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objects. In Num. 25:13, Phinehas is said to have “made an atonement for the children of
Israel” by spearing a couple during orgiastic worship of Baal.
God is often the subject of
in this general sense, too. In 2 Chron. 30:18,
Hezekiah prays for God to “pardon” those who were not ritually prepared for the
Passover. At the conclusion of the Song of Moses, Yahweh is praised because He “will
atone for His land and His people” (Deut. 32:43,
NASB
). Similar general uses of the word
appear in Ps. 65:3; 78:38; and Dan. 9:24. Jeremiah once uses
to pray bitterly that
Yahweh not “forgive” the iniquity of those plotting to slay him (Jer. 18:23), and in Ps.
79:9 the word means “to purge” sin.
Most often
is used in connection with specific rites, and the immediate subject
is a priest. All types of ritual sacrifice are explained in terms of
!
We find the
priests’ smearing of blood on the altar during the “sin offering” (
) described as
“atonement” (Exod. 29: 36-37; Lev. 4:20, 31; 10:17; Num. 28:22; 29:5; Neh. 10:33). The
use of blood is not quite so prominent in sacrifices, but the relation to “atonement” still
holds. It is clearly true of the “guilt offering” (Lev. 5:16, 18; 6:7; 7:7; 14:21; 19:22; Num.
5:8). The principle holds even when the poor cannot afford an animal or birds, and they
sacrifice only a little flour—i.e., where obviously no blood is involved (Lev. 5:11-13).
Making “atonement” (
) is also part of the purpose of the “burnt offering” (Lev. 1:4;
Num. 15:25). The only major type of sacrifice not classified an “atonement” in Leviticus
is the “cereal offering” (
) of chapter 2; but Ezek. 45:15, 17 does include it under
that heading. First Chron. 6:49 applies the concept to the priestly ministry in general. The
connection of all of the rituals with
peaks in the complex ceremony of the annual
Day of Atonement (
'
$
), as described in detail in Lev. 16.
Most English versions prefer to render
with the more neutral term “atone” or
even “ransom.” But various translations often have “expiate” or “propitiate” as well. The
terms are partly synonymous. In any sacrifice, the action is directed both toward God
(
) and toward the offense (
@
). “Expiate,” “atone,” and even “forgive”
(if related to sacrifice) all have God as their primary subject, while “propitiation”
addresses God as object.
All the sacrifices in the world would not satisfy God’s righteousness (e.g., Mic. 6:7;
Ps. 50:7-15). Hence God alone can provide an atonement or expiation for sin, by which
His wrath is assuaged. The righteous God is neither implacable nor capricious, but
provides Himself the “ransom” or substitute sacrifice that would satisfy Him. The priest
at the altar represents God Himself, bringing the requisite offering before God; sacrifice
is not essentially man’s action, but God’s own act of pardoning mercy.
B. Noun.
$
(
- .
%
, 1353), "(right of) redemption.” This word is used in regard to
deliverance of persons or property that had been sold for debt. The law required that the
“right of redemption” of land and of persons be protected (Lev. 25:24, 48). The
redemption price was determined by the number of years remaining until the release of
debts in the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:27-28). The word
$
also occurs in Jer. 32:7: