H3722 כָּפַר kâphar → Root
6 languagesRoot of the כפר family (8 members).
To cover over, to wipe away, or to cleanse, especially in contexts related to removing impurity, guilt, or offense; by extension, to effect reconciliation or restore favorable relations, commonly through prescribed ritual actions or offerings. The primary lexical sense involves physical or metaphorical covering, leading to the concept of expiating, appeasing, or reconciling in cultic and interpersonal contexts. In priestly and legal texts, denotes removing the consequences of sin or impurity, often through ritual acts.
Etymology
Root: כפר (k-p-r). The verbal root כפר conveys the basic idea of covering, concealing, or wiping away. Its earliest attested usage connects with the literal sense of smearing or coating (as with bitumen or pitch), as in coating the ark in Gen. 6:14. In ritual and legal texts, the root's semantic development leads to the figurative sense of covering or removing sin, guilt, or offense, thus signifying expiation or atonement. Derived nouns (e.g., כִּפֻּרִים 'kippurim') reflect these expanded senses.
| Language | Word | Meaning | Segmentation | Root |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chokwe | kufula | to clean, to free from impurity | -fula | |
| Kikongo | kúfúla | to cleanse, to purify | -fula | |
| Kimbundu | kufula | to purify, make clean | -fula | |
| Lunda | kufula | to cleanse, to make clean | -fula | |
| Luvale | kufula | to make clean | -fula | |
| Umbundu | okufula | to clean, to cleanse | -fula |