The Meaning of Leviticus 4:26 Explained

Leviticus 4:26

KJV: And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

YLT: and with all its fat he doth make perfume on the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings; and the priest hath made atonement for him because of his sin, and it hath been forgiven him.

Darby: And he shall burn all its fat on the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him to cleanse him from his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

ASV: And all the fat thereof shall he burn upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he shall burn  all his fat  upon the altar,  as the fat  of the sacrifice  of peace offerings:  and the priest  shall make an atonement  for him as concerning his sin,  and it shall be forgiven  him. 

What does Leviticus 4:26 Mean?

Study Notes

atonement
Heb. kaphar, "to cover." The English word "atonement" (at-one-ment) is not a translation of the Heb. kaphar, but a translator's interpretation. According to Scripture the legal sacrifice "covered" the offerer's sin and secured the divine forgiveness; according to the translators it made God and the sinner at- one. But the O.T. sacrifices did not at-one the sinner and God. "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." Hebrews 10:4 . The Israelite's offering implied confession of sin and of its due desert, death; and God "covered" (passed over," Romans 3:25 his sin, in anticipation of Christ's sacrifice, which did, finally, "put away" the sins "done aforetime in the forbearance of God."; Romans 3:25 ; Hebrews 9:15 . (See Scofield " Romans 3:25 ") . The word "atonement" does not occur in the N.T.; Romans 5:11 meaning reconciliation, and so rendered in the R.V.
See "Sacrifice," Genesis 4:4 , and refs. (See Scofield " Genesis 4:4 ")
(See Scofield " Leviticus 16:5 ")

Context Summary

Leviticus 4:22-35 - Sin-Offerings For Rulers And People
The character of the sin for which the sin-offering was presented is expressed by the words, repeated again and again, "through ignorance," or "unwittingly," or "through error." It is the word used of the unintentional man-slayer, who, without premeditation, might kill another. See Numbers 35:1-34. God's Word distinguishes deliberate, willful sin from that of which it may be said, "they know not what they do;" or, "I wot that through ignorance ye did it." See Luke 23:34; Acts 3:17. While the blood of the offering for the priest and the congregation was brought into the holy place and sprinkled seven times before the Lord, the blood of the offerings for the ruler or the individual was sprinkled only on the horns of the altar. The hue of the sin was not so dark in the latter case as where there was greater knowledge of God's will. In Luke 12:47-48, our Lord makes a similar distinction. [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 4

1  The sin offering of ignorance
3  for the priest
13  for the congregation
22  for the ruler
27  for any of the people

What do the individual words in Leviticus 4:26 mean?

And all its fat he shall burn on the altar like the fat of the sacrifice of the peace offering so shall make atonement for him the priest concerning his sin and it shall be forgiven him -
וְאֶת־ כָּל־ חֶלְבּוֹ֙ יַקְטִ֣יר הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה כְּחֵ֖לֶב זֶ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִ֑ים וְכִפֶּ֨ר עָלָ֧יו הַכֹּהֵ֛ן מֵחַטָּאת֖וֹ וְנִסְלַ֥ח לֽוֹ פ

חֶלְבּוֹ֙  its  fat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
יַקְטִ֣יר  he  shall  burn 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה  on  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
כְּחֵ֖לֶב  like  the  fat 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
זֶ֣בַח  of  the  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
הַשְּׁלָמִ֑ים  of  the  peace  offering 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שֶׁלֶם  
Sense: peace offering, requital, sacrifice for alliance or friendship.
וְכִפֶּ֨ר  so  shall  make  atonement 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּפַר 
Sense: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.
עָלָ֧יו  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַכֹּהֵ֛ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
מֵחַטָּאת֖וֹ  concerning  his  sin 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חַטָּאָה 
Sense: sin, sinful.
וְנִסְלַ֥ח  and  it  shall  be  forgiven 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַח  
Sense: to forgive, pardon.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation