633. aponiptó

Lexicon

aponiptó: To wash off, to wash away

Original Word: ἀπονίπτω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: aponiptó
Pronunciation: ah-po-NEEP-to
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-on-ip'-to)
Definition: To wash off, to wash away
Meaning: I wash dirt off.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

wash.

From apo and nipto; to wash off (reflexively, one's own hands symbolically) -- wash.

see GREEK apo

see GREEK nipto

HELPS Word-studies

633 aponíptō (from 3538 /níptō, "wash," strengthened by the prefix, 575 /apó, "away from") – properly, wash away from (used only in Mt 27:24).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from apo and niptó
Definition
to wash off
NASB Translation
washed (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 633: ἀπονίπτω

ἀπονίπτω: to wash off; 1 aorist middle ἀπενιψαμην; in middle to wash oneself off, to wash off for oneself: τάς χεῖρας, Matthew 27:24, cf. Deuteronomy 21:6f (The earlier Greeks say ἀπονίζω — but with future ἀπονιψω, 1 aorist ἀπενιψα; the later, as Theophrastus, char. 25 (30 (17)); Plutarch, Phocylides, 18; Athen. iv. c. 31, p. 149 c., ἀπονίπτω, although this is found (but in the middle) even in Homer, Odyssey 18, 179.)

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the preposition ἀπό (apo, meaning "from" or "away") and the verb νίπτω (niptō, meaning "to wash").

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Hebrew equivalent for ἀπονίπτω, the concept of washing as a symbolic act of purification or innocence can be related to several Hebrew terms, such as:
• Strong's Hebrew 7364: רָחַץ (rachats) • to wash, bathe.
• Strong's Hebrew 2891: טָהֵר (taher) • to be clean, to cleanse, purify.

These Hebrew terms are often used in the Old Testament in contexts of ritual purification and cleansing, which parallel the symbolic use of ἀπονίπτω in the New Testament.

Usage: The term ἀπονίπτω is used in the New Testament to describe the act of washing one's hands, often symbolically representing innocence or the removal of responsibility.

Context: The Greek verb ἀπονίπτω appears in the New Testament in contexts that emphasize the act of washing as a symbolic gesture. The most notable occurrence is in the Gospel of Matthew, where Pontius Pilate uses this action to signify his disassociation from the decision to crucify Jesus. In Matthew 27:24 (BSB), it is written: "When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. 'I am innocent of this man’s blood,' he said. 'You bear the responsibility.'"

This act of handwashing by Pilate is deeply symbolic, reflecting a common cultural practice of the time to demonstrate innocence or to absolve oneself from guilt. The gesture is not merely about physical cleanliness but serves as a public declaration of non-complicity in the events that were unfolding. In the broader biblical narrative, this act contrasts with the sacrificial and redemptive themes central to the crucifixion of Jesus, highlighting human attempts to evade moral responsibility.

Forms and Transliterations

απένιψαν απενιψατο απενίψατο ἀπενίψατο απένιψεν απεξενούτο απεξήρανε απεξυσμένον απεξυσμένους απεπήδησαν απεπήδησεν απεπίασεν απονιψαμένη αποξενούσαι αποξενωθή αποξηράναντος αποξηρανθήσονται αποξυσθήναι αποξύσουσιν αποπειράται αποπεμπτούν αποπεμπτωσάτωσαν apenipsato apenípsato

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 27:24 V-AIM-3S
GRK: λαβὼν ὕδωρ ἀπενίψατο τὰς χεῖρας
NAS: water and washed his hands
KJV: water, and washed [his] hands
INT: having taken water he washed [his] hands

Strong's Greek 633
1 Occurrence

ἀπενίψατο — 1 Occ.