What Does Numbers 15:25 Mean?
And the priest shall make a covering for all the assembly of the children of Israel, and it shall be released to them, for it is straying. And they shall bring their drawing near, an offering of fire to the LORD, and their offering for falling short before the LORD, for their straying.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:THE KEY
The verse binds an unintentional miss to two movements of restoration: covering first, release after.
THE MEANING
An unintentional miss is still named before the LORD. The congregation is covered and released, and an offering is brought before the LORD as part of that restoration.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Only deliberate wrongdoing can be addressed before God.
THE ROOT
כִּפֶּר
kipper
GROWS FROM
כפר
cover, cover over
Under “atonement” is the image of covering. The verse places that covering over the entire congregation, then names release as its outcome.
ALSO GROWS
kappōret: covering; the cover over the ark
כַּפֹּרֶת
This branch carries the same covering image into the sanctuary.
kōfer: ransom; covering price
כֹּפֶר
This branch keeps the root’s covering sense visible in a price that covers a liability.
וְנִסְלַח
wenislach
GROWS FROM
סלח
release, pardon, forgive
“released” in this verse is wenislach. The outcome is release: the congregation is forgiven after the covering. The verse holds these as related but distinct movements.
ALSO GROWS
salach: forgive, pardon
סָלַח
This verb names the release given to the congregation.
selichah: forgiveness, pardon
סְלִיחָה
This noun carries the same root into the act or state of forgiveness.
שְׁגָגָה
shegagah
GROWS FROM
שגה
stray, err, go astray
The word rendered “ignorance” points to an unintentional straying or error, not simply a lack of information. The verse names the miss precisely while including it in the covering and release.
ALSO GROWS
shagah: stray, err
שָׁגָה
The verb gives the sense of wandering from the way, which clarifies the kind of error named here.
shegagah: inadvertent error
שְׁגָגָה
This noun identifies the congregation’s failure as unintentional.
THE PATTERN
Scripture holds a real miss together with restoration: it is named, then covered, released, or cleansed.
He makes a covering for the set-apart sanctuary, for the tent of meeting and the altar, for the priests, and for all the people of the assembly.A Psalm of David, Maschil. Flourishing is the one whose rebellion is released, whose shortcomings are covered.If we speak our shortcomings into the open, he is steady and aligned, to release our shortcomings, and to cleanse us from all crookedness.THE THREAD
He makes a covering for the set-apart sanctuary, for the tent of meeting and the altar, for the priests, and for all the people of the assembly.The same covering root translated here as “atonement” appears across this verse. Its repetition extends the image from sacred space and its servants to the whole congregation, opening the communal reach of the covering in Numbers 15:25.
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