According to the Bible, what is the difference between “transgression” and “iniquity”?
“Transgression” and “iniquity” are Old Testament terms. They present two aspects of sin in the Old Testament. Transgression is subjective; iniquity is objective. Transgression refers to our behavior; iniquity refers to our condition before God. If we transgress in this world, we have committed iniquity before God. Psalm 32:5 says, “I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (ASV, 1901). Jeremiah 33:8 says, “And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, by which they have sinned against Me, and forgive all their iniquities, by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me.” From these verses we can see that iniquity is the condition of man before God after committing transgression and sin. Whenever man commits a sin, offends God, and disobeys God, he has iniquity before God. Exodus and Leviticus frequently mention the things the priests had to do in the Holy Place in order to bear man’s sin. The word used for sin in these cases is avon, which means “iniquity,” not pesha, which means “transgression” (Exo. 28:38, 43; Lev. 5:1, 17). Iniquity is a matter before God, which must be borne and redeemed in the Holy Place. Consequently, when Daniel 9:24 speaks of transgression and sins, it says, “To close the transgression, and to make an end of sins.” But when it speaks of iniquity, it says, “To make propitiation for iniquity” because this is something before God. We also see that the city of Sodom was destroyed because its iniquity was “full” before God (Gen. 19:15; 15:16).
Whenever the Old Testament talks about transgressions, it is always related to behavior and action. For example, Job 36:9 says, “Then he showeth them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly” (ASV, 1901). Proverbs 12:13 says, “The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips.” Proverbs 28:24 says, “Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression, the same is the companion of a destroyer” (ASV, 1901). Micah 1:5 says, “All this is because of the transgression of Jacob/And because of the sins of the house of Israel./What is the transgression of Jacob?/Is it not Samaria?/And what are the high places of Judah?/Are they not Jerusalem?” Pride, stealing from parents, and worshipping idols are all transgressions.
Ezekiel 18:30-31 says, “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (ASV, 1901). Amos 1:3 says, “Thus says Jehovah,/Because of three transgressions of Damascus,/Indeed, because of four, I will not turn away the punishment;/Because they have threshed Gilead/With sharp threshing tools of iron.” From this we see that transgression is serious because it can produce iniquity. But thank God, the problem of our transgressions and iniquity has been solved through the redemptive work of Christ. “But He was pierced because of our transgressions;/He was crushed because of our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5).
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