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ἁμαρτωλός

hamartōlós

G268 substantive adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

Primarily, one who falls short of a moral standard or violates accepted laws or customs; one who acts in opposition to divine or human precepts. The term refers both to individual acts and to a general state of being characterized by error, failing, or moral deficiency. In various contexts, ἁμαρτωλός is used for those who are seen by others (or themselves) as living outside the prescribed norms of the Torah or communal expectations, and thus marginalized socially or religiously. The semantic range includes both a person habitually engaging in wrongdoing and one marked by a disposition towards error or transgression.

Semantic Range

erring, failing to meet a standard, transgressing a command, being in a state of error, one who lives in moral or ritual failing, a person considered outside the community's norms or laws; 'sinner' in later Christian usage

Root / Etymology

From the verbal root ἁμαρτ- (ἁμαρτάνω), meaning 'to miss the mark,' 'to err,' or 'to transgress.' The adjectival suffix -ός denotes a person characterized by the action, thus 'one who errs, a transgressor.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἁμαρτωλός is rare as a substantive and typically functions as an adjective ('erring,' 'guilty,' or 'faulty'). In Koine Greek, especially within the Septuagint and New Testament, it increasingly takes on substantive force ('a sinner'; i.e., one subject to divine or communal reproach). In the context of Second Temple and New Testament Judean society, the term was often used by insiders to distinguish those considered religiously observant from those perceived as failing in Torah observance or moral respectability. As such, it could refer to persons socially excluded from covenantal privileges, not simply to someone objectively guilty of legal breach. Later Christian translations typically rendered it 'sinner,' potentially narrowing or moralizing the broader Greek sense of 'erring one' or 'transgressor.' Contrast with other Greek terms for wrongdoers (e.g., ἄδικος, 'unjust'; κακοποιός, 'evildoer').

Translation Consistency

primary "sinner" 39 occurrences

ἁμαρτωλός is primarily a substantive/adjective denoting a person characterized by wrongdoing. "Sinner" is the most natural, widely used English equivalent for naming such persons (and easily inflected to plural), and it captures the typical New Testament usage better than less natural choices like "erring" or the adjectival "sinful."

Alternatives (8 occurrences):
"erring ones" (5x) "sinful" (1x) "erring" (1x) "transgressor" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἁμαρτάνω; sinful, i.e. a sinner:--sinful, sinner.

Root Family

ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos) — to miss the mark, to err, to transgress

Root ἁμαρτ- to miss the mark, to err, to transgress

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G268-04 ἁμαρτωλῶν amartolon ADJ.S GEN M PL sinners of transgressors of sinners 14
G268-02 ἁμαρτωλοὶ amartoloi ADJ.S NOM M PL sinners erring ones sinners 12
G268-05 ἁμαρτωλός amartolos ADJ.A NOM M SG sinner erring man a sinner 9
G268-01 ἁμαρτωλῷ amartolo ADJ.R DAT F SG sinner to an erring one to a sinner 5
G268-06 ἁμαρτωλούς amartolous ADJ.S ACC M PL sinners erring ones erring ones 5
G268-03 ἁμαρτωλοῖς amartolois ADJ.S DAT M PL sinners to transgressors to sinners 2

Occurrences in Scripture

47 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G268-02 Matthew 9:10 ἁμαρτωλοὶ amartoloi ADJ.S NOM M PL sinners erring ones sinners
G268-04 Matthew 9:11 ἁμαρτωλῶν amartolon ADJ.S GEN M PL sinners of transgressors of sinners
G268-06 Matthew 9:13 ἁμαρτωλούς amartolous ADJ.S ACC M PL sinners erring ones erring ones
G268-04 Matthew 11:19 ἁμαρτωλῶν amartolon ADJ.S GEN M PL sinners of transgressors of sinners
G268-04 Matthew 26:45 ἁμαρτωλῶν amartolon ADJ.S GEN M PL of sinners of transgressors of sinners
G268-02 Mark 2:15 ἁμαρτωλοὶ amartoloi ADJ.S NOM M PL sinners erring ones sinners
G268-04 Mark 2:16 ἁμαρτωλῶν amartolon ADJ.S GEN M PL sinners of transgressors sinners
G268-04 Mark 2:16 ἁμαρτωλῶν amartolon-2 ADJ.S GEN M PL sinners of transgressors sinners
G268-06 Mark 2:17 ἁμαρτωλούς amartolous ADJ.S ACC M PL sinners erring ones erring ones
G268-01 Mark 8:38 ἁμαρτωλῷ amartolo ADJ.R DAT F SG sinful to an erring one sinful
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