Psalm 32/Notes/Lexical.v. 1.535708

It must be recognized that the terms belonging to the lexical domain of "sin" in Psalm 32 contain significant semantic overlap (see the accompanying Hebrew-to-Hebrew Venn diagram), though they may be found in other passages of the Bible. For example, regarding the two forms of the root √חטא found in our psalm (חֲטָאָה and חַטָּאת), TDOT notes that "it appears that the feminine form derived from the simple stem with the open ending, chaṭāʾāh, refers to the individual deed, whereas the feminine form based on the intensive with closed ending, chaṭṭāʾth, refers to the enduring sphere of conduct observed by Yahweh, which he will one day punish or which must be atoned for." Thus, in Exodus 32:30-32, just as in Psalm 32, we have the distinction between חֲטָאָה and חַטָּאת: "The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin (חֲטָאָ֣ה). But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin (חַטַּאתְכֶֽם).” 31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin (חֲטָאָ֣ה) these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin (חַטָּאתָ֑ם)" (NIV). This distinction does not seem to hold in Psalm 32, however, since חֲטָאָה is "covered" (כְּס֣וּי) in v. 1, whereas חַטָּאת is confessed and forgiven in v. 5. Thus, it is difficult to appreciate a significant semantic difference between the two forms. Indeed, the variants of the root √חטא in Psalm 32 seem to be the least descriptive (see the accompanying Hebrew-to-Hebrew Venn diagram). Further, for verbal parallels of the root √עוה (from which the nominal עָוֹן is derived) and √חטא, see Ps 106:6 חָטָ֥אנוּ עִם־אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ הֶעֱוִ֥ינוּ הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ׃.

On the other hand, though SDBH defines פֶּשַׁע as "action by which humans or groups defy an authority or a standard of behavior; by extension, can also refer to the punishment or guilt incurred from a transgression," generally speaking "pešaʿ, unlike either ʿāwōn or ḥaṭṭāʾṯ, refers only to the offense itself rather than simultaneously also to the sanction" (TDOT, פֶּשַׁע), though there are exceptions (see, e.g., Ps 39:9). Indeed, see the specific differentiation between פֶּשַׁע as the offense and עָוֹן as the punishment in 1 Samuel 25:24, 28: "On me alone, my lord, be the guilt (הֶֽעָוֺ֑ן) ... Please forgive the trespass (שָׂ֥א נָ֖א לְפֶ֣שַׁע) of your servant" (ESV). Thus, we have preferred guilt as the gloss for עָוֹן, offense for פֶּשַׁע and the generic sin for both חֲטָאָה and חַטָּאת.