pesha · transgression

What it means

pesha (פֶּשַׁע) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “transgression”.

A serious wrong against someone: rebellion, transgression.

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. A wrong that betrays loyalty, to God or others.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Transgression: a wrong that breaks a relationship of loyalty, a rebellion against one who has authority. It comes from the verb פָּשַׁע, “rebel”. BDB: a revolt, national, moral or religious: rebellion, transgression.

• The wrong between persons: “What is my transgression?” Genesis 31:36Genesis 50:17
• YHWH forgives “iniquity and transgression and sin” Exodus 34:7Psalms 32:1
• Transgression confessed and blotted out Psalms 51:1Leviticus 16:21
• “Pierced for our transgressions” Isaiah 53:5
• “For three transgressions… and for four” Amos 1:3

How we translate it

“Transgressions” 47 times and “transgression” 45. This edition's glossary sets פֶּשַׁע = “transgression”, with “rebellion” when it is political; so it appears once (“no evil or rebellion in my hand”, 1 Samuel 24:11). It goes together with עָוֺן, “iniquity”, and חַטָּאת, “sin”, each with its own word so that they can be told apart (Exodus 34:7).

How it is translated

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

• transgressions ×47
• transgression ×45
• rebellion ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Exodus×3
• Leviticus×2
• Numbers×1
• Joshua×1
• 1 Samuel×2
• 1 Kings×1
• Job×10
• Psalms×14
• Proverbs×12
• Isaiah×11
• Jeremiah×1
• Lamentations×3
• Ezekiel×10
• Daniel×3
• Amos×10
• Micah×6

• Genesis 31:36

  Then Jacob became angry and quarreled with Laban. Jacob answered and said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me?

• Genesis 50:17

  ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the Elohim of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

• Exodus 22:9

  In every case of transgression, whether for an ox, for a donkey, for a lamb, for a garment, or for any lost thing of which someone says, ‘This is it,’ the case of the two of them shall come before Elohim; the one whom Elohim declares guilty shall repay double to his neighbor.

• Exodus 23:21

  Be careful before him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

• Exodus 34:7

  keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, calling to account the iniquity of fathers on sons and on sons’ sons, to the third and to the fourth generation.”

• Leviticus 16:16

  So he shall make expiation for the Holy Place because of the uncleanness of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleanness.

• Leviticus 16:21

  And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions, for all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready.

• Numbers 14:18

  ‘YHWH is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on children, on the third and on the fourth generation.’

• Joshua 24:19

  And Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve YHWH, for he is a holy Elohim; he is a jealous El; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

• 1 Samuel 24:11

  And, my father, see, yes, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you; but you are hunting my life to take it.

• 1 Samuel 25:28

  Please forgive the transgression of your servant; for YHWH will certainly make for my lord a firm house, because my lord is fighting the wars of YHWH, and evil shall not be found in you all your days.

• 1 Kings 8:50

  and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have transgressed against you; and grant them mercy before their captors, that they may have mercy on them;

• Job 7:21

  And why do you not pardon my transgression and let my iniquity pass away? For now in the dust I will lie down; and you will seek me, and I will be no more.”

• Job 8:4

  If your sons sinned against him, he delivered them into the hand of their transgression.

• Job 13:23

  How many iniquities and sins do I have? My transgression and my sin make known to me.

• Job 14:17

  Sealed up in a bag would be my transgression, and you would plaster over my iniquity.

• Job 31:33

  if I covered like Adam my transgressions by hiding in my bosom my iniquity,

• Job 33:9

  ‘Pure I am, without transgression; spotless I am, and there is no iniquity in me.

• Job 34:6

  Concerning my right, should I lie? Incurable is my arrow, without transgression.’

• Job 34:37

  For he adds to his sin transgression; among us he claps his hands, and multiplies his sayings against El.”

• Job 35:6

  If you sin, what do you do against him? And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to him?

• Job 36:9

  then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they have played the strong man.

• Psalms 5:10

  Declare them guilty, Elohim; let them fall by their designs. In the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

• Psalms 19:13

  Also from the insolent hold back your servant; let them not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.

• Psalms 25:7

  The sins of my youth and my transgressions do not remember; according to your loyal love, you remember me, for the sake of your goodness, YHWH.

• Psalms 32:1

  Of David. A maskil. Happy is he whose transgression is taken away, whose sin is covered.

• Psalms 32:5

  My sin I made known to you, and my iniquity I did not cover; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to YHWH,” and you took away the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

• Psalms 36:1

  For the director. Of the servant of YHWH, of David. A declaration of transgression to the wicked within my heart: there is no dread of Elohim before his eyes.

• Psalms 39:8

  From all my transgressions deliver me; do not make me the reproach of the fool.

• Psalms 51:1

  For the director. A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Show me favor, Elohim, according to your loyal love; according to the abundance of your mercies blot out my transgressions.

• Psalms 51:3

  For my transgressions I know, and my sin is before me always.

• Psalms 59:3

  For look, they lie in wait for my soul; the strong gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, YHWH.

• Psalms 65:3

  Matters of iniquities prevail over me; our transgressions, you make expiation for them.

• Psalms 89:32

  then I will call to account their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with blows.

• Psalms 103:12

  As far as the east is from the west, so far he has removed from us our transgressions.

• Psalms 107:17

  Fools, because of the way of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

• Proverbs 10:12

  Hatred stirs up quarrels, but all transgressions love covers.

• Proverbs 10:19

  In a multitude of words transgression is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is prudent.

• Proverbs 12:13

  In the transgression of the lips is the snare of the evil man, but the righteous comes out of distress.

• Proverbs 17:9

  Whoever covers a transgression seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.

And 53 more times.