In a previous blog, Where Did The Word Atonement Come From? (September, 26, 2023) I discussed how William Tyndale created the word Atonement because there was not an existing English counterpart for the Hebrew word Kippur (כִּפֻּר, Strong’s H3725). Author Harry Freedman who wrote  the book, The Murderous History of Bible Translations, in a blog for The Times of Israel wrote, “The Greek Septuagint had given c-p-r a sense of ‘cleansing’ while the Latin Vulgate thought it had something to do with prayer. Tyndale could see from the context here and elsewhere that neither of these words were adequate. He decided that the meaning of c-p-r was closer to the idea of being at one with God, so he invented the word at-one-ment, or atonement.” Freedman went on to say, “Creative as it was, Tyndale’s translation does not convey the full meaning of the Hebrew root.”[1] What does he mean by this?

All Hebrew words come from a three letter root word if they are not themselves a root word. The word Kippur comes from the root word Kāp̄ar (כָּפַר, Strong’s H3722). This word appears 102 times in the King James Old Testament. It is translated as atonement seventy one times, but also appears as purge, reconciliation, reconcile, forgive, purge away, pacify, merciful, cleansed, disannulled, appease, put off, and pardon. It even appears as the word pitch in Genesis 6: 14, “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” All of these verses with the word Kāp̄ar add light to the meaning of Kippur.  Sometimes the relationship is not so obvious and this becomes apparent with some of the other words in the Bible whose root word is also Kāp̄ar.

The Hebrew word Kapōreṯ (כַּפֹּרֶת, Strong’s H3727) is translated as “Mercy Seat” in the King James Bible. The Mercy Seat is the lid of the Ark of the Covenant and is the actual place where atonement occurred on the Day of Atonement. It is not hard to see how this word is related to Kippur.

The Hebrew word Kōp̄er (כֹּפֶר, Strong’s H3724) is another word derived from the word Kāp̄ar and has several seemingly unrelated meanings. It can be used to refer to a ransom. An example of this is found in Exodus 30: 12, “When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.” This can be related to Kippur because Chrit’s blood payed the ransom required by our sins. In Genesis 6: 14 quoted above the word “pitch” appears two times. The first time is Kāp̄ar but the second time is Kōp̄er. Just as the pitch covered the gopher wood of Noah’s Ark and made it able to withstand the waters of the flood, so Christ’s blood covers our sins and gives us strength to withstand future temptations from Satan. Once we are covered with His righteousness we appear to God as if we have not sinned.

The other meanings of the word Kōp̄er are not so clearly related to Kippur. It appears in Song of Solomon 1: 14, “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” The word “camphire” refers to the henna plant. Henna was used for cosmetic purposes by both men and women. Just as henna can be used to cover the skin and hair, so Christ’s blood can cover our sins. Kōp̄er can also refer to “village” as in 1 Samuel 6: 18. The relationship between village and Kippur is not readily apparent. However, a walled village would offer more protection from an attack than open field.

The word Kᵊp̄îr (כְּפִיר, Strong’s H3715) is also derived from the root word Kāp̄ar and is the hardest to link with Kippur. It usually refers to a young lion but in one text (Nehemiah 6: 2) refers to a village. An example where it refers to a young lion is found in Hosea 5: 14, “For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.” It is hard to see how the texts referring to young lions could in any way be related to Kippur. The final Hebrew word derived from the root word Kāp̄ar is the word Kāp̄ār (כָּפָר, Strong’s 3723). It appears twice in the King James Bible and both times refers to villages.

With all these related Hebrew words in mind, what can we say about the meaning of the word Kippur? Certainly, William Tyndale’s word Atonement gives a clear picture of becoming one with God. This is the purpose of the Plan of Salvation. Before they sinned, Adam and Eve were at one with God in the Garden of Eden. God wants to restore that relationship. This will only happen when we are restored to perfection. With Christ’s death on the cross, the ransom sin required was paid. With the day of Atonement Christ’s blood is applied as a covering for our sins. Once we are covered in His righteousness, we appear sinless before God. Once this occurs, we can be redeemed and reconciled with God. All that remains to be done after that is for us to be restored to absolute perfection when Jesus returns. We can obtain At-one-ment with God just as Adam and Eve did before sin.

It is true that the Day of Atonement is a day of judgment. However, many people think of judgment in terms of condemnation and retribution. The Day of Atonement is none of these things. It is all about redemption and reconciliation with God. You want to be judged on the Day of Atonement because everyone judged on that day is reconciled with God and will eat from the Tree of Life. The judgment of condemnation and retribution for the wicked comes on a different day.

So, is this all there is to say about the meaning of Kippur? In order to answer this we need to consider this statement from Ellen G. White:

In this life we can only begin to understand the wonderful theme of redemption. With our finite comprehension we may consider most earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy, that meet in the cross; yet with the utmost stretch of our mental powers we fail to grasp its full significance. The length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of redeeming love are but dimly comprehended. The plan of redemption will not be fully understood, even when the ransomed see as they are seen and know as they are known; but through the eternal ages new truth will continually unfold to the wondering and delighted mind. Though the griefs and pains and temptations of earth are ended and the cause removed, the people of God will ever have a distinct, intelligent knowledge of what their salvation has cost.^[2]

Perhaps we will never fully understand the meaning of Kippur.

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[1]. Harry Freedman, “Atonement: A Made Up Word with an Impossible Meaning,” The Times of Israel, May 1, 2019, https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/atonement-a-made-up-word-with-an-impossible-meaning/

^[2] White, E. G. (1911). The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan (Vol. 5, p. 651). Pacific Press Publishing Association.