Word Studies¶
kaphar -- H3722 (כָּפַר)¶
Original: כָּפַר Transliteration: kaphar (kaw-far) Part of Speech: verb 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). BLB Count: 102 occurrences
Translations¶
- "shall make an atonement" (20x), "to make an atonement" (18x), "and make an atonement" (10x)
- Less common: "reconcile" (3x), "be purged" (3x), "be merciful" (1x), "forgive" (1x), "pardon" (1x), "pacify" (1x), "pitch" (1x -- Gen 6:14, the concrete sense)
- Semantic range: covering/concealing -> propitiation -> cleansing -> forgiveness
LXX Connections¶
- G2433 ἱλάσκομαι (hilaskomai) "propitiate" -- highest specificity (PMI 6.47)
- G2511 καθαρίζω (katharizo) "cleanse" (14x)
- G863 ἀφίημι (aphiemi) "forgive/release" (14x)
- The LXX translates kaphar with "propitiation" vocabulary, confirming the core meaning of covering/satisfying wrath
ALL Occurrences in Leviticus 16 (16 total in 12 verses)¶
| Verse | Hebrew Form | Grammatical Form | Translation | Object/Beneficiary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | for himself and his house |
| 10 | לְכַפֵּר | Piel InfCon | "to make atonement" | upon it (scapegoat) |
| 11 | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | for himself and his house |
| 16 | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | for the holy place (from uncleanness) |
| 17a | לְכַפֵּר | Piel InfCon | "to make atonement" | in the holy place |
| 17b | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "have made atonement" | for himself, house, and congregation |
| 18 | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | for the altar |
| 20 | מִכַּפֵּר | Piel InfCon | "of reconciling" | the holy place, tent, altar |
| 24 | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | for himself and the people |
| 27 | לְכַפֵּר | Piel InfCon | "to make atonement" | in the holy place |
| 30 | יְכַפֵּר | Piel Impf 3ms | "shall make atonement" | for you (the people) |
| 32 | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | (general -- the anointed priest) |
| 33a | וְכִפֶּר | Piel WeQatal 3ms | "make atonement" | for the holy sanctuary |
| 33b | יְכַפֵּר | Piel Impf 3ms | "make atonement" | for tent of meeting and altar |
| 33c | יְכַפֵּר | Piel Impf 3ms | "make atonement" | for priests and people |
| 34 | לְכַפֵּר | Piel InfCon | "to make atonement" | for children of Israel |
Grammatical Pattern: - ALL occurrences are Piel stem (intensive/factitive -- "cause to be covered/atoned") - 8x WeQatal (vv.6,11,16,17b,18,24,32,33a) -- instructional sequence - 5x Infinitive Construct (vv.10,17a,20,27,34) -- purpose/temporal clauses - 3x Yiqtol/Imperfect (vv.30,33b,33c) -- legislative/general statements
Structural Distribution: - Verses 1-17 (first half to center): 6 occurrences - Verses 18-34 (center to end): 10 occurrences - Concentration: vv.30-34 alone = 6 occurrences (summary section is kaphar-dense) - The kaphar distribution is NOT symmetric around v.17 -- it increases after the center
qodesh -- H6944 (קֹדֶשׁ)¶
Original: קֹדֶשׁ Transliteration: qodesh (ko-desh) Part of Speech: masculine noun 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. BLB Count: 468 occurrences
Translations¶
- "holy" (100x), "of the sanctuary" (44x), "the holy" (41x), "my/his/thy holy" (60x combined)
- "most holy" / "most" (21x combined) -- used for the inner sanctuary (qodesh haqqodashim)
- "holiness" (various forms, ~19x)
ALL Occurrences in Leviticus 16¶
| Verse | Hebrew | Form | Translation | Referent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | הַקֹּדֶשׁ | the-holiness | "the holy [place]" | The inner sanctuary (Most Holy Place) |
| 3 | הַקֹּדֶשׁ | the-holiness | "the holy [place]" | Same -- Aaron's destination |
| 4a | קֹדֶשׁ | holiness | "holy" | Modifier of linen garments (ketonet-bad qodesh) |
| 4b | קֹדֶשׁ | holiness | "holy" | Classifying: "garments of holiness they are" |
| 16 | הַקֹּדֶשׁ | the-holiness | "the holy [place]" | Object of atonement |
| 17 | בַּקֹּדֶשׁ | in-the-holiness | "in the holy [place]" | Location of atoning |
| 20 | הַקֹּדֶשׁ | the-holiness | "the holy [place]" | Finished atoning the holy place |
| 23 | הַקֹּדֶשׁ | the-holiness | "the holy [place]" | Where he entered (past reference) |
| 24 | קָדוֹשׁ | holy (adj) | "holy" | Holy place for washing (adj form, H6918) |
| 27 | בַּקֹּדֶשׁ | in-the-holiness | "in the holy [place]" | Where blood was brought |
| 32 | הַקֹּדֶשׁ | the-holiness | "the holy" | Garments of the holy |
| 33 | מִקְדַּשׁ הַקֹּדֶשׁ | sanctuary the-holiness | "holy sanctuary" | The most holy place (doubled form) |
Spatial Movement Pattern: - vv.2-4: qodesh identifies the DESTINATION (inward movement) - vv.16-17: qodesh marks the CENTER (inner sanctuary ministry) - vv.20,23: qodesh marks the TRANSITION (finishing inner work, departing) - vv.27,32-33: qodesh in RETROSPECTIVE references (looking back at what was done)
nazah -- H5137 (נָזָה)¶
Original: נָזָה Transliteration: nazah (naw-zaw) Part of Speech: verb Definition: A primitive root; to spirt, i.e. besprinkle (especially in expiation) -- sprinkle. BLB Count: 24 occurrences total
Occurrences in Leviticus 16¶
| Verse | Hebrew | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14a | וְהִזָּה | Hiphil WeQatal 3ms | Sprinkle bullock blood ON mercy seat (once) |
| 14b | יַזֶּה | Hiphil Impf 3ms | Sprinkle BEFORE mercy seat (seven times) |
| 15 | וְהִזָּה | Hiphil WeQatal 3ms | Sprinkle goat blood on/before mercy seat |
| 19 | וְהִזָּה | Hiphil WeQatal 3ms | Sprinkle on altar seven times |
Pattern: All Hiphil (causative) -- forceful sprinkling. - vv.14-15: INNER sanctuary (mercy seat) -- marks the deepest penetration - v.19: OUTER sanctuary (altar) -- marks the outward movement - The nazah distribution mirrors the inward-then-outward movement
taher -- H2891 (טָהֵר)¶
Original: טָהֵר Transliteration: taher (taw-hare) Part of Speech: verb Definition: A primitive root; properly, to be bright; i.e. to be pure -- be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify. BLB Count: 94 occurrences
Occurrences in Leviticus 16¶
| Verse | Hebrew | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | וְטִהֲרוֹ | Piel Perf 3ms+3ms (WeQt) | "cleanse it" -- the altar |
| 30a | לְטַהֵר | Piel InfCon | "to cleanse" -- purpose of atonement |
| 30b | תִּטְהָרוּ | Qal Impf 2mp | "you shall be clean" -- result for people |
Pattern: - v.19: Piel (intensive) -- active cleansing of the altar (paired with qadash) - v.30: Piel InfCon (purpose) + Qal Impf (resultative) -- the purpose statement for the whole day - The Piel/Qal contrast in v.30 is significant: God actively cleanses (Piel), the people become clean (Qal)
qadash -- H6942 (קָדַשׁ)¶
Original: קָדַשׁ Transliteration: qadash (kaw-dash) Part of Speech: verb Definition: A primitive root; to be (causatively, make, pronounce or observe as) clean -- appoint, consecrate, dedicate, hallow, (be, keep) holy, prepare, sanctify. BLB Count: 172 occurrences
Occurrences in Leviticus 16¶
| Verse | Hebrew | Form | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | וְקִדְּשׁוֹ | Piel Perf 3ms+3ms (WeQt) | "hallow it" -- the altar |
Single occurrence -- paired with taher in v.19 in a doublet: "cleanse it AND sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." The Piel intensive forms of both taher and qadash in v.19 mark the climax of the altar ministry.
azazel -- H5799 (עֲזָאזֵל)¶
Original: עֲזָאזֵל Transliteration: azazel (az-aw-zale) Part of Speech: masculine noun (treated as proper noun by BHSA parser) Definition: From H5795 (goat) and H235 (to go away); goat of departure; the scapegoat. BLB Count: 4 occurrences (ALL in Lev 16)
ALL Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| 8 | "one lot for YHWH and one lot for Azazel" |
| 10a | "upon which the lot fell for Azazel" |
| 10b | "to send it to Azazel into the wilderness" |
| 26 | "the one sending the goat to Azazel" |
Structural Note: The BHSA parser treats azazel as a proper noun (PropN), creating a parallel with la-YHWH in v.8. The distribution is: v.8 (lot casting), v.10 (scapegoat description), v.26 (cleanup). Concentrated in the preparation (vv.8,10) and aftermath (v.26) sections.
kapporeth -- H3727 (כַּפֹּרֶת)¶
Original: כַּפֹּרֶת Transliteration: kapporeth (kap-po-reth) Part of Speech: feminine noun Definition: From H3722 (kaphar); a lid (used only of the cover of the sacred Ark) -- mercy seat. BLB Count: 27 occurrences
Occurrences in Leviticus 16¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| 2a | "before the mercy seat which is upon the ark" |
| 2b | "I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat" |
| 13 | "the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat" |
| 14a | "sprinkle with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward" |
| 14b | "before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle" |
| 15a | "sprinkle it upon the mercy seat" |
| 15b | "and before the mercy seat" |
Total: 7 occurrences in 4 verses (vv.2,13,14,15) Critical structural observation: ALL kapporeth occurrences are in vv.2-15 (the FIRST HALF of the chapter, approaching and within the Most Holy Place). There are ZERO occurrences after v.15. This is strong spatial evidence: the mercy seat belongs exclusively to the inward movement phase.
kippur -- H3725 (כִּפֻּר)¶
Original: כִּפֻּר Transliteration: kippur (kip-poor) Part of Speech: masculine plural noun Definition: From H3722 (kaphar); expiation (only in plural) -- atonement. BLB Count: 8 occurrences Occurrences: Exo 29:36; 30:10; 30:16; Lev 23:27; 23:28; 25:9; Num 5:8; 29:11
This is the noun from which the day gets its name: יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים (Yom haKippurim, "Day of Atonements"). The plural form is significant -- the day involves multiple acts of atonement, not a single one. Notably, the noun kippur does NOT appear in Leviticus 16 itself; only the verbal root kaphar is used. The parallel passages (Lev 23:27-28; Num 29:11; Exo 30:10) use the noun form.