What Does Leviticus 16:18 Mean in the King James?

And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.

Leviticus 16:18 · 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

Atonement here is a covering laid over the altar itself, with blood reaching its horns all around.

THE MEANING

The altar itself receives atonement: blood is placed on its horns all around. The verse makes the covering concrete and complete, extending even to the place where offerings are brought before the LORD.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

Only people need cleansing; sacred places are automatically untouched.

THE ROOT

כִּפֶּר

kipper

GROWS FROM

כפר

k-p-r

to cover or coat over

The ⁨כפר⁩ root can describe sealing a surface with pitch and covering a sacred place through ritual. “Atonement” carries that physical image of covering here: blood is applied to the altar, reaching all around its horns.

ALSO GROWS

kopher: pitch, a coating

כֹּפֶר

In Genesis 6:14, this word names the pitch coating the ark inside and out, showing the root’s concrete sense of covering a surface.

kappōret: the cover over the ark

כַּפֹּרֶת

The cover over the ark of the covenant shares the root, linking covering with the sacred space where the LORD meets the people.

THE PATTERN

Covering is applied where exposure must be dealt with, whether on the altar, the ark, or through blood.

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Genesis 6:14 · KJVThe ark is coated inside and out with pitch from the same ⁨כפר⁩ root that names atonement here as covering.

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 · KJVBlood is applied to the altar’s horns in an act of atonement, echoing the verse’s covering of the altar.

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

Hebrews 9:22 · KJVThe verse links blood with the removal of what remains unresolved, widening the pattern beyond the altar itself.

THE THREAD

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Genesis 6:14 · KJV

The Hebrew verb for “pitch” in Genesis comes from the same ⁨כפר⁩ root as “atonement” here. One verse coats an ark against the waters; the other applies blood as a covering to the altar.

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