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  • From: Peter_Kirk AT sil.org
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re[2]: Atonement in the Pentateuch
  • Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 00:03 -0500 (EST)


Ben Crick writes, concerning Leviticus 8:15:

To my mind, a more accurate rendition would be:
"and he poured the blood upon the base of the altar, *and he
sanctified it, to make atonement thereupon*".

The atonement is not for the profanity of the altar, but for the sins
of the people, on whose behalf sin-offerings *are going to be
continuously offered upon* this newly-consecrated altar.

============

This interpretation may be possible for this verse, but unfortunately
it does not work for Leviticus 14:53: w:kipper (al-habbayit w:+@h"r
(read "wetaher" at the end!), as clearly the formerly "leprous" house
was not going to be used as an altar, it was simply being made clean
by the ceremony (including blood sacrifice) described here. Indeed
14:53 is parallel with 14:20: w:kipper (@l@yw hakkoh"n w:+@h"r - which
describes the cleansing of the formerly "leprous" person. So I think
we must go back to the idea of the altar, the house and the person
being cleansed or purged through the ceremony.

Peter Kirk




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