Bible Dictionaries
Clean, Cleanness, Cleanse, Cleansing

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

"free from impure admixture, without blemish, spotless," is used (a) physically, e.g., Matthew 23:26; 27:59; John 13:10 (where the Lord, speaking figuratively, teaches that one who has been entirely "cleansed," needs not radical renewal, but only to be "cleansed" from every sin into which he may fall); John 15:3; Hebrews 10:22; Revelation 15:6; 19:8,14; 21:18,21; (b) in a Levitical sense, Romans 14:20; Titus 1:15 , "pure;" (c) ethically, with the significance free from corrupt desire, from guilt, Matthew 5:8; John 13:10,11; Acts 20:26; 1 Timothy 1:5; 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; 2:22; Titus 1:15; James 1:27; blameless, innocent (a rare meaning for this word), Acts 18:6; (d) in a combined Levitical and ethical sense ceremonially, Luke 11:41 , "all things are clean unto you." See CLEAR , C, Note (2), PURE.

akin to A, signifies (1) "to make clean, to cleanse" (a) from physical stains and dirt, as in the case of utensils, Matthew 23:25 (figuratively in Matthew 23:26 ); from disease, as of leprosy, Matthew 8:2; (b) in a moral sense, from the defilement of sin, Acts 15:9; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 9:14; James 4:8 , "cleanse" from the guilt of sin, Ephesians 5:26; 1 John 1:7; (2) "to pronounce clean in a Levitical sense," Mark 7:19 , RV; Acts 10:15; 11:9; "to consecrate by cleansings," Hebrews 9:22,23; 10:2 . See PURGE , PURIFY.

"to cleanse thoroughly," is used in Matthew 3:12 , RV.

Note: For kathairo, John 15:2 , RV, See PURGE , No. 1. For diakathairo, Luke 3:17 , RV, see PURGE , No. 3.

akin to A, denotes "cleansing," (a) both the action and its results, in the Levitical sense, Mark 1:44; Luke 2:22 , "purification;" 5:14, "cleansing;" John 2:6; 3:25 , "purifying;" (b) in the moral sense, from sins, Hebrews 1:3; 2 Peter 1:9 , RV, "cleansing." See PURGE , PURIFICATION , PURIFYING.

akin to B, "cleannes, purity," is used in the Levitical sense in Hebrews 9:13 , RV, "cleanness." See PURIFY.

Note: In 2 Peter 2:18 , some inferior mss. have ontos, "certainly" (AV, "clean"), for oligos, "scarcely" (RV, "just").