Wash; Washing

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Wash; Washing [1]

wosh , wosh´ing  : The two usual Hebrew words for "wash" are רחץ , rāḥac , and כּבס , kābhaṣ , 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 rāḥac ,  1 Kings 22:38 margin; for kābhaṣ ,  Psalm 51:2 ,  Psalm 51:7;  Jeremiah 2:22;  Jeremiah 4:14 ). Much less common are דּוּח , dūaḥ ( 2 Chronicles 4:6;  Isaiah 4:4;  Ezekiel 40:38 ) and שׁטף , shātaph ( 1 Kings 22:38;  Job 14:19;  Ezekiel 16:9 ), translated "rinse" in  Leviticus 6:28;  Leviticus 15:11 ,  Leviticus 15:12 . 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 νίπτω , nı́ptō ( Matthew 6:17 , etc.), with aponı́ptō in  Matthew 27:24 . Of the other terms, λούω , loúō (Susanna verses 15, 17;  John 13:10 , etc.), with apoloúō ( Acts 22:16;  1 Corinthians 6:11 ) and the noun loutrón (Sirach 34:25b;  Ephesians 5:26;  Titus 3:5 ), usually has a sacral significance. On βαπτίζω , baptı́́zō (Sirach 34:25a;  Mark 7:4;  Luke 11:38 ), with the noun baptismós ( 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 πλύνω , plúnō , while Judith 10:3 has περικλύζω , periklúzō . 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  Song of Solomon 5:12 is uncertain). Washing of the hands, in token of innocence, is found in   Deuteronomy 21:6;  Matthew 27:24 .

The "washing balls" of Susanna verse 17 ( σμῆγμα , smḗgma , a very rare word) were of soap. See Soap .

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