A play on words: Hamartia

 

I very recently came across the word “hamartia”. Perhaps you've seen it before, but it was new to me. It’s a noun in English but its origin is a Greek verb – “hamartanein”.

This is our English definition of “hamartia”:

a fatal flaw, error in judgment, or misstep that causes a hero or protagonist to suffer a major downfall

And this is the Greek meaning of the verb from which it’s derived:

To miss the mark

Picture an archer; he positions his body in line with his target, now poised to release the arrow, he controls his breath, aims at the target, draws the bowstring and releases the arrow. The arrow sails through the air but completely misses the target.

What went wrong?

The archer’s precision may have been off, or perhaps he wasn’t properly aligned with his intended target, or maybe his issue was an inconsistent anchor point. Whatever the problem, he missed the mark, the arrow deviated from its prescribed path.

Like the archer’s arrow, Adam deviated from his prescribed path when he indulged in eating the fruit that God had specifically warned him not to eat.

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” – Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)

Adam strayed off the right path, he missed the mark and his disobedience to God was the entry point for sin.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. – Romans 5:12 (NLT)

The writers of the New Testament primarily used the word “hamartia” which was translated to English as “sin”.

As mentioned before, “hamartia” literally means to miss the mark; it’s deviating from God's purpose.

In John 15:22, it implies a moral and spiritual condition of separation from God.

They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. (NLT)

Much broader than what our English word "sin" implies, “hamartia”, both in English and in Greek, applies not only to behaviour, but aptly describes our human affliction.

According to Isaiah 59:2, sin results in separation from God and Jesus Himself warned unbelievers saying,

“I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.” – John 8:21(NLT)

Beloved, Jesus came to bridge that gap of separation. He leads you along the path of righteousness, however, if you choose to continue feeding your sinful nature, then you cannot go where Jesus is going and you will die in your sin.

Why not accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him? The opportunity has a time, and that time is today; remember, tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “A play on words: Hamartia” © 2026 October 24, 2026