Sin

## Did You Know?

Impression of the cylinder seal of Ḫašḫamer, ensi (governor) of Iškun-Sin c. 2100 BC. The seated figure is probably king Ur-Nammu, bestowing the governorship on Ḫašḫamer, who is led before him by a lamma (protective goddess). Sin/Nanna himself is indicated in the form of a crescent.

**Did you know that a moon god named Sin, was worshipped in Ur and Haran?**
**Sin** /ˈsiːn/ (Akkadian: Su'en, Sîn) or Nanna (Sumerian: DŠEŠ.KI, DNANNA) was the god of the moon in the Mesopotamian mythology of Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia. Nanna a Sumerian deity, became identified with Semitic Sin during the Akkadian Empire where the two undergo syncretization. The Assyrian spellings DNANNA-ar DSu'en-e associates with Akkadian na-an-na-ru "illuminator, lamp", an epitheton of the moon god. The name of the Assyrian moon god Su'en/Sîn is usually spelled as DEN.ZU, or simply with the numeral 30, DXXX.

The two chief seats of Nanna's/Sin's worship were Ur in the south of Mesopotamia and Harran in the north. The moon god was the tutelary deity of the city of Ur. His reach and importance was far greater than just a city god, where the moon god is one of the most important deities in the wider pantheon of Mesopotamia.

Ur and Haran were the very cities Abraham and his family left behind, because of faith in God’s promises, that he and his wife had. Not only did he leave the city of Ur, but he refused to take up permanent residence in any of the cities of Canaan. Like Ur, these cities had shaky foundations by serving false gods (Josh. 24:2). Abraham “was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:8-13).

Did you also know, Sin was the name of the pre-Islamic god of the moon and riches worshipped in Hadhramaut.

1. ↑ *Wikipedia*, **Sin** (mythology)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, Nanna/Suen/Sin (god)
3. ↑ Reallexikon der Assyriologie, 1997, ISBN 978-3-11-014809-1, p.360
4. ↑ WT 2015, May, *They Saw the things Promised*, par.8-10
5. ↑ Manfred Lurker (2015). *A Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons*. Routledge. p. 227.

"Through one man **sin** entered into the world

and death through sin, and so death spread

to all men because they had all sinned."

—Romans 5:12

**Sin** is any action, feeling, or thought that goes against God’s standards. It includes breaking God’s laws by doing what is wrong, or unrighteous, in God’s sight (1 John 3:4; 5:17).

## From the beginning

**1 John 3:8**

"The one who practices sin originates with the Devil, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was made manifest, to break up the works of the Devil."

## Mastery over sin

Then Jehovah said to Cain: “Why are you so angry and dejected? If you turn to doing good, will you not be restored to favor? But if you do not turn to doing good, sin is crouching at the door, and its craving is to dominate you; but will you get the mastery over it?” — Genesis 4:6,7. God gave this warning when it was apparent that Cain was on a very dangerous course. Cain, however, did not heed God's warning, and thus he suffered for it (Gen. 4:11-13).

## The hardened heart

"Do not harden your hearts as on the occasion of provoking to bitter anger, as in the day of testing in the wilderness, where your forefathers put me to the test and tried me, despite seeing my works for 40 years. This is why I became disgusted with this generation and said: ‘They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not come to know my ways.’ So I swore in my anger: ‘They will not enter into my rest.’” Beware, brothers, for fear there should ever develop in any one of you a wicked heart lacking faith by drawing away from the living God." — Heb 3:8-12

"Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall into the same pattern of disobedience. For the word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints from the marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is not a creation that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account." — Heb 4:11-13

"So keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons, making the best use of your time, because the days are wicked." — Eph 5:15-17.

## Death

The sting producing death is sin, and the power for sin is the Law." — 1 Cor 15:56

## References

1. ↑ jw.org, *Bible Questions Answered*, What Is Sin?
2. ↑ WT 2015 Sep, *In What Ways Does Jehovah Love Us?*, par.12