The Meaning of Leviticus 4:31 Explained

Leviticus 4:31

KJV: And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

YLT: and all its fat he doth turn aside, as the fat hath been turned aside from off the sacrifice of the peace-offerings, and the priest hath made perfume on the altar, for sweet fragrance to Jehovah; and the priest hath made atonement for him, and it hath been forgiven him.

Darby: And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offering; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, for a sweet odour to Jehovah; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

ASV: And all the fat thereof shall he take away, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace-offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor unto Jehovah; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he shall take away  all the fat  thereof, as the fat  is taken away  from off the sacrifice  of peace offerings;  and the priest  shall burn  [it] upon the altar  for a sweet  savour  unto the LORD;  and the priest  shall make an atonement  for him, and it shall be forgiven  him. 

What does Leviticus 4:31 Mean?

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 4:31 mean?

And all its fat He shall remove as is removed fat from the sacrifice of the peace offering and shall burn it the priest on the altar for a aroma sweet to Yahweh so shall make atonement for him the priest and it shall be forgiven him -
וְאֶת־ כָּל־ חֶלְבָּ֣הּ יָסִ֗יר כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר הוּסַ֣ר חֵלֶב֮ מֵעַ֣ל זֶ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִים֒ וְהִקְטִ֤יר הַכֹּהֵן֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה לְרֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹ֖חַ לַיהוָ֑ה וְכִפֶּ֥ר עָלָ֛יו הַכֹּהֵ֖ן וְנִסְלַ֥ח לֽוֹ פ

חֶלְבָּ֣הּ  its  fat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
יָסִ֗יר  He  shall  remove 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
הוּסַ֣ר  is  removed 
Parse: Verb, Hofal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
חֵלֶב֮  fat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
זֶ֣בַח  the  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
הַשְּׁלָמִים֒  of  the  peace  offering 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שֶׁלֶם  
Sense: peace offering, requital, sacrifice for alliance or friendship.
וְהִקְטִ֤יר  and  shall  burn  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
הַכֹּהֵן֙  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה  on  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
לְרֵ֥יחַ  for  a  aroma 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֵיחַ  
Sense: scent, fragrance, aroma, odour.
נִיחֹ֖חַ  sweet 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נִיחֹחַ  
Sense: soothing, quieting, tranquillising.
לַיהוָ֑ה  to  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְכִפֶּ֥ר  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.
עָלָ֛יו  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.
הַכֹּהֵ֖ן  the  priest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
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