Topical Encyclopedia In biblical terms, the concept of washing holds significant spiritual and ceremonial importance, often symbolizing purification, cleansing from sin, and preparation for worship. The act of washing is mentioned numerous times throughout the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments, and is associated with various religious practices and teachings.Old Testament Context In the Old Testament, washing is frequently connected to the Levitical laws and the rituals of purification. The priests, for instance, were required to wash their hands and feet before approaching the altar or entering the Tent of Meeting, as a sign of holiness and readiness to serve the Lord. Exodus 30:19-21 states, "Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by burning an offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water, so that they will not die." The concept of washing also extends to the purification of the Israelites from ceremonial uncleanness. Leviticus 15 outlines various situations where washing is necessary to restore cleanliness, emphasizing the importance of physical and spiritual purity in maintaining a covenant relationship with God. Symbolism and Prophetic Imagery Washing is often used symbolically in the prophetic books to represent spiritual cleansing and renewal. In Isaiah 1:16 , the prophet calls the people to repentance, saying, "Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil." Here, washing signifies a turning away from sin and a return to righteousness. The imagery of washing is also present in the Psalms, where it is associated with forgiveness and the removal of sin. Psalm 51:2 expresses a heartfelt plea for divine cleansing: "Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." New Testament Fulfillment In the New Testament, the theme of washing is fulfilled and expanded through the teachings and actions of Jesus Christ. Baptism emerges as a central rite, symbolizing the washing away of sins and the believer's identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. John the Baptist's ministry of baptism for repentance (Mark 1:4) prepares the way for the greater baptism that Jesus would institute. Jesus Himself emphasizes the spiritual significance of washing in John 13:8-10 , during the Last Supper, when He washes the disciples' feet. Peter initially resists, but Jesus responds, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me." This act of humility and service underscores the necessity of spiritual cleansing and the transformative power of Christ's love. Theological Implications Theologically, washing in the Bible underscores the necessity of purity and holiness in the life of a believer. It serves as a reminder of the need for continual repentance and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:26 speaks of Christ's love for the church, "to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word," highlighting the ongoing process of spiritual renewal through the Word of God. In summary, the biblical concept of washing encompasses both physical and spiritual dimensions, pointing to the profound truth of God's desire for His people to be pure, holy, and set apart for His purposes. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary 1. (v. t.) To cleanse by ablution, or dipping or rubbing in water; to apply water or other liquid to for the purpose of cleansing; to scrub with water, etc., or as with water; as, to wash the hands or body; to wash garments; to wash sheep or wool; to wash the pavement or floor; to wash the bark of trees.2. (v. t.) To cover with water or any liquid; to wet; to fall on and moisten; hence, to overflow or dash against; as, waves wash the shore. 3. (v. t.) To waste or abrade by the force of water in motion; as, heavy rains wash a road or an embankment. 4. (v. t.) To remove by washing to take away by, or as by, the action of water; to drag or draw off as by the tide; -- often with away, off, out, etc.; as, to wash dirt from the hands. 5. (v. t.) To cover with a thin or watery coat of color; to tint lightly and thinly. 6. (v. t.) To overlay with a thin coat of metal; as, steel washed with silver. 7. (v. i.) To perform the act of ablution. 8. (v. i.) To clean anything by rubbing or dipping it in water; to perform the business of cleansing clothes, ore, etc., in water. 9. (v. i.) To bear without injury the operation of being washed; as, some calicoes do not wash. 10. (v. i.) To be wasted or worn away by the action of water, as by a running or overflowing stream, or by the dashing of the sea; -- said of road, a beach, etc. 11. (n.) The act of washing; an ablution; a cleansing, wetting, or dashing with water; hence, a quantity, as of clothes, washed at once. 12. (n.) A piece of ground washed by the action of a sea or river, or sometimes covered and sometimes left dry; the shallowest part of a river, or arm of the sea; also, a bog; a marsh; a fen; as, the washes in Lincolnshire. 13. (n.) Substances collected and deposited by the action of water; as, the wash of a sewer, of a river, etc. 14. (n.) Waste liquid, the refuse of food, the collection from washed dishes, etc., from a kitchen, often used as food for pigs. 15. (n.) The fermented wort before the spirit is extracted. 16. (n.) A mixture of dunder, molasses, water, and scummings, used in the West Indies for distillation. 17. (n.) That with which anything is washed, or wetted, smeared, tinted, etc., upon the surface. 18. (n.) A liquid cosmetic for the complexion. 19. (n.) A liquid dentifrice. 20. (n.) A liquid preparation for the hair; as, a hair wash. 21. (n.) A medical preparation in a liquid form for external application; a lotion. 22. (n.) A thin coat of color, esp. water color. 23. (n.) A thin coat of metal laid on anything for beauty or preservation. 24. (n.) The blade of an oar, or the thin part which enters the water. 25. (n.) The backward current or disturbed water caused by the action of oars, or of a steamer's screw or paddles, etc. 26. (n.) The flow, swash, or breaking of a body of water, as a wave; also, the sound of it. 27. (n.) Ten strikes, or bushels, of oysters. 28. (a.) Washy; weak. 29. (a.) Capable of being washed without injury; washable; as, wash goods. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia WASH; WASHINGwosh, wosh'-ing: The two usual Hebrew words for "wash" are rachats, and kabhac, the former being normally used of persons or of sacrificial animals (Genesis 18:4, etc., often translated "bathe"; Leviticus 15:5, etc.), and the latter of things (Genesis 49:11, etc.), the exceptions to this distinction being few (for rachats, 1 Kings 22:38 margin; for kabhac, Psalm 51:2, 7 Jeremiah 2:22; Jeremiah 4:14). Much less common are duach (2 Chronicles 4:6 Isaiah 4:4 Ezekiel 40:38) and shataph (1 Kings 22:38 Job 14:19 Ezekiel 16:9), translated "rinse" in Leviticus 6:28; Leviticus 15:11, 12. In Nehemiah 4:23 the King James Version has "washing" and the Revised Version (British and American) "water" for mayim, but the text is hopelessly obscure (compare the Revised Version margin). In the Apocrypha and New Testament the range of terms is wider. Most common is nipto (Matthew 6:17, etc.), with aponipto in Matthew 27:24. Of the other terms, louo (Susanna verses 15, 17; John 13:10, etc.), with apolouo (Acts 22:16 1 Corinthians 6:11) and the noun loutron (Sirach 34:25b; Ephesians 5:26 Titus 3:5), usually has a sacral significance. On baptizo (Sirach 34:25a; Mark 7:4 Luke 11:38), with the noun baptismos (Mark 7:4 (text?); Hebrews 9:10), see BAPTISM. In Luke 5:2 Revelation 7:14; Revelation 22:14 the Revised Version (British and American) occurs pluno, while Judith 10:3 has perikluzo. Virtually, as far as meaning is concerned, all these words are interchangeable. Of the figurative uses of washing, the most common and obvious is that of cleansing from sin (Psalm 51:2 Isaiah 1:16, etc.), but, with an entirely different figure, "to wash in" may signify "to enjoy in plenty" (Genesis 49:11 Job 29:6; the meaning in So 5:12 is uncertain). Washing of the hands, in token of innocence, is found in Deuteronomy 21:6 Matthew 27:24. Greek 628. apolouo -- to wash off, wash away ... to wash off, wash away. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: apolouo Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ol-oo'-o) Short Definition: I wash off, wash away Definition: I ... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/628.htm - 7k 633. aponipto -- to wash off 3068. louo -- to bathe, to wash 3538. nipto -- to wash 4150. pluno -- to wash 637. apopluno -- wash. 1026. brecho -- to send rain, to rain 907. baptizo -- to dip, sink 2626. katakluzo -- to inundate 1813. exaleipho -- to wipe out, erase, obliterate Strong's Hebrew 7364. rachats -- to wash, wash off or away, bathe... rachats. 7365 . to wash, wash off or away, bathe. Transliteration: rachats Phonetic Spelling: (raw-khats') Short Definition: bathe. Word Origin a prim. ... /hebrew/7364.htm - 6k 3526. kabas -- to wash 7857. shataph -- to overflow, rinse or wash off 1740. duach -- to rinse, cleanse away by rinsing or washing 4229a. machah -- to wipe, wipe out 5518. ciyr -- a pot 7366. rachats -- a washing Library "Wash You, Make You Clean; Put Away the Evil of Your Doings from ... "Wash You, Make You Clean, Put Away the Evil of Your Doings from ... What Can Wash Away My Stain. But First, Wash You, be Clean; Put Away Evil from Your Souls... How St Francis Commanded Brother Leo to Wash the Stone St. Ambrose, Speaking of Tears, Explains David's Saying, "Every ... Where Has Christ Promised Us, that He Will as Certainly Wash us by ... That by this Alone the Jews Can Receive Pardon of their Sins, if ... John Chapter xiii. 10-Jun And when Jesus Finished all These Sayings, He Said unto his ... Thesaurus Wash (105 Occurrences)... dipping or rubbing in water; to apply water or other liquid to for the purpose of cleansing; to scrub with water, etc., or as with water; as, to wash the hands ... /w/wash.htm - 45k Wash-pot (2 Occurrences) Bathe (35 Occurrences) Feet (2931 Occurrences) Toucheth (45 Occurrences) Touches (55 Occurrences) Ablution Picks (7 Occurrences) Carries (27 Occurrences) Carrieth (10 Occurrences) Resources What does it mean that our sins are washed away? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples? | GotQuestions.org What is a laver in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Wash: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Concordance Wash (105 Occurrences)Matthew 6:17 Matthew 15:2 Matthew 23:25 Matthew 23:26 Matthew 27:24 Mark 7:3 Mark 7:4 Luke 7:38 Luke 11:38 John 9:7 John 9:11 John 9:15 John 13:5 John 13:6 John 13:8 John 13:9 John 13:10 John 13:14 Acts 22:16 Revelation 7:14 Revelation 22:14 Genesis 18:4 Genesis 19:2 Genesis 24:32 Genesis 43:24 Genesis 49:11 Exodus 2:5 Exodus 19:10 Exodus 19:14 Exodus 29:4 Exodus 29:17 Exodus 30:18 Exodus 30:19 Exodus 30:20 Exodus 30:21 Exodus 40:12 Exodus 40:30 Exodus 40:31 Exodus 40:32 Leviticus 1:9 Leviticus 1:13 Leviticus 6:27 Leviticus 9:14 Leviticus 11:25 Leviticus 11:28 Leviticus 11:40 Leviticus 13:6 Leviticus 13:34 Leviticus 13:54 Leviticus 13:58 Leviticus 14:8 Leviticus 14:9 Leviticus 14:47 Leviticus 15:5 Leviticus 15:6 Leviticus 15:7 Leviticus 15:8 Leviticus 15:10 Leviticus 15:11 Leviticus 15:13 Leviticus 15:16 Leviticus 15:21 Leviticus 15:22 Leviticus 15:27 Leviticus 16:4 Leviticus 16:24 Leviticus 16:26 Leviticus 16:28 Leviticus 17:15 Leviticus 17:16 Leviticus 22:6 Numbers 5:23 Numbers 8:7 Numbers 8:21 Numbers 19:7 Numbers 19:8 Numbers 19:10 Numbers 19:19 Numbers 19:21 Numbers 31:24 Deuteronomy 21:6 Deuteronomy 23:11 Judges 19:21 Ruth 3:3 1 Samuel 25:41 2 Samuel 11:8 2 Kings 5:10 2 Kings 5:12 2 Kings 5:13 2 Chronicles 4:6 Job 9:30 Job 14:19 Psalms 26:6 Psalms 51:2 Psalms 51:7 Psalms 58:10 Psalms 60:8 Psalms 73:13 Psalms 108:9 Song of Songs 8:7 Subtopics Related Terms |
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