HEBREW WORD STUDY – DAY OF ATONEMENT  – YOM KIPPUR   יום כפר  Yod Vav Mem    Kap Pei Resh

Leviticus 16:30:  “For on that day shall [the priest] make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, [that] ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”

As I write this, it is the eighth day after Rosh Hashannah, and tomorrow evening starts the 27-hour fasting and celebration of Yom Kippur.  Not kipper, that is a type of fish.  The word comes from the root word kippur and means to cover or provide a protective cover.  It also means an atonement, but that is basically what an atonement is, a protective covering for our sins.  

There is a second blessing on Yom Kippur, and that is a cleansing of your sin. The word cleanse, which is used two times in this verse, is taher.  Both times it is used as a verb, but the first time is that the observance of Yom Kippur is to cleanse you from sin, and this is in a Piel form, and the second time it is used at the end of the verse – “so you may be clean.” This time taher is in a simple Qal form. Why the different verbal forms?  I have a theory, only a theory, a very Christian theory at that.  I offer only for your consideration because I could be very wrong.  But here goes.  

From a Christian standpoint, I would say that the observance of Yom Kippur with the sacrifices and the two goats chosen, one for the Lord to be ritualistically sacrificed, and the other for Azazel, which is to be released but also thrown over a cliff to its demise. We call that one the scapegoat.  Actually, the word scapegoat was coined by Christians, not the Jews, and the goat did not really escape.  This goat was dedicated to Azazel, which is not a word found in Scripture.  Jews are not even sure what Azazel means.  The most common interpretation is that Azazel means a steep, rocky hard place. Even though set free, the goat was taken to a place called Azazel, where it plunges to its death.   So, really neither goat escaped.  This is explained in another study I did last year. 

Anyways, atonement we get, sins are covered, but they still need to be cleansed.  The word cleanse taher means to be free from any foreign elements and is ready for absorption. Here’s my theory. After ten days of repentance, one should reach a point of true repentance, true sorrow over your sins, and you confess them to God, and He forgives those sins. However, Yom Kippur is a day of ritual sacrifice and slaughter of animals dedicated to God. This is a picture of the redemption coming through the sacrifice of the Messiah Jesus.  In their time frame, this has not happened, although there is no time in God’s plane of existence, and thus the sacrifice has already taken place.  But since the sacrifice has already taken place in God’s plane of existence, the sins are covered and cleansed in a Piel form; a complete and total cleansing will occur. 

But then God says, “To cleanse you (Piel) that you may be clean (Qal) from all your sins before the Lord. In other words, in God’s eyes, after ten days of true repentance, experiencing Godly sorrow for your sins, you observe Yom Kippur, and God will fully and completely cleanse you in His eyes.  But until the sacrifice of the Messiah takes place in our timeframe, it is not a complete cleansing until Jesus dies on the cross in our minds and heart. 

Thus, for us today, that second cleanse or taher should be put into a Piel form, and hence we are now totally and completely clean that we are ready to be absorbed into God. 

You see, God is a big, big, huge God. He encompasses not only this entire world but the whole universe, and when we die, we will just be absorbed into Him because we are totally cleansed of our sins through the blood of Jesus.  But it is our choice.  Do we want God to absorb us in His all-encompassing love?  Then turn to Jesus, and He will cleanse you so that you are ready for absorption.  However, should you choose not to be cleansed and you die, you are not holy; you are not ready to be absorbed into God, so you must go somewhere where God is not. For your unholiness cannot be absorbed into the holiness of God.