Reference: Washing
American
Various ceremonial washings were enjoined in the Mosaic law, both upon priests, Ex 30:19-21, and upon others, Le 12-15; Heb 9:10. These were significant of spiritual purification through the Savior's blood, Tit 3:5; Re 1:5, as well as of that holiness without which none can see God. To these the Jews added other traditional ablutions, Mr 7:2-4; and regarded it as an act of impiety to neglect them, as Christ frequently did, Lu 11:38. The washing of the hands before and after meals,
Mt 15:2, called for by their custom of feeding themselves with their fingers, is still practiced in Syria. See cut in BED. Where there is a servant in attendance, he pours water from a pitcher over his master's hands, holding also a broad vessel underneath them, 2Ki 3:11; Ps 60:8. See FOOT and SANDALS. "Washing the hands" was a protestation of innocence, De 21:6; Mt 27:24; and has given rise to the proverbial saying common among us, "I wash my hands of that."
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and Aaron and his sons have washed at it their hands and their feet, in their going in unto the tent of meeting they wash with water, and die not; or in their drawing nigh unto the altar to minister, to perfume a fire-offering to Jehovah, read more. then they have washed their hands and their feet, and they die not, and it hath been to them a statute age-during, to him and to his seed to their generations.'
and all the elders of that city, who are near unto the slain one, do wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley,
And Jehoshaphat saith, 'Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, and we seek Jehovah by him?' And one of the servants of the king of Israel answereth and saith, 'Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.'
Moab is my pot for washing, over Edom I cast my shoe, Shout, concerning me, O Philistia.
'Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.'
And Pilate having seen that it profiteth nothing, but rather a tumult is made, having taken water, he did wash the hands before the multitude, saying, 'I am innocent from the blood of this righteous one; ye -- ye shall see;'
and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands -- that is, unwashed -- eating bread, they found fault; for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, if they do not wash the hands to the wrist, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders, read more. and, coming from the market-place, if they do not baptize themselves, they do not eat; and many other things there are that they received to hold, baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches.
and the Pharisee having seen, did wonder that he did not first baptize himself before the dinner.
(not by works that are in righteousness that we did but according to His kindness,) He did save us, through a bathing of regeneration, and a renewing of the Holy Spirit,
only in victuals, and drinks, and different baptisms, and fleshly ordinances -- till the time of reformation imposed upon them.
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born out of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth; to him who did love us, and did bathe us from our sins in his blood,
Easton
(Mr 7:1-9). The Jews, like other Orientals, used their fingers when taking food, and therefore washed their hands before doing so, for the sake of cleanliness. Here the reference is to the ablutions prescribed by tradition, according to which "the disciples ought to have gone down to the side of the lake, washed their hands thoroughly, 'rubbing the fist of one hand in the hollow of the other, then placed the ten finger-tips together, holding the hands up, so that any surplus water might flow down to the elbow, and thence to the ground.'" To neglect to do this had come to be regarded as a great sin, a sin equal to the breach of any of the ten commandments. Moses had commanded washings oft, but always for some definite cause; but the Jews multiplied the legal observance till they formed a large body of precepts. To such precepts about ceremonial washing Mark here refers. (See Ablution.)
Illustration: Washing the Hands
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And gathered together unto him are the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem, and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands -- that is, unwashed -- eating bread, they found fault; read more. for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, if they do not wash the hands to the wrist, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders, and, coming from the market-place, if they do not baptize themselves, they do not eat; and many other things there are that they received to hold, baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches. Then question him do the Pharisees and the scribes, 'Wherefore do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but with unwashed hands do eat the bread?' and he answering said to them -- 'Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites, as it hath been written, This people with the lips doth honour Me, and their heart is far from Me; and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings, commands of men; for, having put away the command of God, ye hold the tradition of men, baptisms of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do.' And he said to them, 'Well do ye put away the command of God that your tradition ye may keep;
Fausets
The high priest's whole body was washed at his consecration (Ex 29:4; Le 16:4); also on the day of atonement. The priests' hands and feet alone were washed in the daily tabernacle ministrations (Ex 30:18-20). So Christians are once for all wholly "bathed" (leloumenoi) in regeneration which is their consecration; and daily wash away their soils of hand and foot contracted in walking through this defiling world (Joh 13:10, Greek "he that has been bathed needs not save to wash (nipsasthai) his feet, but is clean all over": 2Co 7:1; Heb 10:22-23; Eph 5:26). The clothes of him who led away the scape-goat, and of the priest who offered the red heifer, were washed (Le 16:26; Nu 19:7).
The Pharisaic washings of hands before eating, and of the whole body after being in the market (Mr 7:2-4), turned attention off from the spirit of the law, which aimed at teaching inward purity, to a mere outward purification. In the sultry and dusty East water for the feet was provided for the guests (Lu 7:44; Ge 18:4). The Lord Jesus by washing His disciples' feet taught our need of His cleansing, and His great humility whereby that cleansing was effected (compare 1Sa 25:41; 1Ti 5:10). The sandals, without stockings, could not keep out dust from the feet; hence washing them was usual before either dining or sleeping (Song 5:3). Again, the usage of thrusting the hand into a common dish rendered cleansing of the hand indispensable before eating. It was only when perverted into a self righteous ritual that our Lord protested against it (Mt 15:2; Lu 11:38).
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let, I pray thee, a little water be accepted, and wash your feet, and recline under the tree;
'And Aaron and his sons thou dost bring near unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and hast bathed them with water;
'And thou hast made a laver of brass (and its base of brass), for washing; and thou hast put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and hast put water there; and Aaron and his sons have washed at it their hands and their feet, read more. in their going in unto the tent of meeting they wash with water, and die not; or in their drawing nigh unto the altar to minister, to perfume a fire-offering to Jehovah,
a holy linen coat he putteth on, and linen trousers are on his flesh, and with a linen girdle he girdeth himself, and with a linen mitre he wrappeth himself up; they are holy garments; and he hath bathed with water his flesh, and hath put them on.
'And he who is sending away the goat for a goat of departure doth wash his garments, and hath bathed his flesh with water, and afterwards he cometh in unto the camp.
and the priest hath washed his garments, and hath bathed his flesh with water, and afterwards doth come in unto the camp, and the priest is unclean till the evening;
And she riseth and boweth herself -- face to the earth -- and saith, 'Lo, thy handmaid is for a maid-servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.'
I have put off my coat, how do I put it on? I have washed my feet, how do I defile them?
'Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.'
and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands -- that is, unwashed -- eating bread, they found fault; for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, if they do not wash the hands to the wrist, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders, read more. and, coming from the market-place, if they do not baptize themselves, they do not eat; and many other things there are that they received to hold, baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches.
And having turned unto the woman, he said to Simon, 'Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; water for my feet thou didst not give, but this woman with tears did wet my feet, and with the hairs of her head did wipe;
and the Pharisee having seen, did wonder that he did not first baptize himself before the dinner.
Jesus saith to him, 'He who hath been bathed hath no need save to wash his feet, but he is clean altogether; and ye are clean, but not all;'
Having, then, these promises, beloved, may we cleanse ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God;
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it with the bathing of the water in the saying,
may we draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having the hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having the body bathed with pure water; may we hold fast the unwavering profession of the hope, (for faithful is He who did promise),
Morish
A requirement of frequent literal recurrence under the law, but in the N.T. a term bearing commonly a moral force and application. Important truth may be learned from the different significations of the Greek words used for 'washing' in John 13. The word in Joh 13:10 is ????, 'to cleanse, wash thoroughly.' One who is cleansed in this sense never needs to be thus washed again; he is, as the Lord said, 'clean every whit,' yet in order to have 'part with' Christ, he needs, because of the defilement of the way, that his feet should be washed (here the word is ?????), Joh 13:5-14, an action which is applied to parts of the body only. The same difference was typified in the cleansing of Aaron and his sons. They were at their consecration once 'washed' by Moses, but were thenceforward required continually, when executing their service, to wash only their hands and feet in the laver. Ex 40:12,30-32.
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'And thou hast brought near Aaron and his sons unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and hast bathed them with water;
And he putteth the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and putteth water there for washing, and Moses and Aaron and his sons have washed their hands and their feet at the same; read more. in their going in unto the tent of meeting, and in their drawing near unto the altar, they wash, as Jehovah hath commanded Moses.
afterward he putteth water into the basin, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to wipe with the towel with which he was being girded. He cometh, therefore, unto Simon Peter, and that one saith to him, 'Sir, thou -- dost thou wash my feet?' read more. Jesus answered and said to him, 'That which I do thou hast not known now, but thou shalt know after these things;' Peter saith to him, 'Thou mayest not wash my feet -- to the age.' Jesus answered him, 'If I may not wash thee, thou hast no part with me;' Simon Peter saith to him, 'Sir, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.' Jesus saith to him, 'He who hath been bathed hath no need save to wash his feet, but he is clean altogether; and ye are clean, but not all;'
Jesus saith to him, 'He who hath been bathed hath no need save to wash his feet, but he is clean altogether; and ye are clean, but not all;' for he knew him who is delivering him up; because of this he said, 'Ye are not all clean.' read more. When, therefore, he washed their feet, and took his garments, having reclined (at meat) again, he said to them, 'Do ye know what I have done to you? ye call me, The Teacher and The Lord, and ye say well, for I am; if then I did wash your feet -- the Lord and the Teacher -- ye also ought to wash one another's feet.