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Atonement

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Atonement is reconciliation achieved through covering, sacrifice, or forgiveness.

Detailed Definition
Biblical atonement names the restoration of a broken relationship between God and humanity, often through ritual sacrifice, confession, or mercy. It combines moral seriousness with the possibility of return, acknowledging injury without declaring it final. Poets may use atonement to explore the labor of repair: blood and bread, memory and apology, estrangement and the difficult grace by which a damaged bond becomes inhabitable again.
Example
Example in poetry:
Atonement can mean reconciliation after guilt, injury, or separation; “His apology was only the first stone in the road toward atonement”; A poet may connect atonement with sacrifice, forgiveness, or the repair of broken relationships; The term can give a personal poem theological weight when a speaker seeks to mend harm.
Additional Notes
Atonement refers to the restoration of right relationship after sin or estrangement. Biblical language connects it with covering or cleansing sin, sacrificial rites, forgiveness, reconciliation, and, in Christian theology, the saving work of Christ. In poetry, atonement may be portrayed through blood, mercy, ransom, a broken barrier, or the return of an alienated person.
Also Known As
Day of Atonement Yom Kippur Redemption
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