Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the act of bathing held significant cultural, religious, and symbolic importance. Bathing was not only a matter of personal hygiene but also a ritualistic practice that signified purification and preparation for worship or special occasions.
Cultural and Hygienic Practices:Bathing in ancient Israel was a common practice for maintaining cleanliness, especially in a hot and arid climate. The availability of water sources such as rivers, springs, and wells facilitated this practice. Bathing was often done in public baths or private settings, depending on one's social status and resources.
Ritual Purification:In the Old Testament, bathing is frequently associated with ritual purification. The Mosaic Law prescribed specific instances where bathing was required to restore ceremonial cleanliness. For example,
Leviticus 15 outlines various bodily discharges that rendered a person unclean, necessitating washing with water to regain purity: "When a man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean... When the man with the discharge is cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; then he will be clean" (
Leviticus 15:2, 13).
Similarly, priests were required to bathe before performing their sacred duties.
Exodus 30:18-21 describes the bronze basin placed between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, where Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet before entering the tent or approaching the altar, "so that they will not die" (
Exodus 30:20).
Symbolism and Spiritual Significance:Bathing also carries symbolic meaning in the Bible, often representing spiritual cleansing and renewal. In the New Testament, the concept of washing is linked to the cleansing power of Jesus Christ's sacrifice.
Ephesians 5:25-26 speaks of Christ's love for the church, "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" .
The act of baptism, a central rite in Christianity, is a form of spiritual bathing. It symbolizes the washing away of sins and the believer's identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In
Acts 22:16, Ananias instructs Saul (later Paul), "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name" .
Cultural Context and Gender:Bathing practices also varied between men and women, with specific regulations for women, particularly concerning menstruation and childbirth.
Leviticus 12:1-8 outlines the purification process for women after childbirth, which included bathing as part of the ritual to restore ceremonial cleanliness.
Conclusion:The act of bathing in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing practical, ritualistic, and symbolic dimensions. It underscores the importance of purity, both physical and spiritual, in the life of the believer and the community. Through the lens of Scripture, bathing serves as a reminder of the need for cleansing and preparation in approaching God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. t.) To wash by immersion, as in a bath; to subject to a bath.
2. (v. t.) To lave; to wet.
3. (v. t.) To moisten or suffuse with a liquid.
4. (v. t.) To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to bathe the eye with warm water or with sea water; to bathe one's forehead with camphor.
5. (v. t.) To surround, or envelop, as water surrounds a person immersed.
6. (v. i.) To bathe one's self; to take a bath or baths.
7. (v. i.) To immerse or cover one's self, as in a bath.
8. (v. i.) To bask in the sun.
9. (n.) The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual bathe.
Greek
3068. louo -- tobathe, to wash... louo. 3069 . to
bathe, to wash. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: louo Phonetic
Spelling: (loo'-o) Short Definition: I wash,
bathe Definition: (lit.
...899. bathos -- depth
... see GREEK bathus. (bathe) -- 1 Occurrence. (bathos) -- 6 Occurrences. (bathous) --
1 Occurrence. 898, 899. bathos. 900 . Strong's Numbers.
Strong's Hebrew
7364. rachats -- to wash, wash off or away,bathe... rachats. 7365 . to wash, wash off or away,
bathe. Transliteration: rachats Phonetic
Spelling: (raw-khats') Short Definition:
bathe. Word Origin a prim.
...7301. ravah -- to be saturated, drink one's fill
...bathe, make drunk, take the fill, satiate, abundantly satisfy, soak, water
abundantly. A primitive root; to slake the thirst (occasionally...
Library
Commandments to Women.
... That a Woman Must NotBathe with Men. IX.... But if the bath be appropriated
to women, let herbathe orderly, modestly, and moderately....
Why we are to Use the Bath.
... [1653] Tobathe for the sake of heat is a superfluity, since one may restore
what is frozen by the cold in other ways. Constant...
Fill Me Now.
... The Fullness of the Spirit. Hover o'er me, Holy Spirit;Bathe my trembling heart
and brow; Fill me with thy hallowed presence, Come, oh, come and fill me now....
The Child Moses.
... She had seen a fair Egyptian princess coming down from the palace every morning
tobathe in the river at a place not far from her hut; and she thought that if...
The Finding of Moses
... She knew that presently the great princess, Pharaoh's daughter, would come down
tobathe in the river, and would notice the queer little ark floating there....
But we are Called to Account as Harm-Doers on Another Ground...
... I do not at the Saturnaliabathe myself at dawn, that I may not lose both day and
night; yet Ibathe at a decent and healthful hour, which preserves me both in...
Songs from 'the Water-Babies'
... and foaming wear; Under the crag where the ouzel sings, And the ivied wall where
the church-bell rings, Undefiled, for the undefiled; Play by me,bathe in me...
Hail, Jesus, Hail!
... whose price could raise The world from wrath and sin; Whose streams our inward thirst
appease, And heal the sinner's worst disease, If he butbathe therein, If...
Mission Tours.
... in the region of the sacred river, which receives from the people divine honours,
and which in their belief confers inestimable benefit on all whobathe in its...
The Age, Birth, and Life of Moses.
... In this emergency, the king's daughter, who for a long time had not been pregnant,
and who longed for a child, came that day to the river tobathe and wash...
Thesaurus
Bathe (35 Occurrences)... 4. (vt) To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to
bathe the eye with warm
water or with sea water; to
bathe one's forehead with camphor.
...Toucheth (45 Occurrences)
... (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). Leviticus 15:5 And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash
his clothes, andbathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even....
Touches (55 Occurrences)
... (WEB NAS RSV NIV). Leviticus 15:5 Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes,
andbathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening....
Flux (26 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 15:6 And he that sitteth on any object whereon he sat that hath the flux
shall wash his garments, andbathe in water, and be unclean until the even....
Discharge (30 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 15:6 He who sits on anything whereon the man who has the discharge sat
shall wash his clothes, andbathe himself in water, and be unclean until the...
Issue (59 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 15:6 And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue
shall wash his clothes, andbathe himself in water, and be unclean until the...
Wash (105 Occurrences)
... wash" are rachats, and kabhac, the former being normally used of persons or of
sacrificial animals (Genesis 18:4, etc., often translated "bathe"; Leviticus 15:...
Ceremonially (38 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Leviticus 14:8 "He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and
shave off all his hair, andbathe himself in water; and he shall be clean....
Evening (163 Occurrences)
... (WEB BBE WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Leviticus 15:5 Whoever touches his bed shall wash
his clothes, andbathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening....
Bath (13 Occurrences)
... bathing and partial washing-both are expressed by rahats, and the Revised Version
(British and American) rightly renders "wash" instead of "bathe" in some cases...
Resources
What is the water of life? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the origin of baptism? | GotQuestions.orgWhy were a husband and wife considered unclean after they had sexual relations? | GotQuestions.orgBathe: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
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