how to say “offender” in Hebrew

 [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-1.m4a” /]עֲבַרְיָן

The other day we saw the Hebrew word for crime – פשע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-2.m4a” /].

פשע is crime in the general sense, while פשיעה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-3.m4a” /] might refer to an individual crime or crime in a certain context such as a neighborhood. An offense, however, is an עבירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-4.m4a” /].

And an offender? That’s an עבריין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-1.m4a” /] if he’s a male and עבריינית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-5.m4a” /] if she’s a female.

You may recall the word from the Kol Nidre service recited on Yom Kippur:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-6.m4a” /]אנו מתירים להתפלל עם העבריינים.

We permit to pray with the offenders.

The words עבריין and עבירה come from the verb לעבור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-7.m4a” /] – to pass: an offender has crossed a boundary, passing the threshold of what is allowed.