Sin #7
ἁμαρτία(hamartia)GreeknounStrong's G266
Sin (hamartia) — the Greek word for missing the mark, the New Testament's primary term for moral failure and rebellion against God, both as individual acts and as a condition inherited from Adam.
Hamartia’s root sense, familiar from Greek archery and athletics, is “missing the mark” — failing to hit a target one was aiming at. The New Testament broadens the image into a comprehensive word for moral failure: falling short of the standard God set, whether through a specific wrong act or a settled condition of rebellion against him.
Biblical Usage
Paul’s summary in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” uses hamartia to describe a universal human condition rather than the failings of a few, and Romans 6:23 pairs the word with its consequence: “the wages of sin is death.” John’s first letter treats sin as an ongoing reality even for believers, urging honest confession rather than denial: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8-9).
Theological Significance
The New Testament consistently traces universal human sinfulness back to Adam’s disobedience (Romans 5:12), making hamartia not just a list of bad deeds but an inherited condition that the entire biblical storyline — law, sacrifice, prophecy, and ultimately the cross — is aimed at addressing.
Key References
- Romans 3:23
- Romans 6:23
- 1 John 1:8-9