2; 1 John 1:10; 1 John 2:1; 1 John 3:6, 8; 1 John 5:18; Romans 2:12; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12, 14, 16; Romans 6:15; 1 Corinthians 7:28, 36; 1 Corinthians 15:34; Ephesians 4:26; 1 Timothy 5:20; Titus 3:11; Hebrews 3:17; Hebrews 10:26 (ἑκουσίως); (2 Peter 2:4); of the violation of civil laws, which Christians regard as also the transgression of divine law, 1 Peter 2:20.

b. ἁμαρτάνειν ἁμαρτίαν to commit (literally, sin) a sin, 1 John 5:16 (μεγάλην ἁμαρτίαν, Exodus 32:30f. Hebrew חֲטָאָה חָטָא; αἰσχρὰν ἁμαρτάνω Sophocles Phil. 1249; μεγάλα ἁμαρτήματα ἁμαρτάνειν, Plato, Phaedo, p. 113 e.); cf. ἀγαπάω, under the end ἁμαρτάνειν εἰς τινα (Buttmann, 173 (150); Winer's Grammar, 233 (219)): Matthew 18:15 (L T WH omit; Tr marginal reading brackets εἰς σε), Matthew 18:21; Luke 15:18, 21; Luke 17:3 Rec., 4; 1 Corinthians 8:12; τί εἰς Καίσαρα, Acts 25:8; εἰς τό ἴδιον σῶμα, 1 Corinthians 6:18 (εἰς αὑτούς τέ καί εἰς ἄλλους, Plato, rep. 3, p. 396 a.; εἰς τό θεῖον, Plato, Phaedr., p. 242 c.; εἰς Θεούς, Xenophon, Hell. 1, 7, 19, etc.; (cf. ἁμαρτάνω κυρίῳ Θεῷ, Baruch 1:13 Baruch 2:5)); Hebraistically, ἐνώπιον (לִפְּנֵי) τίνος (Buttmann, § 146, 1) in the presence of, before anyone, the one wronged by the sinful act being, as it were, present and looking on: Luke 15:18, 21 (1 Samuel 7:6; Tobit 3:3, etc.; (cf. ἔναντι κυρίου, Baruch 1:17)). (For references see ἁμαρτία. Compare: προαμαρτάνω).

offend, sin, trespass.

Perhaps from a (as a negative particle) and the base of meros; properly, to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), i.e. (figuratively) to err, especially (morally) to sin -- for your faults, offend, sin, trespass.

see GREEK a

see GREEK meros

αμαρτανε αμάρτανε ἁμάρτανε αμαρτανει αμαρτάνει ἁμαρτάνει αμαρτανειν αμαρτάνειν ἁμαρτάνειν αμαρτάνεις αμαρτανετε αμαρτάνετε ἁμαρτάνετε αμαρτανοντα αμαρτάνοντα ἁμαρτάνοντα αμαρτανοντας αμαρτάνοντας ἁμαρτάνοντας αμαρτανοντες αμαρτάνοντες ἁμαρτάνοντες αμαρτάνοντι αμαρτανοντων αμαρτανόντων ἁμαρτανόντων αμαρτάνουσα αμαρτάνουσι αμαρτανουσιν ἁμαρτάνουσιν αμαρτανων αμαρτάνων ἁμαρτάνων αμαρτείν αμαρτη αμάρτη ἁμάρτῃ αμαρτησαντας αμαρτήσαντας ἁμαρτήσαντας αμαρτησαντος αμαρτήσαντος ἁμαρτήσαντος αμαρτησαντων αμαρτησάντων ἁμαρτησάντων αμαρτησασιν αμαρτήσασιν ἁμαρτήσασιν αμαρτησάτω αμαρτησει αμαρτήσει ἁμαρτήσει αμαρτήσεσθε αμαρτήσεται αμαρτηση αμαρτήση αμάρτηση ἁμαρτήσῃ αμαρτήσομαι αμαρτήσομεν αμαρτήσονται αμαρτήσονταί αμαρτησωμεν ἁμαρτήσωμεν αμαρτητε αμάρτητε ἁμάρτητε αμαρτόντι αμαρτούσης αμάρτω αμαρτών αμάρτωσί ήμαρτε ημαρτεν ήμαρτεν ἥμαρτεν ημαρτες ήμαρτες ἥμαρτες ημάρτετε ημάρτηκα ημαρτηκαμεν ημαρτήκαμεν ἡμαρτήκαμεν ημάρτηκας ημαρτήκατε ημάρτηκε ημάρτηκεν ημαρτηκότας ημαρτηκώς ημαρτήσαμεν ημάρτομεν ημάρτομέν Ημαρτον ημαρτόν ήμαρτον ήμαρτόν Ἥμαρτον ημάρτοσαν amartane amartanei amartanein amartanete amartanon amartanōn amartanonta amartanontas amartanontes amartanonton amartanontōn amartanousin amarte amartē amartesantas amartēsantas amartesanton amartēsantōn amartesantos amartēsantos amartesasin amartēsasin amartese amartēsē amartesei amartēsei amartesomen amartēsōmen amartete amartēte emartekamen ēmartēkamen emarten ēmarten emartes ēmartes emarton Ēmarton hamartane hamártane hamartanei hamartánei hamartanein hamartánein hamartanete hamartánete hamartanon hamartanōn hamartánon hamartánōn hamartanonta hamartánonta hamartanontas hamartánontas hamartanontes hamartánontes hamartanonton hamartanontōn hamartanónton hamartanóntōn hamartanousin hamartánousin hamarte hamartē hamártei hamártēi hamartesantas hamartēsantas hamartḗsantas hamartesanton hamartesánton hamartēsantōn hamartēsántōn hamartesantos hamartēsantos hamartḗsantos hamartesasin hamartēsasin hamartḗsasin hamartese hamartēsē hamartesei hamartēsei hamartḗsei hamartḗsēi hamartesomen hamartēsōmen hamartḗsomen hamartḗsōmen hamartete hamartēte hamártete hamártēte hemartekamen hemartḗkamen hēmartēkamen hēmartḗkamen hemarten hēmarten hḗmarten hemartes hēmartes hḗmartes Hemarton Hēmarton HḗmartonInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts