νίπτω
niptō
to wash
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word νίπτω (niptō, G3538) primarily means to wash. Its root definition points to a physical action involving water, emphasizing a cleaning or purging process. This action can be physical, such as washing one's hands or a garment, or it can be metaphorical, like cleansing the mind or soul. Throughout the Bible, νίπτω is used 17 times, covering various situations and contexts. It describes acts of personal hygiene, rituals like baptism and purification, and figurative cleansing from sin or spiritual impurities. The range of usage indicates that νίπτω is not limited to one specific context or meaning; its versatility allows it to be applied to different situations where washing or cleansing is relevant. Despite its physical connotation, the significance of νίπτω extends beyond practical cleanliness. It often symbolizes internal purity, sinlessness, or renewal. This connection between physical and spiritual cleansing highlights the importance of ritual and symbolic practices in ancient Greek and biblical cultures. By analyzing νίπτω, we can gain insight into the cultural and symbolic systems that defined these ancient societies.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
17 total occurrences across the text
But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face;
Matthew 15:2“Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Mark 7:3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.
John 9:7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.
John 9:7and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.
John 9:11He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
John 9:11He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
John 9:15Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”
John 13:5Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
John 13:6Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
John 13:8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
John 13:8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
John 13:10Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”
John 13:12So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
John 13:14If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
John 13:14If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
1 Timothy 5:10being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.