Leviticus (5) Not Atonement

The interesting thing about the Ascending Offering is that there is no mention of sin. It is not an offering for sin. A person brings the ascent offering as a way of expressing their love for the Lord. Yet, Leviticus 1:4 declares that the ascent offering makes atonement/expiation for the person offering it. This is odd. If the offering was not for dealing with sin, why does it produce expiation or propitiation? Leviticus provides a different offering for providing expiation for sin, whatever that means, so why would it have another offering that is not for sin, but which also makes expiation? To resolve this conundrum, we need to analyse the Hebrew word translated “atonement” or “expiation/propitiation”.

The Hebrew word “kipper” is hard to translate. When Tyndale made the first English translations, he made up the word atonement for this word and its equivalent in the New Testament. It originated with a Middle English phrase “at onement” which means “in harmony”. It describes reconciliation between humans and God. The problem with this word is that it confuses the process of the offering with the outcome. Leviticus does claim that the offerings described establish reconciliation with God. They are just a step towards that objective.

Most English versions translate “kipper” with the words “expiation”, “atonement” or “propitiation”. The problem is that these are religious words that carry meanings that are not in the Hebrew word “kipper”, so we get a distorted understanding because we assume that Leviticus is saying more than it contains. We must avoid imposing religious/theological meanings on the word that go beyond its actual sense. The verb “kipper” is a denominative verb, which means that it is derived from a related noun. We can deduce some of its meaning by understanding the parent noun. The noun “kipper” is a ransom gift. This noun is not used in Leviticus. In Exodus 30:12, it refers to a ransom paid by the children of Israel to God. In Numbers 35:31, it describe a payment made in exchange for his life by a murderer. It is used in a bad way in 1 Samuel 12:3 to describe a bribe.

The related verb “kipper” means “cover”, “clean”, purify” or “remove a contaminant”. It does not mean “reconcile” or “forgive”. This verb is used throughout the description of the offerings in Leviticus. In the case of the Ascending Offering, there is no sin to remove, so “cover” could be a better translation, because in addition to being an act of worship, it proves spiritual protection for the people of God.

The laity never eats an offering that has an atoning function; only the priests can eat from it. If an offering is for the sins of the priests, they cannot eat from it. Priests and people are not to benefit from their sins. This distinction helps distinguish offerings that have an atoning/cleansing problem.

Feasting is always connected with non-kipper offerings (Num 10:10).