Reference: Purification
Easton
the process by which a person unclean, according to the Levitical law, and thereby cut off from the sanctuary and the festivals, was restored to the enjoyment of all these privileges.
The great annual purification of the people was on the Day of Atonement (q.v.).
But in the details of daily life there were special causes of cermonial uncleanness which were severally provided for by ceremonial laws enacted for each separate case. For example, the case of the leper (Le 13; 13:14), and of the house defiled by leprosy (Le 14:49-53; see also Mt 8:2-4). Uncleanness from touching a dead body (Nu 19:11; Ho 9:4; Hag 2:13; Mt 23:27; Lu 11:44). The case of the high priest and of the Nazarite (Le 21:1-4,10-11; Nu 6:6-7; Eze 44:25). Purification was effected by bathing and washing the clothes (Le 14:8-9); by washing the hands (De 21:6; Mt 27:24); washing the hands and feet (Ex 30:18-21; Heb 6:2, "baptisms", R.V. marg., "washings;" Heb 9:10); sprinkling with blood and water (Ex 24:5-8; Heb 9:19), etc. Allusions to this rite are found in Ps 26:6; 51:7; Eze 36:25; Heb 10:22.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And he will send forth young men sons of Israel, and they will bring up burnt-offerings, and they will sacrifice sacrifices of peace to Jehovah of bullocks. And Moses will take half of the blood, and put in basins; and half the blood he sprinkled upon the altar. read more. And he will take the book of the covenant and read in the ears of the people: and they will say, All which Jehovah spake we will do, and we will heed. And Moses will take the blood, and sprinkle upon the people, and will say, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah made with you concerning all these words.
Make a brass wash-basin, and its pedestal brass, for washing: and give it between the tent of appointment and between the altar, and give water there. And Aaron and his son washed from it their hands and their feet. read more. In their coming into the tent of appointment, they shall wash with water, and they shall not die: or in their drawing near to the altar to serve, to burn a sacrifice to Jehovah. And they shall wash their hands and their feet, and they shall not die: and it was to them a law forever, to him and to his seed and to their generations.
And he being cleansed, washed his garments and shaved all his hair, and washed in water and was clean: and afterwards he shall come into the camp and dwelt without his tent seven days. And it was in the seventh day, he shall shave all his hair off his head, and his beard, and the front of his eyes; and all his hair shall he shave off; and he washed his garments, and washed his flesh in water, and was clean.
And he took to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and double scarlet, and hyssop. And he slaughtered the one bird into a vessel of earthen, over living water. read more. And he took the cedar wood, and the hyssop and the double scarlet, and the living bird, and dipped them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the living water, and sprinkled into the house seven times. And he cleansed the house with the blood of the bird in living water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the double scarlet And he sent away the living bird without the city to the face of the field, and he expiated for the house: and it was clean.
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Say to the priests the sons of Aaron, and say to them, for the soul he shall not be defiled among his peoples. But if for his remainder coming near to him, for his mother and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, read more. And for his sister, a virgin, coming near to him, who was not for a husband for her, he shall be defiled. A chief among his people shall not be defiled, to profane himself.
And the great priest from his brethren which the anointing oil shall be poured upon his head, and he filled his hand to put on the garments, his head he shall not uncover, and his garments he shall not rend. And to an dead soul he shall not come, for his father, and for his mother, he shall not be defiled.
All the days of his consecrating himself to Jehovah, he shall not go in to a dead soul. For his father, and for his mother, for his brother and for his sister, he shall not be defiled for them in their dying: for the consecration of his God upon his head.
He touching upon the dead of any soul of man and he was unclean seven days.
And all the old men of that city being near to him wounded, shall wash their hands over the heifer having her neck broken in the valley:
I will wash my hands in cleanness, and I will surround thine altar, O Jehovah:
Thou wilt purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: thou wilt wash me and I shall be white above snow.
And I sprinkled clean waters upon you, and ye were cleansed: from all your uncleannesses and from all your blocks will I cleanse you.
And to a dead man they shall not come to be defiled: but for father and for mother, and for son and for daughter, for brother, for sister who was not to a husband, they shall be defiled.
They shall not pour out wine to Jehovah, and they shall not be pleasant to him: their sacrifices as the bread of sorrows to them; all eating it shall be defiled: for their bread for their soul shall not come in to the house of Jehovah.
And Haggai will say, If the unclean of soul shall touch upon any of these, shall it be unclean? and the priests shall answer and say, It shall be unclean.
And, behold, a leper, having come, worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt thou canst cleanse me. And having stretched forth the hand, Jesus touched him, saying, I will; be thou cleansed and instantly his leprosy was cleansed. read more. And Jesus says to him, See thou tell no one; but retire, show thyself to the priest, and bring near the gift which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whitewashed tombs, which without indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness.
And Pilate, seeing that it profits nothing, but there is rather an uproar, having taken water, he washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am guiltless of the blood of this just one: ye shall see yourselves.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as concealed tombs, and men walking above know not.
Of the teaching of immersions, and placing upon of hands, and of the rising up of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Only in food and drinks, and different immersions, and precepts of the flesh, being placed till the time of amendment.
For every command spoken according to law by Moses, to all the people, having taken the blood of calves and he-goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and also the book, and he sprinkled all the people,
Let us approach with a true heart in complete certainty of faith, having our hearts besprinkled from an evil consciousness, and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Fausets
The outward purification with water, symbolizing man's need of inward purity before admission into God's presence. (See LEPER; PRIEST; BIRTH; NAZARITE.) Le 11:25,40; 12:6,8/type/juliasmith'>8,8/type/juliasmith'>8; Lu 2:22-24; Numbers 19; 31. See HEIFER; RED.) Heb 9:13.) The rabbis multiplied unauthorized purifications, e.g. cups, pots, couches. etc. (Mr 7:3; Joh 2:6.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And every one lifting up from their carcass shall cleanse his garment; and be unclean till evening.
And he eating from its carcass shall cleanse his garments, and be unclean till the evening; and he lifting up its carcass shall wash his garments and be unclean till the evening.
And in completing the days of her purification, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb, the son of his year, for a burnt-offering, and the son of a dove, or a turtle-dove, for the sin, to the door of the tent of appointment, to the priest
And if her hand shall not find the sufficiency of a sheep, and she took two turtle-doves or two sons of the dove; one for a burnt-offering, and one for sin: and the priest expiated for her, and she was clean.
And if her hand shall not find the sufficiency of a sheep, and she took two turtle-doves or two sons of the dove; one for a burnt-offering, and one for sin: and the priest expiated for her, and she was clean.
(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they vigorously wash hands, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
And when the days of her cleansing were completed, according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem to present to the Lord; (As has been written in the law of the Lord, That every male openingthe womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) read more. And to give a sacrifice according to that said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two of the young of pigeons.
And six stone water-buckets were placed there, according to the purification of the Jews, containing each two or three measures.
For if the blood of bulls and he-goats, and the ashes of a heifer besprinkling the polluted, consecrates to the purity of the flesh:
Hastings
Morish
In the law there were many ceremonial defilements, each of which had its appointed purification. To these the scribes and Pharisees added others, such as washing the hands before eating, washing cups and plates
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And having seen some of his disciples with common hands, that is, unwashed, eating loaves, they rebuked. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they vigorously wash hands, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. read more. And from the market-place, except they be immersed, they eat not. And there are many other things which they received to hold; the immersion of cups, and of measures, and of brazen vases, and of chairs.) Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Wherefore do not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? And he having answered, said to them, That Esaias prophesied well concerning you, as it has been written, This people honour me with lips, and their heart keeps far from me. And in vain they revere me, teaching doctrines the commands of men. For having left the command of God, ye hold firmly to the tradition of men, the immersion of measures and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
And separated nothing between us and also them, by faith having purified their hearts.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself blameless to God, purify your consciousness from dead works to serve the living God?
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse the hands, ye sinful; and purify the hearts, ye double souled.
Having purified your souls in the hearing of the truth by the Spirit to unfeigned brotherly love, out of pure hearts love ye one another cordially:
Smith
Purification,
in its legal and technical sense, is applied to the ritual observances whereby an Israelite was formally absolved from the taint of uncleanness. The essence of purification, in all eases, consisted in the use of water, whether by way of ablution or aspersion; but in the majora delicta of legal uncleanness, sacrifices of various kinds were added and the ceremonies throughout bore an expiatory character. Ablution of the person and of the clothes was required in the cases mentioned in
In cases of childbirth the sacrifice was increased to a lamb of the first year, with a pigeon or turtle-dove.
The ceremonies of purification required in cases of contact with a corpse or a grave are detailed in
... The purification of the leper was a yet more formal proceeding, and indicated the highest pitch of uncleanness. The rites are described in
The necessity of purification was extended in the post-Babylonian Period to a variety of unauthorized cases. Cups and pots and brazen vessels were washed as a matter of ritual observance.
The washing of the hands before meals was conducted in a formal manner.
What play have been the specific causes of uncleanness in those who came up to purify themselves before the Passover,
Joh 11:55
or in those who had taken upon themselves the Nazarites' vow,
we are not informed. In conclusion it may he observed that the distinctive feature. In the Mosaic rites of purification is their expiatory character. The idea of uncleanness was not peculiar to the Jew; but with all other nations simple ablution sufficed: no sacrifices were demanded. The Jew alone was taught by the use of expiatory offerings to discern to its fullest extent the connection between the outward sign and the inward fount of impurity.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And if her hand shall not find the sufficiency of a sheep, and she took two turtle-doves or two sons of the dove; one for a burnt-offering, and one for sin: and the priest expiated for her, and she was clean.
(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they vigorously wash hands, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And from the market-place, except they be immersed, they eat not. And there are many other things which they received to hold; the immersion of cups, and of measures, and of brazen vases, and of chairs.)
And the Jews' pascha was near: and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the pascha, that they might purify themselves.
Having taken these, be purified with them, and expend upon them, that they might shave the head: and all might know that what they are taught about thee is nothing; but thou proceedest in regular order, also thyself watching the law.
Then Paul having taken the men, in the following day having been purified with them, went into the temple, announcing the completion of the days of purification, till an offering be brought for each one of them.