ʾāšām

Semantic range

1. 1guilt incurred
2. 2the offering that discharges it
3. 3the restitution paid alongside the offering

The guilt offering of Leviticus 5–6 is distinctive because it involved repayment: the offender restored what was taken and added a fifth, then brought the ram. Forgiveness and restitution were a single transaction.

Isaiah 53:10 says the Servant's soul is made an ʾāšām — a guilt offering. The Hebrew therefore builds restitution into the Atonement itself, which is the point Amulek presses in Alma 34:11–12: no ordinary man can pay another's debt, and only an infinite and eternal sacrifice can. Latter-day Saint teaching on repentance keeps restitution as a real step for the same reason.

See also

• כָּפַרkāphar
• עֶבֶדʿebed
• גֹּאֵלgōʾēl