The Hebrew verb avah (עָוָה) means to bend, twist, or distort — and thus to act perversely or commit iniquity. The related noun avon (iniquity) stems from this root. The verb captures the nature of sin as a twisting of what should be straight — a deviation from God's righteous path.
The root concept of avah — crookedness — is deeply instructive for understanding sin. Isaiah 53:6 declares: 'All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.' Sin is a twisting from God's straight path. The famous confession in Daniel 9:5 uses this root: 'We have sinned and done wrong (avinu) and been wicked and rebelled.' Isaiah 40:4 promises that in the coming kingdom, every crooked place shall be made straight — the ultimate reversal of avah. Christ came to make straight what sin had bent.