Strong’s Dictionary
עָוין
avon
or עָווין avon (2Ki 7:9; Ps 51:5 ); from H5753; perversity, ie evil (moral): punish, punishment (of iniquity), lack, iniquity, evil, wickedness, bad, crime, sin.
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Chavez Dictionary
עָוֹן
1) Sin, wickedness, iniquity (2Sa 22:24; Gen 15:16).
2) Guilt (Num 15:31; Num 30:16/Num 30:15).
3) Punishment for guilt (Gen 4:13). — Var. עָווֹן; Const. עֲוׄן, עֲווֹן; Suf. עֲוׄנוֹ, עֲוׄנֵכִי; Pl. עֲוׄנוֹת; Suf. עֲוׄנֹתָם, עֲוׄנֵינוּ, עֲוׄנֶיךָ.
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Vine AT Dictionary
‘awon (עַוין, H5771), “iniquity; fault; punishment”. This name, found 231 times in the Old Testament, is limited to Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic. Prophetic and poetic books use ‘awon frequently. Throughout the Pentateuch there are about 50 instances of the word. Also, usage in historical books is rare. The first utterance of ‘awon comes from the lips of Cain, with the special connotation of “punishment”: “And Cain said to the Lord, Great is my punishment to bear” (Gen 4:13).
The basic meaning of ‘awon is “iniquity.” The term indicates an offense, intentional or not, against the Law of God. It has the same fundamental OT meaning as chatta’t, “sin,” so the words chatta’t and ‘awon are virtually synonymous: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt has been removed, and your sin has been forgiven (Isa 6:7 KJV).
“Iniquity” deserves punishment because it is an offense against the holiness of God. It is noted that God punishes our transgressions: “Each one shall die for his own iniquity; the teeth of every man who eats sour grapes will set on edge” (Jer 31:30). There is also a collective sense in which the one is responsible for the many: “You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I am the Lord your God, a jealous God who punished the wickedness of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exo 20:5 KJV). No generation, however, should be considered under God’s judgment for the “iniquity” of another generation: “And if you ask: Why is it that the son shall not bear the sin of his father? It is because the son practiced law and justice, he kept all my statutes and put them into practice; therefore he will live. The soul that sins, that will die. The son will not bear the sin of the father, nor will the father bear the sin of the son. The justice of the righteous shall be upon him, and the injustice of the wicked shall be upon him” (Eze 18:19-20 NIV).
Israel was taken into captivity for the sins of the fathers and their own: “The nations will also know that the house of Israel was taken captive because of their sin. Because they rebelled against me, I hid my face from them and delivered them into the hand of their enemies; and they all fell by the sword” (Eze 39:23 KJV).
Despite the seriousness with which God treats “wickedness” within the covenant relationship between himself and his people, the people are reminded that he is the living God and that he is willing to forgive “wickedness”: “The Lord , Compassionate and merciful God, slow to anger and great in mercy and truth, who preserves his mercy for a thousand generations, who forgives iniquity, rebellion and sin; but that in no way will the guilty be found innocent; that he punishes the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation! » (Exo 34:7 KJV). God requires confession of sin: “I have declared my sin to you, and have not covered my iniquity. I said: I will confess my transgressions to Jehovah and you forgave the wickedness of my sin» (Ps 32:5 NIV); he too expects an attitude of trust and faith when we humbly ask him, “Wash me more and more from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin” (Ps 51:2).
In Isaiah 53 we learn that God placed our “iniquities” on Jesus Christ (v. 6), so that he, wounded by our “iniquities” (v. 5), would justify those who believe in him: “He will see the fruit of the affliction of his soul and be satisfied: by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities upon himself” (Isa 53:11 NIV).
The meaning of ‘awon encompasses the dimensions of sin, judgment, and “punishment” for sin. The Old Testament teaches that God’s forgiveness of our “iniquity” includes sin itself, the guilt of sin, God’s judgment on this sin, and God’s punishment for sin: “Blessed is the man to whom the LORD ascribes no iniquity, and in whose spirit is no guile” (Ps 32:2 KJV).
In the Septuagint the word has the following meanings: adikia (“evil; iniquity”); hamartia (“sin; error”) and anomia (“lawless; anarchy”). In the Spanish translations (especially in the Protestant ones) the term “iniquity” is quite uniform, although the word “sin” and more specialized terms such as “fault”, “crime”, “evil” and “lack” are also found. (particularly in Catholic translations).
‘awon (עָוין, H5771), “iniquity”. This word, derived from the root ‘awah, means “bent, bent, twisted, perverted” or “twisted and perverse”. The Arabic cognate ‘awa means “to twist, bend”; some scholars consider the true cognate to be the Arabic term ghara (“to stray from the path”), but there is less justification for this interpretation. ‘Awon presents sin as a perversion of life (“turning it away from the right path”), a perversion of truth (“turning toward error”), or a perversion of the will (“bending righteousness into deliberate disobedience”). ). The word “iniquity” is the best equivalent word, even though the real meaning of the Latin root iniquitas is “injustice; inequity; hostility; annoyance”.
‘awon often occurs in the Old Testament in parallel with other words for sin, such as chattatt (“sin”) and pesha’ (“transgression”). Some examples are found in 1Sa 20:1: “David…went to Jonathan and said to him, What have I done? What is my wickedness, or what is my sin against your father, that he should try to take my life?” (KJV; cf. Isa 43:24; Jer 5:25). See also Job 14:17 (NKJV): “My transgression you have sealed in a bag and cover my iniquity” (cf. Ps 107:17; Isa 50:1).
The penitent malefactor acknowledges his “iniquity” in Isa 59:12 (NKJV): “For our transgressions have multiplied before you, and our sin has testified against us. For our transgressions remain with us; we acknowledge our iniquities” (cf. 1Sa 3:13). “Iniquity” must be confessed: “Aaron shall lay his two hands on the head of the living goat and confess over it all the iniquities, rebellions, and sins of the children of Israel” (Lev 16:21 KJV). “The descendants of Israel… confessed their sins and the iniquity of their fathers” (Neh 9:2 KJV; cf. Ps 38:18).
God’s grace can remove or forgive “iniquity”: “And he said to him, See, I have taken away your iniquity and will clothe you in finery” (Zech 3:4 KJV; cf. 2Sa 24:10). . Divine propitiation can cover our “iniquity”: “By mercy and truth a sin is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil” (Pro 16:6; cf. Ps 78:38).
‘awon can indicate the “guilt of iniquity,” as in Eze 36:31: “And you will remember your wicked ways…and you will be ashamed of yourselves for your iniquities, and for your abominations” (cf. Eze 9:9 ). The word can also indicate “punishment for iniquity”: “Then Saul swore to him by the Lord, saying, As the Lord lives, no harm will come to you for this” (1Sa 28:10). In Exo 28:38, ‘awon complements nasha (“bear, carry, forgive”), and indicates bearing the punishment for the “iniquity” of others. In Isa 53:11 we read that Yahweh’s servant bears the consequences of the “iniquities” of a sinful humanity, including Israel.
Source: Various Authors