This little study might shed new light on a passage you thought you were already familiar with.

 

Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon…."atonement":

3722 kaphar kaw-far' a primitive root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:-- appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile(-liation).

Notice that the root for atonement means to cover with bitumen.  You know what bitumen is.  Bitumen is pitch. 

Now that you know that the word atonement can be understood as bitumen/ or pitch, the following passage can be examined in a new light.

Genesis 6:14
So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

You can see that even as far back as Noah, that atonement was introduced as a principle component for salvation.

The further one digs into the scriptures, the more there is to find.

YBIC

Bruce Baber