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Isaiah 43:27 — Word Study

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WLCאָבִ֥יךָ הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן חָטָ֑א וּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָ פָּ֥שְׁעוּ בִֽי׃

BSAYour firstriʼshôwn [very first, primary] fatherʼâb [first ancestor, paternal figure] sinnedchâṭâʼ [missed the mark, went wrong] and your spokesmenlûwts [teachers, leaders, interpreters] rebelledpâshaʻ [transgressed, broke away]

Word
Listen & take awayIsaiah 43
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 27 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Vi) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Isaiah 43:27quick helps
In a sentenceThe verse states that both the first father and the spokesmen of the people have sinned and rebelled against God.
Who is speakingThe Lord, addressing the people of Israel.
Where we areIn a passage where God is reminding Israel of their history of sin and rebellion.
The hard wordחָטָא
Take awayBoth leaders and the people have failed in their duties.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbחָטָא The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Isaiah 43:27

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — God's Charge Against Israelgenerated

25I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
26Remind Me, let us argue the matter together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated.
27Your first father sinned, and your spokesmen rebelled against Me.
28So I will disgrace the princes of your sanctuary, and I will devote Jacob to destruction and Israel to reproach.”

Isaiah 43:27 is part of a larger passage where God addresses Israel, reminding them of their failures. He points out that their first father sinned and their spokesmen rebelled against Him. This serves as a reminder of the consequences of their actions and the need for repentance, as seen in the surrounding verses, particularly Isaiah 43:25 and Isaiah 43:28.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Numbers 32:14Now behold, you, a brood of sinners, have risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke the burning anger of the LORD against Israel.
2Psalm 78:8Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
3Psalm 106:6–7We have sinned like our fathers; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
4Jeremiah 3:25Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”
5Ezekiel 16:3and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.

The Key Word אָבִ֥יךָ, 'a.Vi.khagenerated

The word אָב (av) means 'father' and can refer to a literal father, a paternal figure, or an ancestor. It emphasizes a relationship of authority and care, and in this context, it refers to the first ancestor of Israel who set a precedent for sin.

This word is in the construct state, indicating a possessive relationship with the suffix meaning 'your'. The parsing as a noun common masculine singular construct shows it is a foundational term in understanding familial and spiritual relationships.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations agree on the rendering of אָבִ֥יךָ as 'your first father' and maintain the meaning of sin and rebellion throughout the verse.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verbs חָטָא (he sinned) and פָּשְׁעוּ (they transgressed) govern the sentence, indicating the actions taken by both the father and the spokesmen. The structure highlights the relationship between the subjects and their actions.

The sentence is built around the subjects 'your first father' and 'your spokesmen,' with their respective actions clearly laid out, emphasizing the failure of both parties.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates אָבִ֥יךָ as ὑμῶν (humōn), meaning 'your.' This choice reflects a direct address to the people, maintaining the possessive aspect of the Hebrew.

The Greek translation uses ἠνόμησαν for פָּשְׁעוּ, which indicates a strong sense of rebellion, aligning with the Hebrew meaning but potentially expanding on the implications of the actions described.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Isaiah 43:27 tells us that both the first father of Israel and their spokesmen have sinned and rebelled against God. This verse highlights the historical failures of leadership and the consequences of turning away from God's commands.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that 'your first father sinned'?

This refers to the ancestral figure who represents the beginning of Israel's sinful history, setting a precedent for future generations.

Who are the 'spokesmen' mentioned in the verse?

The spokesmen refer to the leaders and teachers of the people who were responsible for guiding them but instead led them into rebellion.

What is the significance of the rebellion against God?

Rebellion signifies a conscious choice to turn away from God's laws, leading to consequences for the people and their relationship with Him.

How does this verse relate to the surrounding context?

It serves as a reminder of Israel's historical failures and God's ongoing call for repentance and restoration.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I reflect on the failures of my own ancestors and leaders in my life?
  2. How can I ensure that I do not repeat the mistakes of those who have gone before me?
  3. What steps can I take to be a faithful spokesman for truth in my community?
  4. How does understanding the history of rebellion against God shape my relationship with Him today?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Theodoret of Cyrus comments on this verse, arguing that the misfortunes faced by the people are due to the actions of their ancestors and priests.

Theodoret of CyrusCOMMENTARY ON Isaiah 13:43.27 c. 393–460
[The Lord] has proclaimed these words in addressing those who were in Babylon. It is not I, he says, who am the cause of these misfortunes, but your ancestors, and your priests, who have transgressed my laws.
Early Church Fathers on Isaiah 43 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Isaiah 43:27 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Thy first father hath sinned,.... Either Adam, as Kimchi, in whom all have sinned, and from whom all derive a sinful and corrupt nature; or Abraham, as Jarchi, the father of the Jewish nation, of

Read John Gill on Isaiah 43 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me. Thy first father - collectively for 'thy most ancient ancestors' as the parallelism ("teachers") proves (Maurer).

Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 43 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Thy first father; either, 1. Adam, from whom the guilt and filth of sin is propagated to thee; or rather, 2. Abraham, who might well be called the first father of the Israelites, because they all descended from him, had all their right and title to God’ s ordinances and promises, and other special privileges, from God’ s covenant made with Abraham and with his seed, and who is oft emphatically called their father, as , &c; and the Jews gloried in and trusted to that relation which they had to Abraham, as we read, , and elsewhere. And this agrees well with the foregoing context. For having sufficiently intimated that they had no merits of their own, he now addeth, that even their father…

Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 43 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Isaiah 43:27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.Ver. 27. Thy first father.] Adam, or Abraham, say some. And thy teachers.] Heb., Thine interpreters, orators, ambassadors - that is, thy priests and prophets.

Read John Trapp on Isaiah 43 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(27) Thy first father hath sinned . . .—The words have been interpreted: (1) of Adam; (2) of Abraham; (3) of Jacob; (4) of the ancestors of Israel collectively; (5) of this or that high priest individually. (3) fits in best. (See Isaiah 43:28.) Thy teachers.—Literally, thy interpreters (Job 33:23), or thy mediators. The term is used in 2 Chronicles 32:31 of the “ambassadors “of the king of Babylon, and stands here for the priests and the prophets, who ought officially to have been the expounders of the Divine will.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Isaiah 43 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 27. Thy first father hath sinned] On this Kimchi speaks well: "How can ye say that ye have not sinned, seeing your first father, Adam, sinned; and man hath sin impressed on him through natural generation?"

Read AdamClarke on Isaiah 43 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

27. Thy first father] Undoubtedly Jacob, the eponymous hero of the nation, is meant (cf. Hosea 12:3 f.), not Abraham (who is never spoken of in the later literature as sinful), nor the earliest ancestors collectively; still less Adam. thy teachers] Lit. as R.V. thine interpreters (Genesis 42:23), and hence “mediators” (as Job 33:23; 2 Chronicles 32:31); used of the prophets only here. On the idea, see Jeremiah 23:11 ff. If the representative ancestor and the spiritual leaders of Israel were such, what must the mass of the nation have been!

Read Cambridge on Isaiah 43 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thy first father hath sinned - This is the argument on the side of God, to show that they were neither unjustly punished, nor punished with undue severity.

Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 43 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Your first father sinned, and your spokesmen rebelled against Me.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Your first father sinned, and your teachers have transgressed against me.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Your first father sinned, and your spokesmen rebelled against Me.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The father of your nation sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Thy first father sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Thy first father sinned, and thine interpreters have transgressed against me.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers haue transgressed against me.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy mediators have rebelled against me.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Thy first father sinned, And thine interpreters transgressed against me,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Your first father sinned, || And your interpreters transgressed against Me,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Thy first father did sin, and they that plead for thee transgressed against me.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Your first father sinned, and your leaders have transgressed against me.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Thy brat father sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Your very first father sinned, and your leaders rebelled against me.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Your first father was a sinner, and your guides have gone against my word.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clausenoun phrase · subjectnoun phraseאָבִ֥יancestorךָyouradjective phraseהָ(the)רִאשׁ֖וֹןfirstverbחָטָ֑אhe.sinnedוּandclausenoun phrase · subjectמְלִיצֶ֖יspokesmenךָyourverbפָּ֥שְׁעוּthey.transgressedprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִֽagainstיme

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text states: אָבִ֥יךָ הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן חָטָ֑א וּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָ פָּ֥שְׁעוּ בִֽי׃. The Septuagint matches five of the six words closely, maintaining the core message of the original text.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, specifically 1Qisaa, also align closely with the Masoretic Text, showing consistency in the wording and meaning, while 1Q8 has some restored words, indicating minor textual variations.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

אָבִ֥יךָ הָרִאשׁ֖וֹן חָטָ֑א וּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָ פָּ֥שְׁעוּ בִֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
אָבִ֥יךָὑμῶνהָרִאשׁ֖וֹןπρῶτοιוּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָαὐτῶνפָּ֥שְׁעוּἠνόμησανבִֽי׃ἐμέ

5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Qisaaa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

אבי׳כה הרישון חטא ומליצי׳כה פשעו ב׳יא

6 words on the leather.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Q8a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[אבי׳ך] [הראשון] חטא ומליצי׳ך פשעו ב׳י

3 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 2 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Isaiah 43:27אָבancestor yoancestor yourאָברִאשׁוֹןfirstfirstרִאשׁוֹןחָטָאhe sinnedhe sinnedחָטָאלִיץand spokesmand spokesmen yלִיץפָּשַׁעthey transgthey transgressפָּשַׁענִיagainst meagainst meנִירִאשָׁהbeginningbeginningרִאשָׁהפָּשַׂעto stepto stepפָּשַׂעקָבַרto buryto buryקָבַראֵםmothermotherאֵםאַחֲרוֹןlastlastאַחֲרוֹןלוּחַtablettabletלוּחַנְבָטNebatNebatנְבָטסָלַחto forgiveto forgiveסָלַחפֶּ֫תִיsimplesimpleפֶּ֫תִיזֵדarrogantarrogantזֵדלִבְנָהLibnahLibnahלִבְנָהאֱדוֹםEdomEdomאֱדוֹם
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Isaiah 43:27

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

ancestor your first he sinned and spokesmen your they transgressed against me
אָבִ֥יךָ'a.Vi.kha ancestor your H1 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
1,213× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In Hebrew, this word means father, whether literal or figurative. It is used to describe God as the father of his people, as well as human fathers like Abraham. The word is about a paternal relationship or authority.
Amplified meaning
first ancestor, paternal figure
Tyndale gloss
father
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָב (av) means 'father' and encompasses various roles such as the literal father of an individual, God as the father of His people, and the head of a household or clan. It can also refer to an ancestor, originator of a profession, or a figure of respect and protection. Notably, it can imply a ruler or chief in later contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָב 1101 n.m. father

father of individual

of God as father of his people

head of household, family or clan

ancestor

originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

fig. of producer, generator

fig. of benevolence & protection

term of respect & honor

specif., ruler, chief (late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1 אָב father . father of individual

. of God as father of his people

. head of household, family or clan

. ancestor

. originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

. fig. of producer, generator

. fig. of benevolence & protection

. term of respect & honor

. specif., ruler, chief (late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1 'ab awb

a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or

figurative and remote application):--chief,

(fore-)father(-less), X patrimony, principal. Compare names

in "Abi-".

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָב (av) — father.

1) father of an individual

2) of God as father of his people

3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan

4) ancestor

4a) grandfather, forefathers - of person

4b) of people

5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

6) of producer, generator (fig.)

7) of benevolence and protection (fig.)

8) term of respect and honour

9) ruler or chief (spec.)

Also means: av (אַב "father" H0002)

אָב (av) — (Huram)-abi.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.7.13; also called Huram-abi (KJV: "Huram my father's") at 2Ch.2.13; 4.16;

Combined with chi.ram (חִירָם "Hiram" H2438H)

אָב (av) — father of.

The father of Gibeon, also known as Abiel - a man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.9.1;

son of: Zeror (H6872C); married to Maacah (H4601N);

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp2ms
ancestor your first he sinned and spokesmen your they transgressed against me
הָרִאשׁ֖וֹןha.ri.Shon first H7223 Particle
182× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means 'first' or 'primary', referring to something that comes before others in time, place, or rank. It is used to describe the first or most important thing in a series or list.
Amplified meaning
very first, primary
Tyndale gloss
first
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word רִאשׁוֹן (*ri'shown*) means 'first' and can refer to something that is primary, former, or chief. It encompasses meanings related to time, rank, and location, indicating ancestors or previous things. The entries consistently emphasize its use as an adjective and adverb, with no significant disagreement noted among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רִאשׁוֹן 182 adj. former, first, chief

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7223 רִאשׁוֹן former, first, chief

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7223 ri'shown ree-shone'

or riishon {ree-shone'}; from 7221; first, in place, time or

rank (as adjective or noun):--ancestor, (that were)

before(-time), beginning, eldest, first, fore(-father)

(-most), former (thing), of old time, past.

see HEBREW for 07221

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רִאשׁוֹן (ri.shon) — first.

: first

adj

1) first, primary, former

1a) former (of time)

1a1) ancestors

1a2) former things

1b) foremost (of location)

1c) first (in time)

1d) first, chief (in degree)

adv

2) first, before, formerly, at first

רִאשׁוֹן (ri.shon) — first: previous.

: previous

adj

1) first, primary, former

1a) former (of time)

1a1) ancestors

1a2) former things

1b) foremost (of location)

1c) first (in time)

1d) first, chief (in degree)

adv

2) first, before, formerly, at first

רִאשׁוֹן (ri.shon) — first: chief.

: chief

adj

1) first, primary, former

1a) former (of time)

1a1) ancestors

1a2) former things

1b) foremost (of location)

1c) first (in time)

1d) first, chief (in degree)

adv

2) first, before, formerly, at first

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | Adj — Particle
HTd/Aomsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

furst ('echadh, ri'shon; proton, to proton, protos):

Of these words, which are those most frequently used for "first," ri'shon is from rosh, "the head, and is used for the highest, chief, etc.; also of time, the beginning, e.g. Ge 8:13, in the first month"; in Isa 44:6; 48:12, it is used of Yahweh as Eternal and solely Supreme--the First and the Last (compare Isa 41:4). Special usages are in connection with "firstborn," "first- fruit," etc.; proton is used of that which is first in order; but also of that which is first or chief in importance, etc. (Mt 6:33; Jas 3:17). In

ancestor your first he sinned and spokesmen your they transgressed against me
חָטָ֑אcha.Ta' he sinned H2398 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
238× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To sin means to miss the mark or go wrong, incurring guilt or penalty, and can also mean to repent or make amends. It is used in the Bible to describe wrongdoing and its consequences.
Amplified meaning
missed the mark, went wrong
Tyndale gloss
to sin
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חָטָא (chata') means to miss a goal or way, and is commonly translated as 'to sin.' It encompasses a range of meanings including incurring guilt, making a sin offering, and purifying from uncleanness. The word can also imply leading others to sin or causing oneself to lose one's way. It appears in various forms, such as Qal, Piel, Hiphil, and Hithpael, indicating different nuances of the concept of sin.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חָטָא 238 vb. miss (a goal or way), go wrong, sin

Qal

miss

sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty

incur guilt, penalty by sin, forfeit

Pi.

bear loss

make a sin offering

purify from sin

purify from uncleanness

Hiph.

miss the mark

induce or cause to sin

bring into guilt, condemnation, punishment

Hithp.

miss oneself, lose oneself, fig. for be bewildered, beside oneself

purify oneself from uncleanness

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2398 חָטָא miss (a goal or way), go wrong, sin .. miss

. sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty

. incur guilt, penalty by sin, forfeit

. . bear loss

. make a sin offering

. purify from sin

. purify from uncleanness

. . miss the mark

. induce or cause to sin

. bring into guilt, condemnation, punishment

. . miss oneself, lose oneself, fig. for be bewildered, beside oneself

. purify oneself from uncleanness

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2398 chata' khaw-taw'

a primitive root; properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and

generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate,

repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn:--bear the blame,

cleanse, commit (sin), by fault, harm he hath done, loss,

miss, (make) offend(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self),

make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin(-ful, -ness), trespass.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חָטָא (cha.ta) — to sin.

1) to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to miss

1a2) to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty

1a3) to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to bear loss

1b2) to make a sin-offering

1b3) to purify from sin

1b4) to purify from uncleanness

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to miss the mark

1c2) to induce to sin, cause to sin

1c3) to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment

1d) (Hithpael)

1d1) to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way

1d2) to purify oneself from uncleanness

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
ancestor your first he sinned and spokesmen your they transgressed against me
וּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָu.me.li.Tzei.kha and spokesmen your H3887 Conjunction · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine plural common · suffix
28× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to mock or scorn someone, often by making fun of them or talking down to them. It can also refer to interpreting languages or acting as an ambassador. In some cases, it describes a person who is arrogant or boastful.
Amplified meaning
teachers, leaders, interpreters
Tyndale gloss
to mock
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לִיץ (luwts) means to scorn or mock, with various forms indicating actions like deriding or acting as a scorner. It can also refer to interpreting language or serving as an ambassador. The entries highlight its use in different contexts, including boasting and showing arrogance.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[לִיץ] vb. scorn

Qal scorn

Hiph.

deride

Pt. interpreter

Po‛lel scorners

Hithp. act as a scorner, shew oneself a mocker

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3887 [לִיץ] scorn .scorn

. . deride

. Pt. interpreter

.scorners

. act as a scorner, shew oneself a mocker

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3887 luwts loots

a primitive root; properly, to make mouths at, i.e. to scoff;

hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to

interpret, or (generally) intercede:--ambassador, have in

derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn(-er, -ful),

teacher.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לִיץ (luts) — to mock.

1) to scorn, make mouths at, talk arrogantly

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to boast

1a2) to scorn

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to mock, deride

1b2) to interpret (language)

1b2a) interpreter (participle)

1b2b) ambassador (fig.)

1c) (Hithpalpel) to be inflated, scoff, act as a scorner, show oneself a mocker

Also means: la.tsats (לָצַץ "to scorn" H3945)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Hiphil | Suff — Conjunction · verb hiphil participle (active) masculine plural common · suffix
HC/Vhrmpc/Sp2ms
ancestor your first he sinned and spokesmen your they transgressed against me
פָּ֥שְׁעוּPa.she.'u they transgressed H6586 Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
41× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To transgress means to break away from authority, like rebelling or revolting against God or others, as seen in Psalm 51:1. It involves intentional disobedience. This concept is key in understanding sin and guilt.
Amplified meaning
transgressed, broke away
Tyndale gloss
to transgress
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פָּשַׁע (pasha`) means to rebel or transgress, indicating a break from authority. It encompasses actions like revolt and apostasy, and can also refer to being offended in a relational context. The term appears in various forms, including Qal and Niphal, suggesting both active rebellion and passive offense.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פָּשַׁע vb. rebel, transgress

Qal

rebel, revolt, of nations

transgress against

Niph. a brother (who has been) offended

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6586 פָּשַׁע rebel, transgress

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6586 pasha` paw-shah'

a primitive root (identical with 6585 through the idea of

expansion); to break away (from just authority), i.e.

trespass, apostatize, quarrel:--offend, rebel, revolt,

transgress(-ion, -or).

see HEBREW for 06585

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פָּשַׁע (pa.sah) — to transgress.

1) to rebel, transgress, revolt

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to rebel, revolt

1a2) to transgress

1b) (Niphal) to be rebelled against

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
HVqp3cp
ancestor your first he sinned and spokesmen your they transgressed against me
בִֽי׃Vi against me H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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