What Does Leviticus 5:16 Mean in the King James?

And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him.

Leviticus 5:16 · 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

Here forgiveness does not leave the loss behind: what was diminished in the set-apart thing is repaid with an added fifth before covering is made.

THE MEANING

When what is set apart is harmed, the loss has a measurable return: the original amount is repaid, with a fifth added. The priest makes covering for the trespass with the ram, and the person is released from the charge. Repair addresses what was diminished; pardon addresses the one responsible.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

Forgiveness means the material harm can simply be ignored.

THE ROOT

יְשַׁלֵּם

yeshallēm

GROWS FROM

שׁלם

š-l-m

Be whole or complete; make whole, repay.

The word translated “make amends” shares a root with both wholeness and repayment: repair is not merely an inward feeling but a return that makes good what was damaged. The added fifth gives that restoration a concrete surplus.

ALSO GROWS

shalom: Wholeness, completeness, well-being.

שָׁלוֹם

This branch shows the larger aim carried by the repair: the damaged thing moves toward wholeness.

shillem: Repay, make restitution.

שִׁלֵּם

This branch makes the verse’s repair tangible: what is owed is paid back.

יְכַפֵּר

yekapper

GROWS FROM

כפר

k-p-r

Cover; make covering.

“make an atonement” in this verse is yekapper. The priest’s act is expressed with the covering-root, distinguishing the covering of the trespass from making the sacred loss whole. The ram participates in that covering, and forgiveness is the result named at the end of the verse.

ALSO GROWS

kippur: Covering, atonement.

כִּפֻּר

This word preserves the covering image in the priest’s act.

kōpher: Covering price, ransom.

כֹּפֶר

It shows this root can also describe a payment that covers a claim, resonating with the ram in the verse.

הַקֹּדֶשׁ

ha-qodesh

GROWS FROM

קדש

q-d-sh

Set apart; dedicate as sacred.

“holy thing” in this verse is ha-qodesh. The loss is not generic property damage: it reaches something marked as set apart. The verse locates repair at the boundary between what is common and what is dedicated.

ALSO GROWS

qadosh: Set apart, sacred.

קָדוֹשׁ

This branch makes clear why the damaged thing carries a distinct claim on repair.

qiddesh: Set apart, consecrate.

קִדֵּשׁ

This branch shows the active sense of marking something for sacred use.

THE PATTERN

When harm creates a debt, restoration is concrete: the loss is returned with an added measure.

Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

Numbers 5:7 · KJVThe harm is named, repaid, and met with the same added fifth that makes restoration more than a bare return.

And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

Luke 19:8 · KJVThe return exceeds what was taken, making repair visible in the world the harm touched.

THE THREAD

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Psalm 50:14 · KJV

The Hebrew verb behind “pay” here is ⁨שׁלם⁩ (sh-l-m, “make whole, complete”), the same root behind “make amends” in Leviticus. In both verses, what is owed reaches completion through repayment.

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