◄ 5770. avan ►
Lexical Summary
avan: Iniquity, guilt, punishment, sin

Original Word: עָוַן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: `avan
Pronunciation: ah-vawn'
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-van')
KJV: eye
Word Origin: [denominative from H5869 (עַיִן - eyes)]

1. to watch (with jealosy)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
eye

Denominative from ayin; to watch (with jealosy) -- eye.

see HEBREW ayin

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[עִין] verb denominative eye (enviously), look (askance) at; —

Qal Participle (or

Pô`el מ omitted, see Dr), with accusative עוֺיֵן 1 Samuel 18:9 Qr (Kt עון).

Topical Lexicon
Concept and Scope

The word עָוַן (Strong’s 5770) belongs to the wider family of Hebrew terms that speak of moral deviation, especially עָוֹן (Strong’s 5771). While this particular form does not appear in the canonical text, it represents the same idea of “iniquity”—a crookedness of heart that produces guilt and carries its own punishment. Scripture traces iniquity from Adam’s fall to the final judgment, depicting it as both a personal and corporate reality that only God can remove.

Relation to Other Hebrew Terms for Sin

• חַטָּאת (chattat) focuses on missing the mark.
• פֶּשַׁע (pesha) emphasizes rebellion against authority.
• עָוֹן (avon) stresses the warped nature of sin and the burden of guilt it brings.

Together they reveal the depth of humanity’s need: we fail (sin), resist (transgression), and become bent out of shape (iniquity).

Guilt, Consequence, and Divine Justice

Iniquity is never portrayed as a neutral defect. It incurs real liability that God, in perfect justice, must address. “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:7). The very shape of biblical history—exile, loss, and restoration—unfolds around how Israel’s iniquities accumulate and how God deals with them.

Iniquity and Atonement in the Law

Leviticus sets the pattern: blood is required to bear away guilt (Leviticus 17:11). On the Day of Atonement the high priest “shall put both hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:21). The symbolism is unmistakable: iniquity can be transferred, covered, and removed only through a God-appointed substitute.

Historical Books: National Failure and Mercy

From Judges to Kings the narrative repeatedly links calamity to national iniquity. Yet confession and covenant-renewal bring reprieve. At the temple dedication Solomon prays, “Forgive Your people who have sinned against You—all the transgressions they have committed” (1 Kings 8:50). Divine willingness to pardon stands side by side with the certainty of chastening.

Wisdom Literature: Personal Experience of Iniquity

David voices both the crushing weight and blessed relief of forgiven iniquity: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1). The Psalms, Proverbs, and Job wrestle with why iniquity sometimes seems to prosper, yet affirm that God will eventually “bring injustice to light” (Job 34:22).

Prophets: Judgment and Promise

Prophetic indictments often climax in the triad “iniquity, transgression, and sin” (Isaiah 59:12). Still, the prophets hold out hope of a future cleansing: “In that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day” (Zechariah 3:9). The tension between deserved wrath and promised redemption drives anticipation toward the New Covenant.

The Suffering Servant and the Transfer of Iniquity

Isaiah 53 resolves the tension. “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). The Servant bears, carries, and makes intercession for iniquitous people, opening the way for full pardon. This text becomes foundational for apostolic preaching and Christian doctrine of substitutionary atonement.

Fulfillment in Christ

The New Testament repeatedly uses Isaiah’s language to explain the cross. Peter writes, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24), echoing the concept of transferred iniquity. The epistle to the Hebrews sees Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice as the reality toward which Levitical rituals pointed (Hebrews 9:26).

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

1. Diagnosis of sin must include the idea of twisted inner disposition, not merely wrongful acts.
2. Proclamation of the gospel must present Christ as the sin-bearer who alone can lift the weight of iniquity.
3. Discipleship involves ongoing confession and cleansing (1 John 1:9), acknowledging that residual iniquity can warp relationships and worship.
4. Corporate worship should retain elements of confession, echoing the pattern of Leviticus and the Psalms.
5. Hope in final redemption rests on God’s promise: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

Conclusion

Strong’s 5770 reminds the reader that even forms of a word unused in the biblical text contribute to a rich tapestry of revelation. The theme of iniquity threads through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, climaxing in the atoning work of Jesus Christ and culminating in the promise of a New Heaven and New Earth where iniquity will be no more.

Links
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