H3722a H3722a
Make atonement, cover over sin; appease, pacify; forgive — the central verb of Israel's sacrificial system
The defining verb of Israel's atonement theology, appearing overwhelmingly in Levitical ritual contexts. Built on the concrete image of covering or smearing over, the Piel stem developed into the technical term for cultic expiation — the priestly act of making atonement through blood sacrifice to restore the worshiper's standing before God. Beyond the altar, the word extends to appeasing human anger (Gen 32:20), to divine forgiveness apart from sacrifice (Ps 78:38), and to the theological hope of sin being covered and removed (Dan 9:24). Its range from physical covering to spiritual reconciliation traces the arc of biblical soteriology.
Senses
1. make ritual atonement (Piel) — The overwhelming dominant sense — Piel cultic atonement — accounting for over 80% of occurrences. Arabic كَفَّرَ (the exact cognate) and Swahili -fanya upatanisho both capture the ritual performative quality. The Levitical formula 'and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven' (Lev 4:26, 31, 35) is the defining pattern. French expier and German Sühne preserve the expiatory rather than merely propitiatory nuance. 85×
AR["وَ-يُكَفِّرُ"]·ben["এবং-প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-করবে","এবং-প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-করুক","এবং-সে-প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-করবে"]·DE["und-er-soll-machen-Suehne","und-er-soll-suehnen","und-lass-machen-Suehne","und-soll-machen-Suehne","und-soll-suehnen"]·EN["and-he-shall-atone","and-he-shall-make-atonement","and-let-make-atonement","and-shall-atone","and-shall-make-atonement"]·FR["et-devra-expier","et-devra-faire-expiation","et-il-devra-expier","et-il-devra-faire-expiation","et-laisse-faire-expiation"]·heb["ו-כיפר"]·HI["और-प्रायश्चित करेगा","और-प्रायश्चित-करे","यहोवा","याजक"]·ID["Dan-mengadakan-pendamaian","dan-mengadakan-pendamaian"]·IT["e-dovra-fare-espiazione","e-egli-dovra-espiare","e-egli-dovra-fare-espiazione","e-espiera","e-lascia-fare-espiazione"]·jav["Lan-nebus","lan-nebus","lan-panebus"]·KO["그리고-그-가-속죄하라","그리고-속죄하라","그리고-속죄하리라","그리고-속죄할-것이다"]·PT["E-expiará","E-fará-expiação","e-expiará","e-fará-expiação"]·RU["и-искупит","и-совершит-искупление"]·ES["Y-expiará","y-expiará"]·SW["Na-atafanya-upatanisho","na-atafanya-upatanisho"]·TR["ve-kefaret-edecek"]·urd["اور-کفارہ-دے","اور-کفارہ-دےگا"]
2. be atoned, be forgiven (Pual/Hitpael/Nithpael) — Passive and reflexive-passive stems (Pual, Hitpael, Nithpael): to have atonement made on one's behalf or to be forgiven. Num 35:33 warns that the land cannot be atoned for except by blood; 1 Sam 3:14 declares Eli's house shall never be atoned for. Spanish es expiada and German kann gesühnt werden confirm the passive voice. The Deut 21:8 usage shows the community receiving atonement through the heifer ritual. 8×
AR["فَيُكَفَّرُ","كُفِّرَ","كُفِّرَت","يُكَفَّرُ"]·ben["এবং-প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-হবে","ক্ষমা-করা-হবে","প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-করা-হয়েছে","প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-হবে","প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-হয়"]·DE["[יכפר]","[תכפר]","kann-sein-suehnte","und-soll-sein-suehnte","war-suehnte","wird-sein-atoned"]·EN["and-shall-be-atoned","can-be-atoned","is-atoned","shall-be-atoned","was-atoned","will-be-atoned"]·FR["et-devra-être-expia","expier","fera-être-atoned","peut-être-expia","était-expia","יכפר"]·heb["ו-נכפר","ייכופר","יכופר","יתכפר","כופר","כיפר","תכופר"]·HI["और-प्रायश्चित-होगा","प्रायश्चित-होगा","प्रायश्चित-होता-है","प्रायश्चित्त-किया-गया","प्रायश्चित्त-होगा"]·ID["dan-diampunilah","diampuni","dihapuskan","diperdamaikan","ditebus"]·IT["e-dovra-essere-espio","espiare","fu-espiò","puo-essere-espio","vorrà-essere-atoned","è-atoned"]·jav["dipun-pangapura","dipun-panggèhaken","dipun-tebus","dipunpuntenaken","dipunsuceni","lan-dipunngapurani"]·KO["그리고-속죄되리라","속죄되다","속죄된다","속죄한","속함을-받느니라","속해졌도다","용서되리니","용서된다면"]·PT["e-será-perdoado","expiado","expiará","foi-expiado","for-expiada","haverá-expiação","será-expiada"]·RU["будет-искуплено","заглажено","и-очистится","искупается","искупится","очистится","очищен","простится"]·ES["es-expiada","es-perdonada","fue-expiado","será-expiada","será-expiado","y-será-perdonada"]·SW["haitasamehewa","ilifanyiwa-upatanisho","imefunikwa","inafanyiwa-upatanisho","itapatanishwa","itasamehewa","na-itafanywa-upatanisho","utafanyiwa-upatanisho"]·TR["bagislanacak","bagislınacak","bağışlanacak","kefaret-edildi","kefaret-edilebilir","ve-bağışlanacak","örtülür"]·urd["اور-کفارہ-ہو","معاف-کیا-جائے-گا","معاف-ہوگا","کفارہ-دیا-جاتا-ہے","کفارہ-دیا-گیا","کفارہ-ہو-سکتا","کفارہ-ہو-گا","کفارہ-ہو-گیا"]
3. forgive, pardon directly (Piel) — Divine forgiveness without explicit sacrificial ritual — God as subject directly pardoning sin. Ps 78:38 ('yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity') and Ps 79:9 ('help us, O God of our salvation, and atone for our sins') place God himself as the agent of covering. This sense anticipates the prophetic critique that moves beyond ritual to divine mercy. Ezek 16:63 uses it of God's initiative in restoring shamed Jerusalem. 3×
AR["عِنْدَ-تَكْفِيرِي-","وَكَفِّرْ","يُكَفِّرُ"]·ben["এবং-আবৃত-কর","ক্ষমা-করায়-আমি-","ক্ষমা-করেন"]·DE["suehnen","sühnt-für","und-sühnen"]·EN["and-atone","atones-for","when-I-atone-"]·FR["et-expier","expier"]·heb["ב-כפרי-","ו-כפר","יכפר"]·HI["और-प्रायश्चित-कर","क्षमा-करता-है","में-क्षमा-करने-मेरे-"]·ID["dan-ampunilah","ketika-Aku-menebus-","mengampuni"]·IT["e-fece-espiazione","espiare","fece-espiazione"]·jav["nalika-Aku-ngapunteni-","ngapunteni","saha-ngapunteni"]·KO["내가-속죄함에-","용서하소서","용서하시다"]·PT["e-perdoa","perdoava","quando-eu-expiar-"]·RU["и-очисти","когда-прощу-Я-","прощает"]·ES["al-perdonar-yo","expiará","y-expiarás"]·SW["alisamehe","na-utusamehe","wakati-nitakapokusamehe"]·TR["bağışlar","kapamanda","ve-bağışla"]·urd["اور-کفّارہ-دے","جب-مَیں-معاف-کروں-","معاف-کرتا-ہے"]
4. appease, pacify a person (Piel) — Human-to-human appeasement: Jacob seeks to 'cover the face' of Esau with gifts before their reunion (Gen 32:20), and Prov 16:14 observes that a wise man appeases a king's wrath. Arabic أُكَفِّرُ and French apaiser mark the interpersonal rather than cultic register. The underlying metaphor of covering the offended party's face preserves the root etymology more transparently than the developed ritual sense. 2×
AR["أُكَفِّرُ","يُكَفِّرُهُ"]·ben["শান্ত-করব","শান্ত-করবে-তা"]·DE["[יכפרנה]","ich-will-besänftigen"]·EN["I-will-appease","appeases-it"]·FR["Je---apaiser","יכפרנה"]·heb["יכפרנה","כפר"]·HI["शान्त-करूँगा-मैं","शान्त-करेगा-उसे"]·ID["aku-akan-melunakkan","meredakannya"]·IT["appeases-esso","io-will-appease"]·jav["Kawula-badhé-nglunakaken","ngleremaken"]·KO["달래느니라-그것을","달래리라"]·PT["a-apazigua","aplacarei"]·RU["умилостивлю","умиротворит-его"]·ES["apaciguaré","la-apaciguará"]·SW["ataituliza","nitafunika"]·TR["Yatıştırayım","yatıştırır-onu"]·urd["مناؤںگا-میں","ٹالے-گا-اُسے"]
5. cover, conceal sin (Piel) — The etymological sense of covering or concealing sin, closer to the physical root meaning. Jer 18:23 ('do not cover over their iniquity') and Dan 9:24 ('to atone for iniquity') focus on the sin itself being hidden from view rather than on a ritual procedure. This preserves what many scholars consider the original semantic core, before the Priestly literature specialized it into cultic terminology. German sühnen and Spanish expiar still carry both physical and spiritual overtones. 2×
AR["تَكْفُرْ","وَ-لِـ-تَكْفِيرِ"]·ben["এবং-প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-করতে","ক্ষমা-কর"]·DE["[תכפר]","und-suehnen"]·EN["and-to-atone-for","forgive"]·FR["et-expier","expier"]·heb["ו-ל-כפר","תכפר"]·HI["और-प्रायश्चित-करने-को","ढक"]·ID["dan-untuk-menebus","mengampuni"]·IT["e-espiare","espiare"]·jav["kalepatan-nipun,","lan-kangge-nebus"]·KO["그리고-속죄하려","덮지"]·PT["e-para-expiar","perdoes"]·RU["и-чтобы-искупить","прости"]·ES["perdones","y-para-expiar"]·SW["na-kufunika","usifunike"]·TR["ve-kefaret-etmek-için","ört"]·urd["اور-کفارہ-دینے-کے-لیے","بخش"]
6. sense 6 — A single occurrence in Isa 47:11 where disaster falls on Babylon and 'you will not be able to atone for it' — that is, no covering payment or ransom will avert it. Spanish expiarla and French expier are used, but the context is not cultic; it is the impossibility of buying off divine judgment. This may represent the transactional 'ransom' nuance of covering, related to the noun kopher (ransom price). 1×
AR["تَكْفِيرَهَا"]·ben["-তাকে-প্রশমিত-করতে"]·DE["[כפרה]"]·EN["to-atone-for-it"]·FR["expier"]·heb["כפרה"]·HI["उसे-टालना"]·ID["menebusnya"]·IT["espiare"]·jav["nulak"]·KO["막기-"]·PT["expiar"]·RU["искупить-её"]·ES["expiarla"]·SW["kuuzuia"]·TR["karsligini-vermek"]·urd["اُسے-روکنے"]
7. sense 7 — A single occurrence in Isa 28:18 where God declares the covenant with death 'shall be annulled.' Spanish será anulado and English 'shall be annulled' suggest a legal cancellation sense — the covering or atonement agreement is voided. This usage extends the root metaphor from covering-over to its reversal: an invalid covering is stripped away, leaving the parties exposed to judgment. 1×
AR["وَ-يُبْطَلُ"]·ben["ও-বাতিল-হবে"]·DE["[וכפר]"]·EN["And-shall-be-annulled"]·FR["et-expier"]·heb["ו-כופר"]·HI["और-टूटेगा"]·ID["Dan-dibatalkan"]·IT["e-espiare"]·jav["lan-dipun-batalkaken"]·KO["그리고-폐할-것이다"]·PT["E-será-anulada"]·RU["И-будет-отменён"]·ES["Y-será-anulado"]·SW["Na-litavunjwa"]·TR["Ve-iptal-edilecek"]·urd["اور-منسوخ-ہوگا"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כִּפֶּר vb.Pi etc. denom. cover over (fig.), pacify, make propitiation;— Pi Pf. כִּפֶּר Ex 30:10 + 31 times; 2 ms. sf. כִּפַּרְתָּ֑הוּ Ez 43:20; 3 mpl. יְכַפְּרוּ Ez 43:26; 2 mpl. כִּפַּרְתֶּם Ez 45:20; Impf. יְכַפֵּר Ex 30:10 + 10 times; יְכַפֶּר־ Lv 7:7 Nu 5:8; sf. יְכַפְּרֶנָּה Pr 16:14; 1 s. אֲכַפֵּר 2 S 21:3; אֲכַפְּרָה Gn 32:21 Ex 32:30, etc.; Imv. כַּפֵּר Dt 21:8 + 4 times; Inf. כַּפֵּר…