hamartōlos · sinner

What it means

hamartōlos (ἁμαρτωλός) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “sinner”.

In the Pharisees' mouth, someone who did not keep the law.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Someone who disobeys God; also the name for people the religious looked down on.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Sinner: one who sins, who falls short of what God commands. In the Gospels it is also the label given to people regarded as unclean or who did not keep the law, together with the tax collectors. Of the same family are ἁμαρτάνω, ‘sin’, and ἁμαρτία, ‘sin’ (G266).

• “Tax collectors and sinners” Matthew 9:10Luke 15:2Matthew 11:19
• “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” Luke 5:321 Timothy 1:15
• Acknowledging oneself a sinner Luke 18:13Luke 5:8
• “A woman who was a sinner” Luke 7:37Luke 7:39
• “While we were still sinners” Romans 5:8James 4:8

Historical and cultural background

The Pharisees and the scribes grumbled about Jesus: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2), and he answered with the parables of the lost things (Luke 15).

How we translate it

“Sinners” 31 times and “sinner” 11; “sinful” 5 as an adjective (“I am a sinful man”, Luke 5:8; “sinful beyond measure”, Romans 7:13).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• sinners ×31
• sinner ×11
• sinful ×5

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×5
• Mark×6
• Luke×18
• John×4
• Romans×4
• Galatians×2
• 1 Timothy×2
• Hebrews×2
• James×2
• 1 Peter×1
• Jude×1

• Matthew 9:10

  And it happened, as he was reclining at table in the house, that look, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

• Matthew 9:11

  And seeing this, the Pharisees were saying to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners?”

• Matthew 9:13

  So go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

• Matthew 11:19

  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And wisdom was declared righteous by her works.”

• Matthew 26:45

  Then he comes to the disciples and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Look, the hour has come near, and the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners.

• Mark 2:15

  And it happens that he is reclining at table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they were following him.

• Mark 2:16

  And the scribes of the Pharisees, seeing that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, were saying to his disciples, “Why does he eat with the tax collectors and sinners?”

• Mark 2:17

  And hearing it, Jesus says to them, “Those who are well have no need of a doctor, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

• Mark 8:38

  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

• Mark 14:41

  And he comes the third time and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; look, the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners.

• Luke 5:8

  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.”

• Luke 5:30

  And the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

• Luke 5:32

  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to a change of mind.”

• Luke 6:32

  And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

• Luke 6:33

  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.

• Luke 6:34

  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners so that they may receive back the same amount.

• Luke 7:34

  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

• Luke 7:37

  And look, a woman who was a sinner in the town —and when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster flask of perfume,

• Luke 7:39

  But when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”

• Luke 13:2

  And he answered and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were sinners more than all the other Galileans because they have suffered these things?

• Luke 15:1

  Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near to him to hear him.

• Luke 15:2

  And both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

• Luke 15:7

  I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his mind than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of a change of mind.

• Luke 15:10

  In the same way, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who changes his mind.”

• Luke 18:13

  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

• Luke 19:7

  And when they saw it, all began grumbling, saying, “He has gone in to be the guest of a sinful man.”

• Luke 24:7

  saying that the Son of Man must be handed over into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

• John 9:16

  So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

• John 9:24

  So for a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.”

• John 9:25

  So he answered, “Whether he is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

• John 9:31

  We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, he listens to him.

• Romans 3:7

  But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?

• Romans 5:8

  But God shows his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us.

• Romans 5:19

  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous.

• Romans 7:13

  Then did what is good become death to me? By no means! But sin did, so that it might be shown to be sin, producing death in me through what is good, so that sin might become sinful beyond measure through the commandment.

• Galatians 2:15

  We are Jews by nature and not sinners from the nations,

• Galatians 2:17

  But if, while seeking to be declared righteous in the Messiah, we ourselves were also found to be sinners, is the Messiah then a servant of sin? By no means!

• 1 Timothy 1:9

  knowing this, that law is not laid down for a righteous person but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers and those who kill their mothers, for murderers,

• 1 Timothy 1:15

  The word is trustworthy and worthy of all acceptance: the Messiah Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first.

• Hebrews 7:26

  For such a high priest was indeed fitting for us: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

And 7 more times.