The concept of sin in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract

AbstractThis essay offers an introduction to the study of sin as a concept in the Hebrew Bible, first via an overview of past scholarship, then through a discussion of four salient issues in sin's definition based on the biblical texts. Previous approaches can be broadly classified by their emphasis on the terminology of sin in Biblical Hebrew, the theology of sin in the Hebrew Bible, or the history of sin as a concept in ancient Israel, with or without a narrower thematic focus. Since the Hebrew Bible is a composite text preserving a variety of views, a proper approach to the biblical notion of sin needs to account for these competing views. This variety in the biblical discourse on sin can be illustrated with respect to at least four issues: the basis of sin's definition; the nature of sin as an act, a state of guilt, or a propensity toward evil; the role of intentionality in sin; and the interplay between individual and corporate notions of sin. The multiplicity of views on these issues preserved in the Hebrew Bible reflects the conceptual diversity that existed in ancient Israel.