The Hebrew word סָלַח salach (H5545) means “to pardon” and comes from a root word סַל sal (H5536) which means “to lift a basket up on the head” (cf. Genesis 40:16-18) in the sense of lifting a person out of a debt (cf. Matthew 18:21-27). סָלַח salach is equivalent to the Greek word ἀφίημι aphiēmi (G863) which means “to send away” and, when related to forgiveness, means “to let go, give up, or remit” a debt.
In concrete Hebrew imagery, סָלַח salach doesn’t mean “to erase guilt” in a legal sense (as in later Western thought). It means to lift up and carry someone back into the protection of the camp or covenant, to restore the broken boundary. This forgiveness is not emotional or abstract; it’s an act of restoration by taking someone who was separated (by sin or offense) and bringing them back inside the safe fence of relationship or community.
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