18 Bible Verses about Ablution

Most Relevant Verses

Genesis 18:4

Please let a little water be brought [by one of my servants] and [you may] wash your feet, and recline and rest comfortably under the tree.

Genesis 43:24

Then the steward brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed [the dust off] their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

Exodus 19:14

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified them [for God’s sacred purpose], and they washed their clothes.

2 Samuel 12:20

Then David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself [with olive oil], changed his clothes, and went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came [back] to his own house, and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate.

Mark 7:3

(For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, holding firmly to the traditions of the elders;

Exodus 30:18-21

“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. You shall put it [outside in the court] between the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering], and you shall put water in it. Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister, to burn an offering in the fire to the Lord [they shall do the same]. read more.
They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”

Exodus 40:30-31

He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering], and put water in it for washing. Then from it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.

Leviticus 14:7-9

He shall sprinkle [the blood] seven times on the one to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him [ceremonially] clean. Then he shall let the live bird go free over the open field. The one to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water; and he shall be clean. After that he may come into the camp, but he shall stay outside of his tent for seven days. On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair: he shall shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair [on his body]. Then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and be clean.

Leviticus 15:5-10

Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; and whoever sits on anything on which the man with the discharge has been sitting shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Also whoever touches the man with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. read more.
And if he who has the discharge spits on one who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides becomes unclean. Whoever touches anything that has been under him shall be unclean until evening; and whoever carries those things shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

Leviticus 14:52

So he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the running water, along with the live bird and the cedar wood and the hyssop and the scarlet string.

Mark 7:1-5

Now the Pharisees and some of the scribes came from Jerusalem and gathered around Him, and they had seen that some of His disciples ate their bread with [ceremonially] impure hands, that is, unwashed [and defiled according to Jewish religious ritual]. (For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, holding firmly to the traditions of the elders; read more.
and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves [completely according to ritual]; and there are many other things [oral, man-made laws and traditions handed down to them] which they follow diligently, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper utensils.) So the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, “Why do Your disciples not live their lives according to the tradition of the elders, but [instead] eat their bread with [ceremonially] unwashed hands?”

John 13:12

So when He had washed their feet and put on His [outer] robe and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you?

Luke 11:38

The Pharisee noticed this and was surprised that Jesus did not first ceremonially wash before the meal.

Exodus 40:31

Then from it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.

Exodus 30:20

When they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister, to burn an offering in the fire to the Lord [they shall do the same].

Exodus 19:10

The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow [that is, prepare them for My sacred purpose], and have them wash their clothes

Hebrews 6:2

of teaching about washings (ritual purifications), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [These are all important matters in which you should have been proficient long ago.]

John 13:5

Then He poured water into the basin and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which was tied around His waist.

From Thematic Bible


Ablution » Of the feet

Genesis 18:4

Please let a little water be brought [by one of my servants] and [you may] wash your feet, and recline and rest comfortably under the tree.

Genesis 19:2

And he said, “See here, my lords, please turn aside and come into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may get up early and go on your way.” But they said, “No, we shall spend the night in the open plaza [of the city].”

Genesis 24:32

So the man came into the house, and Laban unloaded his camels and gave them straw and feed, and [he gave] water to [Eliezer to] wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

Genesis 43:24

Then the steward brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed [the dust off] their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

Exodus 30:19

Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.

Ablution » of priests

Exodus 29:4

Then bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting [out where the basin is] and wash them with water.

Exodus 36:18-21

He made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together into one whole. He made a covering for the tent of rams' skins tanned red, and above it a covering of dolphin or porpoise skins. He made boards of acacia wood for the upright framework of the tabernacle. read more.
The length of a board was ten cubits and the breadth one cubit and a half.

Exodus 40:12

Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.

Exodus 40:31-32

And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. When they went into the Tent of Meeting or came near the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:6

Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

Ablution » Cleanliness » Examples of

Genesis 18:4

Please let a little water be brought [by one of my servants] and [you may] wash your feet, and recline and rest comfortably under the tree.

Genesis 43:24

Then the steward brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed [the dust off] their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

Exodus 19:14

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified them [for God’s sacred purpose], and they washed their clothes.

2 Samuel 12:20

Then David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself [with olive oil], changed his clothes, and went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came [back] to his own house, and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate.

Mark 7:3

(For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, holding firmly to the traditions of the elders;

Ablution » Of the hands, as a token of innocency

Deuteronomy 21:6

All the elders of that city nearest to the dead man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;

Psalm 26:6


I will wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord,

Matthew 27:24

So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands [to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt] in the presence of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this [righteous] Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”

Ablution » Of burnt offerings

2 Chronicles 4:6

He also made ten [portable] basins in which to wash, and he put five on the right (south) side and five on the left (north). They would rinse things for the burnt offering in them, but the Sea was for the priests to wash in.

Leviticus 1:9

But he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it up in smoke on the altar as a burnt offering. It is an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus 1:13

But he shall wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a sweet and soothing aroma to the Lord.

Leviticus 9:14

He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar.

Ablution » Of the hands

Exodus 30:18-21

You shall also make a laver or large basin of bronze, and its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it [outside in the court] between the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering], and you shall put water in it; There Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, read more.
So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die; it shall be a perpetual statute for [Aaron] and his descendants throughout their generations.

Exodus 40:30-32

And Moses set the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. When they went into the Tent of Meeting or came near the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Ablution » For defilement » Those having eaten that which died

Leviticus 17:15-16

And every person who eats what dies of itself or was torn by beasts, whether he is native-born or a temporary resident, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening; then shall he be clean. But if he does not wash his clothes or bathe his body, he shall bear his own iniquity [for it shall not be borne by the sacrifice of atonement].

Ablution » Traditional forms of, not observed by jesus

Luke 11:38-39

The Pharisee noticed and was astonished [to see] that Jesus did not first wash before dinner. But the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are full of greed and robbery and extortion and malice and wickedness.

Ablution » For defilement » Bloody

Leviticus 15:5-13

Whoever touches that person's bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And whoever sits on anything on which he who has the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And he who touches the flesh of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. read more.
And if he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And any saddle on which he who has the discharge rides shall be unclean. Whoever touches anything that has been under him shall be unclean until evening; and he who carries those things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. Whomever he who has the discharge touches without rinsing his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until evening. The earthen vessel that he with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. When he who has a discharge is cleansed of it, he shall count seven days for his purification, then wash his clothes, bathe in running water, and be clean.

Ablution » For defilement » Of lepers

Leviticus 14:8-9

He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but stay outside his tent seven days. But on the seventh day he shall shave all his hair off his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and his [body]; and he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and be clean.

Ablution » Of infants

Ezekiel 16:4

And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing, nor were you rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths.

Ablution » Of the face

Ablution » Of the dead

Acts 9:37

During that time it happened that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.

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