To Pacify or Make Propitiation
In verb form, kippur—“atonement”—means
to pacify or make propitiation. Anciently, one meaning was to diminish the
wrath of the king, as if he would now turn away or hide his face from the known
transgressor. The word sacrament carries a related idea of saluting or
paying tribute to a monarch. So we are commanded to bring to the table of the
Lord an offering, that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, in response to
his propitiation, and thus avail ourselves of the Spirit of Christ. (Truman G.
Madsen, “The Suffering Servant,” in The Redeemer: Reflections on the Life
and Teachings of Jesus the Christ [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000].
233)
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