כִּפֻּר
𐤊𐤐𐤓
kippur
H3725 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A ritual act or process of expiation; the removal or covering over of sin or impurity, typically through prescribed rites involving sacrifice. Most often denotes the ritual by which guilt or the consequences of transgression are dealt with in order to restore the relationship between the Israelite community or individuals and YHWH. Always occurs in the plural form (kippurim), most notably in the festival Yom ha-Kippurim, signaling the comprehensive or collective nature of the expiating acts.
Semantic Range
ritual act of expiation, covering over of sins or impurities, atonement via sacrificial rite, referring to the collective rite(s) on the Day of Atonement, act or process leading to cleansing or forgiveness
Root / Etymology
From the root כפר (k-p-r), which at the root level means 'to cover, to purge, to make a propitiatory ransom.' The form כִּפֻּר is a nominal formation (abstract noun), referring to the action or result of expiation or covering over. The term is closely connected to the verb כָּפַר ('to cover, atone, appease'), but the noun appears only in the plural (esp. 'kippurim').
Historical & Contextual Notes
כִּפֻּר occurs exclusively in the plural form כִּפֻּרִים (kippurim), most notably in Yom ha-Kippurim ('Day of Atonement,' Leviticus 23:27, 16:29). The festival of Yom ha-Kippurim is centered on ritual acts designed to achieve expiation for both the sanctuary and the Israelite community as a whole. The term does not refer to a generic 'atonement' in the sense of personal apology or interpersonal reconciliation, but rather to a specific ritual framework defined by sacrificial rites and purification procedures. In later periods, particularly after the destruction of the Second Temple, the meaning and practice of atonement (kippurim) shifted as sacrifice could no longer be performed. English translations often use 'atonement' but this can obscure the specifically cultic, priestly, and communal context of kippurim in the Torah. Related terms include כָּפַר (kafar, 'to atone, to cover'), כָּפֹר (koper, 'ransom, bribe'), and כִּפֶּר (kipper, 'he made atonement/expiation'). Different from חֵטְא (chet, 'sin, wrongdoing'), which refers to the offense itself.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from כָּפַר; expiation (only in plural); atonement.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כפר (k-p-r) — covering, purging, propitiating
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3713 | כְּפוֹר | covering layer |
| H3715 | כְּפִיר | in the young lions |
| H3716 | כְּפִירָה | Kephirah |
| H3722 | כָּפַר | I will wipe away |
| H3723 | כָּפָר | in the enclosed villages |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3725-01 |
הַ/כִּפֻּרִ֔ים | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of atonement | the expiations | 6 |
H3725-02 |
כִּפֻּרִים֙ | kipurim | HNcmpa |
of atonement | expiation-rites | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3725-01 |
Exodus 29:36 | הַ/כִּפֻּרִ֔ים | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
atonements | the expiations |
H3725-01 |
Exodus 30:10 | הַ/כִּפֻּרִ֗ים | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of atonement | the expiations |
H3725-01 |
Leviticus 23:27 | הַ/כִּפֻּרִ֣ים | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of Atonement | the expiations |
H3725-02 |
Leviticus 23:28 | כִּפֻּרִים֙ | kipurim | HNcmpa |
of atonement | expiation-rites |
H3725-01 |
Leviticus 25:9 | הַ/כִּפֻּרִ֔ים | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
the atonement | the expiations |
H3725-01 |
Numbers 5:8 | הַ/כִּפֻּרִ֔ים | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of the atonements | the expiations |
H3725-01 |
Numbers 29:11 | הַ/כִּפֻּרִים֙ | hakipurim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of atonement | the expiations |