Word Studies¶
kaphar (כָּפַר) — H3722¶
Original: כָּפַר Transliteration: kâphar (kaw-far') Part of Speech: Verb BLB Count: 102
Definition¶
A primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel: appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile(-liation).
Translations (130 total occurrences in KJV)¶
- "shall make an atonement" — 20x (15.4%)
- "to make an atonement" — 18x (13.8%)
- "and make an atonement" — 10x (7.7%)
- "to make reconciliation" — 3x (2.3%)
- "be purged" — 3x (2.3%)
- Also translated: forgive, pacify, pardon, reconcile, cleanse, be merciful, disannul
Key Verses — Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
H3722 appears approximately 16 times in Leviticus 16 (vv. 6, 10, 11, 16, 16, 17, 17, 18, 20, 24, 24, 27, 30, 30, 32, 33, 33, 34). The objects of atonement vary:
| Verse | Object of Kaphar | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 16:6 | for himself and his house | "make an atonement" |
| 16:10 | with/upon the live goat | "to make an atonement with him" |
| 16:11 | for himself and his house | "make an atonement" |
| 16:16 | for the holy place | "make an atonement for the holy place" |
| 16:17 | in the holy place / for himself, household, congregation | "to make an atonement...have made an atonement" |
| 16:18 | for the altar | "make an atonement for it" |
| 16:20 | made an end of reconciling the holy place, tabernacle, altar | "reconciling" |
| 16:24 | for himself and the people | "make an atonement" |
| 16:27 | in the holy place | "to make atonement" |
| 16:30 | for you, to cleanse you | "make an atonement for you, to cleanse you" |
| 16:32 | the atonement | "shall make the atonement" |
| 16:33 | holy sanctuary, tabernacle, altar, priests, people | "make an atonement" (3x) |
| 16:34 | for the children of Israel for all their sins | "to make an atonement" |
LXX Connections¶
Key Greek translations of H3722 in the LXX: - G2433 ἱλάσκομαι (hilaskomai) — "to conciliate, propitiate" (PMI: 6.47) — highest individual relevance - G2511 καθαρίζω (katharizo) — "to cleanse" (count: 14) - G863 ἀφίημι (aphiemi) — "to send away, forgive" (count: 14) - G129 αἷμα (haima) — "blood" (count: 12)
Related Word Family¶
- H3725 kippur (כִּפֻּר) — expiation/atonement (institution)
- H3727 kapporeth (כַּפֹּרֶת) — mercy seat/covering (place)
- H3724 kopher — ransom, covering price (cost)
kippur (כִּפֻּר) — H3725¶
Original: כִּפֻּר Transliteration: kippur (kip-poor') Part of Speech: Masculine plural noun BLB Count: 8
Definition¶
From H3722; expiation (only in plural): atonement. Gives the name "Yom Kippur" — Day of Atonements (always plural).
All 8 Occurrences¶
| Reference | Translation |
|---|---|
| EXO 29:36 | "of atonement" |
| EXO 30:10 | "of atonements" (sin offering of atonements) |
| EXO 30:16 | "the atonement" |
| LEV 23:27 | "of atonement" (day of atonement) |
| LEV 23:28 | "of atonement" (day of atonement) |
| LEV 25:9 | "of atonement" (day of atonement) |
| NUM 5:8 | "the" (the atonement) |
| NUM 29:11 | "of atonement" (sin offering of atonement) |
kapporeth (כַּפֹּרֶת) — H3727¶
Original: כַּפֹּרֶת Transliteration: kappôreth (kap-po'-reth) Part of Speech: Feminine noun BLB Count: 27
Definition¶
From H3722; a lid (used only of the cover of the sacred Ark): mercy seat. Derived from kaphar — literally "the covering" or "the place of covering/atonement."
Translations¶
- "the mercy seat" — 22x (81.5%)
- "of the mercy seat" — 3x (11.1%)
- "a mercy seat" — 1x
- "the mercy seatward" — 1x
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:2 — "before the mercy seat" / "upon the mercy seat" (2x)
- 16:13 — "cover the mercy seat"
- 16:14 — "upon the mercy seat eastward" / "before the mercy seat" (2x)
- 16:15 — "upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat" (2x)
LXX Connection¶
H3727 kapporeth -> G2435 ἱλαστήριον (hilasterion) — "an expiatory (place/thing)" (PMI: 9.75, highest relevance) - This is the same word used in ROM 3:25 where Christ is called "hilasterion" — propitiation/mercy seat - The LXX bridge: kapporeth (OT mercy seat) = hilasterion (NT propitiation) = Christ (ROM 3:25) - Also: G2787 κιβωτός (kibotos) "ark" (PMI: 5.85), G2665 καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) "veil" (PMI: 7.44)
dam (דָּם) — H1818¶
Original: דָּם Transliteration: dâm (dawm) Part of Speech: Masculine noun BLB Count: 361
Definition¶
Blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed: blood(-y, -guiltiness), (-thirsty), innocent.
Translations¶
- "the blood" — 79x (20.2%)
- "blood" — 75x (19.2%)
- Various prepositional forms (of/his/their/with blood) — remainder
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:14 — "the blood of the bullock" (2x) — sprinkled on/before mercy seat
- 16:15 — "his blood" (goat's blood brought within the vail)
- 16:18 — "the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat" — on altar horns
- 16:19 — "the blood" — sprinkled seven times on altar
- 16:27 — "blood was brought in" — identifies which animals burned outside
Key Theological Verse¶
LEV 17:11 — "For the life of the flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul."
nazah (נָזָה) — H5137¶
Original: נָזָה Transliteration: nâzâh (naw-zaw') Part of Speech: Verb BLB Count: 24
Definition¶
A primitive root; to spirt, i.e. besprinkle (especially in expiation): sprinkle.
Translations¶
- "and sprinkle" — 8x (28.6%)
- "And he shall sprinkle" — 3x
- "shall sprinkle" / "shall he sprinkle" — 2x each
- Various sprinkle forms — remainder
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:14 — הִזָּה (hizzah, Hiphil perf) — "and sprinkle" (on mercy seat eastward)
- 16:14 — יַזֶּה (yazzeh, Hiphil impf) — "shall he sprinkle" (seven times before mercy seat)
- 16:15 — הִזָּה (hizzah, Hiphil perf) — "and sprinkle" (goat blood on/before mercy seat)
- 16:19 — הִזָּה (implied) — "shall sprinkle" (seven times on altar)
Key Pattern¶
The verb is always in the Hiphil (causative) stem in Lev 16, meaning "to cause to spatter/sprinkle." The sevenfold sprinkling (sheba' pe'amim) appears in v.14 and v.19, indicating completeness. This same verb appears in ISA 52:15 — "so shall he sprinkle many nations" — connecting the DOA sprinkling to the Suffering Servant.
taher (טָהֵר) — H2891¶
Original: טָהֵר Transliteration: ṭâhêr (taw-hare') Part of Speech: Verb BLB Count: 94
Definition¶
A primitive root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication) to be pure (physically sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy): be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self).
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:19 — "and cleanse it" — the altar cleansed from uncleanness
- 16:30 — "to cleanse you, [that] ye may be clean" (2x) — Piel infinitive construct + Qal imperfect — the PURPOSE of atonement: moral/ceremonial purification
Key Verse: Lev 16:30¶
Hebrew: לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה תִּטְהָרוּ "to cleanse (Piel inf. con.) you from all your sins; before YHWH you shall be clean (Qal impf.)" - The Piel (intensive) form shows God actively purifying - The Qal (simple) shows the resulting state: they SHALL BE clean
qodesh (קֹדֶשׁ) — H6944¶
Original: קֹדֶשׁ Transliteration: qôdesh (ko'-desh) Part of Speech: Masculine noun BLB Count: 468
Definition¶
From H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity: consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (most) holy (day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.
Translations¶
- "holy" — 100x (22.1%)
- "of the sanctuary" — 44x (9.7%)
- "the holy" — 41x (9.1%)
- "most holy" — 7x
- "sanctuary" — 9x
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:2 — "the holy [place]" (ha-qodesh) — the Most Holy Place
- 16:3 — "the holy [place]" — where Aaron enters
- 16:4 — "holy linen coat" / "holy garments" (qodesh, 2x)
- 16:16 — "the holy [place]" — object of atonement
- 16:17 — "the holy [place]" — where atonement is made
- 16:20 — "the holy [place]" — reconciling complete
- 16:23 — "the holy [place]" — where garments changed
- 16:24 — "the holy place" — where he washes
- 16:27 — "the holy [place]" — where blood was brought
- 16:32 — "the holy garments" (bigdei qodesh)
- 16:33 — "the holy sanctuary" (miqdash ha-qodesh)
anah (עָנָה) — H6031¶
Original: עָנָה Transliteration: ʻânâh (aw-naw') Part of Speech: Verb BLB Count: 84
Definition¶
A primitive root; to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive: abase self, afflict(-ion, self), answer (by mistake), chasten self, deal hardly with, defile, exercise, force, gentleness, humble (self), hurt, ravish, sing (by mistake), submit self, weaken.
Translations¶
- "afflict" — 5x
- "was afflicted" — 3x
- "to afflict" — 2x
- "to humble" — 1x
- Also: force, humble, submit, chasten, weaken
Day of Atonement Occurrences¶
- LEV 16:29 — תְּעַנּוּ (Piel impf. 2mp) "ye shall afflict your souls"
- LEV 16:31 — וְעִנִּיתֶם (Piel perf. 2mp) "ye shall afflict your souls"
- LEV 23:27 — וְעִנִּיתֶם (Piel perf. 2mp) "ye shall afflict your souls"
- LEV 23:29 — תְעֻנֶּה (Pual impf. 3fs) "shall not be afflicted" — PASSIVE: the soul that is not afflicted
- LEV 23:32 — וְעִנִּיתֶם (Piel perf. 2mp) "ye shall afflict your souls"
- NUM 29:7 — תְּעַנּוּ (Piel impf. 2mp) "ye shall afflict your souls"
Key Notes¶
The Piel stem (intensive active) is used for the command: actively, intentionally afflict. The Pual (intensive passive) in LEV 23:29 describes the person who fails to BE afflicted. The expression "afflict your souls" (te'annu et-nafshotekem) is unique to the Day of Atonement among all feast days. The word combines physical affliction (fasting) with spiritual humbling.
karath (כָּרַת) — H3772¶
Original: כָּרַת Transliteration: kârath (kaw-rath') Part of Speech: Verb BLB Count: 288
Definition¶
A primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces): be chewed, be con-(feder-)ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league (covenant), lose, perish, utterly, want.
Translations¶
- "shall be cut off" — 30x (8.4%)
- "made" (a covenant) — 18x (5.0%)
- "cut off" — 8x
- "fail" — 6x
Day of Atonement Usage¶
- LEV 23:29 — וְנִכְרְתָה (Niphal perf. 3fs) "shall be cut off from among his people"
- This is the karat penalty for failure to afflict one's soul on the Day of Atonement
Leviticus "Cut Off" Penalties (broader context)¶
LEV 7:20,21,25,27; 17:4,9,10,14; 18:29; 19:8; 20:3,5,6,17,18; 22:3; 23:29 — The "cut off" penalty appears throughout Leviticus for various violations, but its appearance in LEV 23:29 makes the DOA uniquely severe among annual festivals.
azazel (עֲזָאזֵל) — H5799¶
Original: עֲזָאזֵל Transliteration: ʻăzâʼzêl (az-aw-zale') Part of Speech: Masculine noun (treated as proper noun in Hebrew parser) BLB Count: 4
Definition¶
From H5795 (ez, goat) and H235 (azal, to go away); goat of departure; the scapegoat: scapegoat.
All Occurrences (4 total, all in Leviticus 16)¶
- LEV 16:8 — "the other lot for the scapegoat" (la-azazel)
- LEV 16:10 — "to be the scapegoat...for a scapegoat" (la-azazel, 2x)
- LEV 16:26 — "the goat for the scapegoat" (la-azazel)
Hebrew Parser Notes¶
The Hebrew parser treats עֲזָאזֵל as a proper noun (PropN.ms.Abs), suggesting it may be a name rather than a description. Two main interpretations: 1. "Goat of departure" (ez + azal) — describing the goat's function 2. A proper name for a demonic entity sent to the wilderness — the goat is sent "to Azazel"
In Lev 16:8, the parallel structure is significant: "one lot for YHWH (la-YHWH) and one lot for Azazel (la-azazel)" — the preposition la- ("to/for") is identical for both, suggesting Azazel is a personal entity (parallel to YHWH as a proper name), not merely a description of the goat's function.
goral (גּוֹרָל) — H1486¶
Original: גּוֹרָל Transliteration: gôwrâl (go-rawl') Part of Speech: Masculine noun BLB Count: 77
Definition¶
From an unused root meaning to be rough (as stone); properly, a pebble, i.e. a lot (small stones being used for that purpose); figuratively, a portion or destiny (as if determined by lot): lot.
Translations¶
- "lot" — 16x (17.8%)
- "lots" — 15x (16.7%)
- "by lot" — 15x (16.7%)
- "the lot" — 13x (14.4%)
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:8 — goralot (lots, mp) — cast upon two goats
- 16:8 — goral echad (one lot) for YHWH, goral echad (one lot) for Azazel
- 16:9 — ha-goral (the lot) — upon which YHWH's lot fell
- 16:10 — ha-goral (the lot) — which fell for Azazel
Key Note¶
The lot-casting removes human choice from the designation. It is God who determines which goat is for YHWH and which for Azazel (cf. PRO 16:33 — "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD").
bad (בַּד) — H906¶
Original: בַּד Transliteration: bad (bad) Part of Speech: Masculine noun BLB Count: 23
Definition¶
Perhaps from H909 (in the sense of divided fibres); flaxen thread or yarn; hence, a linen garment: linen.
Translations¶
- "linen" — 14x (60.9%)
- "in linen" — 3x
- "the linen" — 2x
- "a linen" — 2x
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:4 — "linen coat" (kethoneth-bad), "linen breeches" (miknese-bad), "linen girdle" (abnet bad), "linen mitre" (mitsnefeth bad) — 4 occurrences, one for each garment
- 16:23 — "the linen garments" (bigdei ha-bad) — put off after entering Most Holy Place
- 16:32 — "the linen clothes" (bigdei ha-bad) — worn for future atonement
Key Note¶
Bad (linen) garments are worn specifically for the Day of Atonement, REPLACING the normal golden garments of the high priest (EXO 28:2-43). White linen signifies purity and humility. The same word describes the garments of the man with the writer's inkhorn in EZK 9:2,3,11; 10:2,6,7 and the man in Daniel's vision (DAN 10:5; 12:6,7). REV 15:6 describes angels in "pure and white linen" — connecting to DOA white linen garments.
qetoreth (קְטֹרֶת) — H7004¶
Original: קְטֹרֶת Transliteration: qᵉṭôreth (ket-o'-reth) Part of Speech: Feminine noun BLB Count: 60
Definition¶
From H6999; a fumigation: (sweet) incense, perfume.
Translations¶
- "incense" — 27x (37.5%)
- "of incense" — 19x (26.4%)
- "the incense" — 5x
- "a perfume" / "the perfume" — 2x total
Leviticus 16 Occurrences¶
- 16:12 — "sweet incense beaten small" (qetoreth sammim daqqah)
- 16:13 — "the incense" (ha-qetoreth, 2x) — placed on fire, cloud covers mercy seat
Key Notes¶
The incense (qetoreth) in the DOA is beaten fine (daqqah) and mixed with spices (sammim). The incense cloud serves a PROTECTIVE function: "that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that [is] upon the testimony, that he die not" (v.13). The same word appears in Nadab and Abihu's unauthorized offering (LEV 10:1). The incense symbolizes prayer (PSA 141:2; REV 5:8; 8:3,4). The smoke filling the temple in REV 15:8 parallels the DOA incense cloud.