כָּפַר kâphar — to cover (specifically with bitumen)

pronounced kaw-far' · Strong's H3722 · 102 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible · 5 stems: Pi'el, Pu'al, Qal (Pa'al), Nitpa'el, Hitpa'el

Translated in the KJV as appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge, put off, reconcile.

a primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel.

kâphar in each stem

Pi'el 92×

Intensive · active — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it

Sequential perfect (weqatal) 34Infinitive construct 32Imperfect (yiqtol) 15Imperative 5Wayyiqtol 3Cohortative 2Jussive 1

אֲכַפְּרָ֣ה Gen 32:21 Cohortative, 1st person common singular

So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. (KJV)

בְּכַפֶּרְךָ֖ Exod 29:36 Infinitive construct

And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. (KJV)

תְּכַפֵּר֙ Exod 29:37 Imperfect (yiqtol), 2nd person masculine singular

Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy. (KJV)

Pu'al 7×

Intensive · passive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject has it done to them

Imperfect (yiqtol) 5Perfect (qatal) 1Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1

כֻּפַּ֣ר Exod 29:33 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person masculine singular

And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. (KJV)

יְכֻפַּ֗ר Num 35:33 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine singular

So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. (KJV)

יְכֻפַּ֣ר Prov 16:6 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine singular

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. (KJV)

Qal (Pa'al) 1×

Simple · active — the plain action; the subject does it

Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1

וְכָֽפַרְתָּ֥ Gen 6:14 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 2nd person masculine singular

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. (KJV)

Nitpa'el 1×

Intensive · reflexive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it to or for themselves

Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1

וְנִכַּפֵּ֥ר Deut 21:8 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 3rd person masculine singular

Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. (KJV)

Hitpa'el 1×

Intensive · reflexive — the action intensified, repeated or brought about; the subject does it to or for themselves

Imperfect (yiqtol) 1

יִתְכַּפֵּ֞ר 1Sam 3:14 Imperfect (yiqtol), 3rd person masculine singular

And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. (KJV)

What the stems mean

A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›

Open in Hebrew Explorer with Verb Anatomy on →

In the app, tap any Hebrew verb while reading: its root, stem and form are named, the letters of the word itself are coloured to show which is which, and the stem's meaning is put in plain English. kâphar in the lexicon ›

Morphology from OpenScriptures MorphHB (CC BY 4.0); definitions from Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (public domain); text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

Open Hebrew Explorer — 30+ free study tools →