Hurrying Too Much
Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and one who hurries [a]his footsteps [b]errs. Proverbs 19:2 NASB
Errs – “Err” is a funny word. Just the look of it is odd. In this biblical translation, it’s used for the Hebrew ḥāṭāʾ (חָטָא), the most common word for “sin.” That causes the NKJV to translate this verse as “he sins who hastens with his feet.” But can that be true? Is hurrying a sin? We have two problems to investigate here. The first is the source and original meaning of “err” and the second is the umbrella of meanings under ḥāṭāʾ.
Err (verb) c. 1300, from Old French errer “go astray, lose one’s way; make a mistake; transgress,” from Latin errare “wander, go astray,” figuratively “be in error,” from PIE root *ers- (1) “be in motion, wander around” (source also of Sanskrit arsati “flows;” Old English ierre “angry; straying;” Old Frisian ire “angry;” Old High German irri “angry,” irron “astray;” Gothic airziþa “error; deception;” the Germanic words reflecting the notion of anger as a “straying” from normal composure). Related: Erred; erring.
Notice a few things. First, “err” is not necessarily connected to morality. Metaphorically it might mean “miss the mark, sin,” but in secular usage it just means to get lost, to wander. Secondly, notice that Old English and Old High German introduce the nuance of anger which moves the word toward a moral indictment. In other words, until the influence of religion in the language, “to err” could mean you just make a wrong turn on the road.
Now let’s look at ḥāṭāʾ. Once again we find that in secular usage it means nothing more than missing the mark, but not in a spiritual sense (cf. Judges 20:16 and Proverbs 8:36). So, when we come to Proverbs 19:2, we should probably remove the idea of moral failure from the translation. Proverbs is offering some practical advice. If you rush into things, your chances of making a mistake are much greater. Go slow and pay attention.
Did you notice the footnote attached to the NASB translation? It reads “Proverbs 19:2 Lit sins.” Of course, the word ḥāṭāʾ is the principle word for sin, but as we have just discovered it doesn’t always carry moral imagery. The footnote only tells us the common usage of the Hebrew. It does not tell us the literal meaning.
Why does this matter? It matters because Proverbs is not giving us another category of sinfulness. Hurrying is not ipso facto sin. It may be a mistake because hurrying has potentially unexpected consequences, but that doesn’t make it a sin by itself. And this is important because it illuminates our assumptions about Proverbs and other verses like this. The Bible sometimes just gives practical advice without moral overtones. The Bible is in some regard a guidebook for living, not a theological text of divine condemnation. If you hurry, you might miss something. That’s all. Nothing more. But as you can see, over the centuries this word, err, took on religious overtones so that the Christian culture began to read verses like this as if they were sins. Perhaps it’s time to rewrite our own etymologies.
Topical Index: err, miss the mark, wander, sin, ḥāṭāʾ, Proverbs 19:2
“Perhaps it’s time to rewrite our own etymologies.”
In this day and age communication requires that two people first define the meaning of the words they’re using. Within Christianity certain words and phrases are common. The definitions of those words and phrases differ wildly sometimes from denomination to denomination. Hence a reformed pastor can’t counsel a Pentecostal.
How much more do we need to solidly define of the words in our sacred texts if we’re to get very far walking with each other.
Indeed, both err and ḥāṭāʾ are descriptively accurate terms for both being “shoved from behind” and needing to be drawn along… that is, being led (not driven) by the Shepherd of our souls, who guides on the way “that we may walk in it”… and it is in following him along that way a person may learn “to not hurry to go wandering around anywhere on his own.”