King James Bible
"Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female."
The priest acts as mediator, presenting the mother's offering to God and performing the ritual that restores her to ceremonial purity. This atonement addresses ritual impurity from childbirth, not moral sin, reflecting ancient Israel's distinction between various states of cleanness. The completion of the sacrificial ritual formally ends the mother's period of ceremonial uncleanness caused by postpartum bleeding. This cleansing allows her full reintegration into worship and community life after the isolation period prescribed earlier in the chapter. The verse concludes by emphasizing that these purification requirements apply universally to all mothers, regardless of the child's sex. Though the waiting periods differ (40 days for males, 80 for females), the same sacrificial process ultimately restores every mother's ritual purity.