The Meaning of Leviticus 1:4 Explained

Leviticus 1:4

KJV: And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

YLT: and he hath laid his hand on the head of the burnt-offering, and it hath been accepted for him to make atonement for him;

Darby: And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

ASV: And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he shall put  his hand  upon the head  of the burnt offering;  and it shall be accepted  for him to make atonement  for him. 

What does Leviticus 1:4 Mean?

Study Notes

put his hand upon
The laying of the offerer's hand signified acceptance and identification if himself with his offering. In type it answered to the believer's faith accepting and identifying himself with Christ Romans 4:5 ; Romans 6:3-11 . The believer is justified by faith, and his faith is reckoned for righteousness, because his faith identifies him with Christ, who died as his sin-offering; 2 Corinthians 5:21 ; 1 Peter 2:24 .
atonement .
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 1:1-17 - Burned-Offerings Of The Herd, Flocks And Fowls
Jehovah speaks with Moses, not from Sinai's summit, but from the Tabernacle, because He has come to dwell with men on the earth. Compare Exodus 20:22; Exodus 25:8. The early chapters of this book contain the law of the offerings. He who was to be worshiped prescribed the manner in which He was to be approached. These sacrifices also were intended to typify the great offering which our Lord would one day, in the fullness of time, consummate on Calvary. Here we have the burned-offering, presenting the more general aspect of our Lord's self-giving. It represents His entire surrender to the Father's will. See Hebrews 10:8-9. The principal feature of this offering was that the whole body of the victim was consumed and ascended in fire and smoke. The Hebrew word comes from a root which means to ascend. Three grades of this offering were permitted-herd, flock, fowl-to bring it within the means of all, and to typify the varying degrees in which men apprehend and value Christ. [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 1

1  The law of burnt offerings
3  of the herd
10  of the flocks
14  of the fowls

What do the individual words in Leviticus 1:4 mean?

And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him
וְסָמַ֣ךְ יָד֔וֹ עַ֖ל רֹ֣אשׁ הָעֹלָ֑ה וְנִרְצָ֥ה ל֖וֹ לְכַפֵּ֥ר עָלָֽיו

וְסָמַ֣ךְ  And  he  shall  put 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָמַךְ  
Sense: to lean, lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon.
יָד֔וֹ  his  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
רֹ֣אשׁ  the  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הָעֹלָ֑ה  of  the  burnt  offering 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֹלָה  
Sense: whole burnt offering.
וְנִרְצָ֥ה  and  it  will  be  accepted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָצָא 
Sense: to be pleased with, be favourable to, accept favourably.
ל֖וֹ  on  his  behalf 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְכַפֵּ֥ר  to  make  atonement 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: כָּפַר 
Sense: to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation, cover over with pitch.
עָלָֽיו  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.