The Hebrew verb kasah means to cover, to conceal, to overwhelm, or to keep secret. It appears over 150 times with a range of physical and metaphorical uses: covering with a garment, covering the face, covering sin, and covering with water. The theological uses — especially regarding sin and love — carry profound importance.
Two of Scripture's most consoling declarations use kasah: Psalm 32:1 ('Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and whose sin is covered') — Paul quotes this in Romans 4:7 as evidence of justification by faith; and Proverbs 10:12 ('Love covers over all wrongs') — which 1 Peter 4:8 applies to Christian community.
Covering sin without atonement is merely suppression (Proverbs 28:13). But when God covers sin, it is an act of gracious forgiveness rooted in the atoning sacrifice — the same word family as kaphar (to atone, H3722).