The Meaning of Leviticus 12:7 Explained

Leviticus 12:7

KJV: Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.

YLT: and he hath brought it near before Jehovah, and hath made atonement for her, and she hath been cleansed from the fountain of her blood; this is the law of her who is bearing, in regard to a male or to a female.

Darby: And he shall present it before Jehovah, and make atonement for her; and she shall be clean from the flux of her blood. This is the law for her that hath borne a male or a female.

ASV: and he shall offer it before Jehovah, and make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the fountain of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth, whether a male or a female.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who shall offer  it before  the LORD,  and make an atonement  for her; and she shall be cleansed  from the issue  of her blood.  This [is] the law  for her that hath born  a male  or a female. 

What does Leviticus 12:7 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 12:1-8 - Purification After Child-Bearing
The birth of a boy involved seven days' ceremonial defilement; of a girl, fourteen. Not the child, but the mother, was adjudged to be unclean, securing her a period of retirement and rest. The gracious gradation in the sacrifices made it possible for the poorest to obey, and it is a memorable fact that the mother of our Lord brought two pigeons or doves-meet emblems of her gentle nature-when she presented her babe in the Temple. See Luke 2:24. Our Lord became poor, that through His poverty we might be eternally enriched. In the light of this ceremonial, we are led back to Psalms 51:5, which we must personally and sadly ponder.
The initial rite of the Hebrew religion stood for separation. The parent taught the child to remember that he belonged to a separated race. It was impossible for him to consort with those who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. We all need to undergo the circumcision of Christ, which consists in putting away the sins of the flesh, and ceasing to trust in our own energy. See Colossians 2:11-12. [source]

Chapter Summary: Leviticus 12

1  The purification of a woman after childbirth
6  Her offerings for her purifying

What do the individual words in Leviticus 12:7 mean?

And he shall offer it before Yahweh and make atonement for her and she shall be clean from the flow of her blood This [is] the law for her who has borne a male or a female
וְהִקְרִיב֞וֹ לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ וְכִפֶּ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ וְטָהֲרָ֖ה מִמְּקֹ֣ר דָּמֶ֑יהָ זֹ֤את תּוֹרַת֙ הַיֹּלֶ֔דֶת לַזָּכָ֖ר א֥וֹ לַנְּקֵבָֽה

וְהִקְרִיב֞וֹ  And  he  shall  offer  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרַב  
Sense: to come near, approach, enter into, draw near.
לִפְנֵ֤י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וְכִפֶּ֣ר  and  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.
עָלֶ֔יהָ  for  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine 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.
וְטָהֲרָ֖ה  and  she  shall  be  clean 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: טָהֵר  
Sense: to be clean, be pure.
מִמְּקֹ֣ר  from  the  flow 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָקֹור  
Sense: spring, fountain.
דָּמֶ֑יהָ  of  her  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
זֹ֤את  This 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
תּוֹרַת֙  [is]  the  law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
הַיֹּלֶ֔דֶת  for  her  who  has  borne 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
לַזָּכָ֖ר  a  male 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָכָר  
Sense: male (of humans and animals) adj.
לַנְּקֵבָֽה  a  female 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נְקֵבָה  
Sense: female.