אֲשָׁמ asham (H817) comes from the root שָׁמ sham which means “breath” and closely related to שֵּׁם shem (H8034) which means “name or character.” When referring to a sacrifice, אֲשָׁמ asham is a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty. It can refer to the state of one who has committed an offense, especially consciously, or one with a character (שֵּׁם shem) of wrongdoing. אֲשָׁמ asham is translated as “guilt” in Jeff Benner’s Mechanical Translation of the Torah and “transgressions” in Brenton’s 1851 English Septuagint where the Greek Old Testament translates אֲשָׁמ asham as ἐπλημμέλησεν eplimmélisen; a word related to πλήκτης plíktis (G4131) which means bruiser, ready for a blow; a pugnacious, contentious, quarrelsome person (cf. 1 Timothy 3:3, Titus 1:7).
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