Genesis 6:14
“Make thee an ark of gopher wood: rooms shalt thou make in the ark,
and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch,”
The word pitch appears only twice in the entire Bible, both times in the same verse: Genesis 6:14. The ark is a type of Christ, but what is the significance of the pitch, and why is it mentioned twice in the same verse? Interestingly, two different Hebrew words are translated as pitch. While they share the same root, they have distinctly different meanings.
The first occurrence is the Hebrew verb kaphar, which means “to cover” or “to make atonement.” This in itself is a profound blessing. As a type, those in the ark were in Christ, and the application of the pitch symbolized making atonement for their sins. But what exactly be was this pitch that was to be applied?
The second use of the word pitch is the Hebrew noun kopher, which means “the price of life” or “ransom.” The atonement was made with the blood of an unblemished animal sacrifice. However, this was only a temporary covering until the LORD Jesus Christ came to put away sin through the sacrifice of Himself, once for all. His death was not merely an atonement but a complete satisfaction of God’s law and justice, something the blood of animals could never accomplish (Hebrews 10:4).
Those on the ark were protected by this covering and were to look ahead to the day when our LORD Jesus Christ would make the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. By His death, He justified those whom His Father had given him (Hebrews 10:10,14).
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