Greek word · Strong's G266

ἁμαρτία

hamartía · noun · “sin”

In a sentence

Hamartia is sin — literally “missing the mark.” It names both individual wrong acts and the deeper power and condition from which they spring.

Hamartia pictures an archer missing the target: failing to hit the mark of God’s will and character. But the New Testament uses it for more than mistakes — it speaks of sin as a ruling power that enslaves and a condition all humanity shares.

This is why the cure is not mere self-improvement. “All have sinned,” and “the wages of sin is death” — but God offers, as a free gift, forgiveness and freedom from sin through Christ, who “takes away the sin of the world.”

Strong's reference

Definition: a sin (properly abstract)

KJV usage: offence, sin(-ful)

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.