The meaning of Fault in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
folt (chaTa'; aitia, memphomai): Implies defect, of less moral weight than crime or sin. It is the translation of chaTa', "error," "failure," "sin" (Exodus 5:16); of cheT', same meaning (Genesis 41:9, "I do remember my faults this day"); of 'awon, "perversity," "iniquity" (II Samuel 3:8; Psalms 59:4); of rish'ah, "wrongness," "wickedness" (Deuteronomy 25:2, the Revised Version (British and American) "wickedness"); of shechath (Aramaic) "corruption" (Daniel 6:4 twice); me'umah, "anything" (I Samuel 29:3, "no fault in him," literally, "not anything"); of aitia, "cause," "case," "guilt," (John 18:38; John 19:4, John 19:6; Pilate of Jesus, "I find no fault in him," the Revised Version (British and American) "no crime"; the same word is rendered "accusation," i.e. 'legal cause for prosecution,' Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; compare Acts 25:18, Acts 25:27); of aition, same meaning (Luke 23:4, Luke 23:14; Luke 23:22, aition thanatou "cause of death"); of hettema, "a worse condition," "defect" (I Corinthians 6:7, the Revised Version (British and American) "a defect," margin "a loss to you"); of paraptoma, "a falling aside" (Galatians 6:1, "If a man be overtaken in fault," the Revised Version (British and American) "in any trespass," margin "by"; James 5:16, "Confess your faults one to another," the Revised Version (British and American) "Confess therefore your sins one to another"); hamartano, "to miss," "err," "sin," is translated "your faults" (I Peter 2:20 the Revised Version (British and American), "when ye sin"); memphomai, "to blame," is translated "to find fault" (Mark 7:2 omitted the Revised Version (British and American); Romans 9:19; Hebrews 8:8); elegcho, "to convict," "to tell one's fault" (Matthew 18:15, the Revised Version (British and American) "show him his fault"); amomos, "without blemish," "spotless," is translated "without fault" (Revelation 14:5, the Revised Version (British and American) "without blemish," "faultless"; Judges 1:24, "able to present you faultless," the Revised Version (British and American) "without blemish"); amemptos, "blameless," "without reproach" (Hebrews 8:7, "for if that first covenant had been faultless"). "Faulty" is the translation of 'ashem, "guilty" (II Samuel 14:13, "as one which is faulty," the Revised Version (British and American) "guilty"); of 'asham, "to be or become guilty" (Hosea 10:2, Revised Version "guilty").
W. L. Walker
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