Lexical Summary katharizó: To cleanse, purify Original Word: καθαρίζω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cleanse, purge, purify. From katharos; to cleanse (literally or figuratively) -- (make) clean(-se), purge, purify. see GREEK katharos HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 2511 katharízō – make pure ("clean"), removing all admixture (intermingling of filth). See 2513 (katharos). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom katharos Definition to cleanse NASB Translation clean (3), cleanse (5), cleansed (16), cleanses (1), cleansing (1), declared...clean (1), make...clean (3), purify (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2511: καθαρίζωκαθαρίζω (Hellenistic for καθαίρω, which classic writings use); Attic future (cf. Buttmann, 37 (32); Winers Grammar, § 13, 1 c.; WH's Appendix, p. 163) καθαριῶ (Hebrews 9:14); 1 aorist ἐκαθάρισα (see below); present passive καθαρίζομαι; 1 aorist passive ἐκαθαρίσθην; perfect passive participle κεκαθαρισμενος (Hebrews 10:2 T Tr WH; on the forms ἐκαθερισθη, T WH in Matthew 8:3; Mark 1:42 (ἐκαθερισεν, Tr in Acts 10:15; Acts 11:9) and κεκαθερισμενος Lachmann in Hebrews 10:2, cf. (Tdf. Proleg., p. 82; WH's Appendix, p. 150); Sturz, De dial. Maced. etc., p. 118; Delitzsch on Hebrews 10:2; Krüger, Part ii. § 2, 2, 6, p. 4; (Buttmann, 29 (25f); Winer's Grammar, 43)); (καθαρός; the Sept. mostly for טִהַר; 1. to make clean, to cleanse; a. from physical stains and dirt: e. g. utensils, Matthew 23:25 (figuratively, Matthew 23:26); Luke 11:39; food, Mark 7:19; τινα, a leper, to cleanse by curing, Matthew 8:2; Matthew 10:8; Matthew 11:5; Mark 1:40-42; Luke 4:27; Luke 5:12; Luke 7:22; Luke 17:14, 17 (Leviticus 14:8); to remove by cleansing: ἡ λέπρα ἐκαθαρίσθη, Matthew 8:3 (καθαριεῖς τό αἷμα τό ἀναίτιον ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, Deuteronomy 19:13; ἐκαθαριζε τήν περί ταῦτα συνήθειαν, the custom of marrying heathen women, Josephus, Antiquities 11, 5, 4; καθαιρεῖν αἷμα, Homer, Iliad 16, 667; cf. ἐκκαθαίρω). b. in a moral sense; α. to free from the defilement of sin and from faults; to purify from wickedness: ἑαυτόν ἀπό μολυσμοῦ σαρκός, 2 Corinthians 7:1; τῇ πίστει τάς καρδίας, Acts 15:9 (καρδίαν ἀπό ἁμαρτίας, Sir. 38:10); τάς χεῖρας, to abstain in future from wrong-doing, James 4:8. β. to free from the guilt of sin, to purify: τινα ἀπό πάσης ἁμαρτίας, 1 John 1:7; (τινα ἀπό πάσης ἀδικίας, 1 John 1:9); τήν συνείδησιν ἀπό νεκρῶν ἔργων, Hebrews 9:14; τήν ἐκκλησίαν τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος (instrumental dative), Ephesians 5:26; λαόν ἑαυτῷ, Titus 2:14. γ. to consecrate by cleansing or purifying: τί ἐν τίνι, dative of instrumentality (Winer's Grammar, 388 (363)), Hebrews 9:22; equivalent to to consecrate, dedicate, τί τίνι (dative of instrumentality), ibid. 23. 2. to pronounce clean in a levitical sense: Acts 10:15; Acts 11:9 (Leviticus 13:13, 17, 23, 28). (Compare: διακαθαρίζω.) The verb signifies removal of defilement so that a person, object, or sphere becomes acceptable to God and fit for His presence. Its occurrences cluster in three broad arenas—physical healing, ritual purification, and moral or spiritual cleansing—yet the underlying idea is always the same: God restores what is polluted so that it may share communion with Him. Physical Cleansing and Miraculous Healing The Synoptic Gospels employ the verb chiefly in the healing of leprosy. When the leper pleads, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean,” Jesus replies, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Matthew 8:2-3; Mark 1:40-42; Luke 5:12-13). The immediate healing testifies that the Savior’s authority eradicates bodily defilement as effortlessly as He forgives sin. Luke 17:14-17 extends the theme: ten lepers are “cleansed,” yet only one returns to give thanks, underscoring the close link between bodily restoration and grateful faith. Blindness, lameness, deafness, and leprosy together mark the Messianic age (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22). The verb in these two texts appears in the present tense—“the lepers are cleansed”—presenting the ongoing ministry of Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promises and the evidence that the kingdom of God has arrived. Ceremonial and Ritual Purification Under the Law, cleansing was prerequisite for temple worship. Jesus highlights this dimension in commands to the healed lepers: “show yourself to the priest and present the offering” (Matthew 8:4; implied in Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14). Even after miraculous healing, sacerdotal confirmation was required, indicating that divine and Levitical authority are harmonious, not antagonistic. Mark 7:19 introduces a decisive turn. Jesus declares all foods clean, not merely by abrogating dietary restrictions but by exposing the heart as the true source of defilement. The parenthetical participle “cleansing all foods” points to a redemptive trajectory that will culminate in Acts 10:15; 11:9, where Peter is told, “What God has cleansed, you must not call common.” The vision of the sheet and its later affirmation in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:9) reveal God’s unilateral act of cleansing Gentiles—apart from Mosaic ritual—to incorporate them into the one new people of God. Moral and Spiritual Cleansing While bodily and ritual aspects are prominent in the Gospels and Acts, the Epistles focus on inner purification. James exhorts wavering believers, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). Paul urges, “Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1), showing that sanctification involves both divine grace and human responsibility. John places cleansing squarely in the finished work of Christ: “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). The conditional promise that follows—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)—grounds assurance in God’s unchanging character and the sufficiency of the atonement. Extension to the Gentiles Acts 15:9 encapsulates the apostolic consensus: God “made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.” Cleansing is neither ethnic nor ritual but Christ-centered and faith-received. The verb here signals a watershed moment in redemptive history, where Gentile believers are declared fully acceptable without circumcision, underscoring the gospel’s universality. The Cross and the Heavenly Sanctuary Hebrews draws on Old-Covenant imagery to show the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice. Animal blood achieved outward cleansing, “but how much more will the blood of Christ… cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). Because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (9:22), even “the copies of the heavenly things had to be cleansed” (9:23). By offering Himself once for all, Jesus provides permanent purification, so worshipers are “no longer conscious of sins” (10:2) because they have been “cleansed” in the deepest sense. Sanctifying the Church In Ephesians 5:26, Christ’s love for the Church is expressed in purpose clauses: “to sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” The verb portrays an already-accomplished act that inaugurates an ongoing process, linking baptism, Scripture, and sanctification into a coherent whole. Likewise, Titus 2:14 sees Christ’s redemptive aim as creating “a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds,” accomplished by “purifying” them. Pastoral and Practical Applications The New Testament consistently moves from accomplished cleansing to ethical exhortation. Because Christ has purified His people, they must maintain purity in body (1 Corinthians 6:18-20), mind (Philippians 4:8), and fellowship (1 Peter 1:22). Self-examination and confession are the means by which believers appropriate the cleansing continually provided by the blood of Christ. The Eschatological Horizon The cleansing secured at Calvary anticipates a final, cosmic purification when “the dwelling of God is with men” (Revelation 21:3). Until that consummation, every occurrence of the verb bears witness to God’s unwavering intention to eradicate sin and restore creation. The Church’s proclamation and practice of the gospel serve as a present sign of the ultimate purification to come. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 8:2 V-ANAGRK: δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι NAS: You can make me clean. KJV: make me clean. INT: you are able me to cleanse Matthew 8:3 V-AMP-2S Matthew 8:3 V-AIP-3S Matthew 10:8 V-PMA-2P Matthew 11:5 V-PIM/P-3P Matthew 23:25 V-PIA-2P Matthew 23:26 V-AMA-2S Mark 1:40 V-ANA Mark 1:41 V-AMP-2S Mark 1:42 V-AIP-3S Mark 7:19 V-PPA-NMS Luke 4:27 V-AIP-3S Luke 5:12 V-ANA Luke 5:13 V-AMP-2S Luke 7:22 V-PIM/P-3P Luke 11:39 V-PIA-2P Luke 17:14 V-AIP-3P Luke 17:17 V-AIP-3P Acts 10:15 V-AIA-3S Acts 11:9 V-AIA-3S Acts 15:9 V-APA-NMS 2 Corinthians 7:1 V-ASA-1P Ephesians 5:26 V-APA-NMS Titus 2:14 V-ASA-3S Hebrews 9:14 V-FIA-3S Strong's Greek 2511 |
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