What Does Leviticus 16:15 Mean in the King James?

Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

Leviticus 16:15 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

The “mercy seat” is also a covering, and the blood is placed both upon it and before it.

THE MEANING

The people’s missing is carried past the veil through the goat’s blood, which is sprinkled on and before the covering. For the reader now, the image joins covering with closest approach: what is named as missing is brought to the place where cleansing meets nearness.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

It undoes the belief that what is missing must remain outside the place of encounter: the blood for the people is carried within the veil.

THE ROOT

כַּפֹּרֶת

kappōret

GROWS FROM

כפר

Cover, cover over.

Kappōret (⁨כַּפֹּרֶת⁩, kappōret, covering) grows from kāphar (⁨כָּפַר⁩, kāphar, cover). The familiar “mercy seat” also holds the concrete image of a covering, and the verse places blood both on that covering and before it.

ALSO GROWS

kāphar: To cover or cover over.

כָּפַר

This verbal form makes the covering sense inside kappōret visible.

kippurim: Coverings; atonements.

כִּפֻּרִים

The word shares the root that links the Day of Atonement to the covering named at the center of this verse.

חַטָּאת

ḥaṭṭāʾt

GROWS FROM

חטא

Miss, err, or fail to reach the mark.

The offering is called chatta’t (⁨חַטָּאת⁩, chatta’t, missing or sin offering), from the root chata (⁨חָטָא⁩, ḥāṭāʾ, miss or err). The same word-family holds both the people’s missing and the offering brought on their behalf, carrying that connection all the way to the covering.

ALSO GROWS

ḥāṭāʾ: To miss, err, or do wrong.

חָטָא

This verbal branch gives the offering’s name its sense of a miss or failure.

ḥēt: Missing, offense.

חֵטְא

This noun shares the root and shows how the language connects the people’s missing with the offering named here.

THE PATTERN

Blood is brought to the place of covering as part of cleansing what separates the people.

And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

Exodus 30:10 · KJVThe altar, like the covering in Leviticus, is approached with blood as part of the yearly act of covering.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Leviticus 17:11 · KJVThis verse connects blood with the covering made at the altar.

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Hebrews 9:22 · KJVHebrews carries the pattern forward by joining blood with cleansing and release.

THE THREAD

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.

Leviticus 16:30 · KJV

The “mercy seat” here is kappōret (⁨כַּפֹּרֶת⁩, kappōret, covering), from kāphar (⁨כָּפַר⁩, kāphar, cover). In this verse, “make an atonement” uses that same root, and cleansing names the result of the movement toward covering.

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