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Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #2513 - καθαρός
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- clean, pure
- physically
- purified by fire
- in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit
- in a levitical sense
- clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness
- ethically
- free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt
- free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine
- blameless, innocent
- unstained with the guilt of anything
- physically
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
did not use
this Strong's Number
κᾰθᾰρ-ός, ά, όν,
Dor. καθαρός Tab.Heracl. 1.103, Orph. Fr. 32c. 1, Aeol. κόθ- Alc. Supp. 7.3; cf. ἀνακαθαίρω, κάθαρσις:
1 physically clean, spotless (not in Il.), εἵματα Od. 6.61, Archil. 12, cf. E. Cyc. 35, 562, etc.; of persons, cleanly, κ. περὶ ἐσθῆτα Arist. VV 1250b28, cf. Rh. 1416a23 (nisi leg. καθάριος).
2. clear of admixture, clear, pure, esp. of water, Βορυσθένης ῥέει καθαρὸς παρὰ θολεροῖσι Hdt. 4.53; κ. ὕδατα E. Hipp. 209 (anap.); ὕδωρ κ. ζῶν LXX Numbers 5:17; δρόσοι E. Ion 96 (anap.); κ. καὶ διαφανῆ ὑδάτια Pl. Phdr. 229b; οὖρον Hp. Epid. 1.3; διαχώρημα Id. Coac. 640; κ. φάος, φέγγος, Pi. P. 6.14, 9.90; πνεῦμα κ. οὐρανοῦ E. Hel. 867; κ. ἄρτος Hdt. 2.40; of white bread, Wilcken Chr. 30i17 (iii/ii B.C.), LXX Ju. 10.5, Gal. 6.482, 19.137; ἄλευρον κ. Diocl.Fr. 139; χρυσίον, ἀργύριον -ώτατον, Hdt. 4.166, cf. Theoc. 15.36, Ph. 1.190, etc.; σῖτος X. Oec. 18.8; σῖτος κ. ἀπὸ πάντων PHib. 1.84 (a). 6 (iv/iii B.C.): freq. of grain, winnowed, πυρὸς κ. ἄδολος POxy. 1124.11 (i A.D.), cf. PTeb. 93.36 (ii B.C.), etc.; of metals, etc., σίδηρος Sammelb. 4481.13 (v A.D.), etc.; ἀρωμάτων, καθαρῶν, λαχάνων, dub. sens. in PLond. 2.429.6 (iv A.D.); ἄκρατος καὶ κ. νοῦς X. Cyr. 8.7.30; χρόαι Arist. Sens. 440a5; φωναί Id. Aud. 801b28; of feelings, unmixed, μῖσος τῆς ἀλλοτρίας φύσεως Pl. Mx. 245d, cf. Thgn. 89; serene, φρήν E. Hipp. 1120 (lyr.).
3. clear of objects, free, ἐν καθαρῷ (sc. τόπῳ) in an open space, ἐν κ., ὅθι δὴ νεκύων διεφαίνετο χῶρος Il. 8.491; ἐν κ., ὅθι κύματ' ἐπ' ἠϊόνος κλύζεσκον 23.61, cf. Ph. 2.535 (Sup.); πάξαις Ἄλτιν ἐν κ. in a clearing, Pi. O. 10 (11). 45; ἐν κ. βῆναι to leave the way clear, S. OC 1575 (lyr.); ἐν τῷ κ. οἰκεῖν live in the clear sunshine, Pl. R. 520d; διὰ καθαροῦ ῥέειν, of a river whose course is clear and open, Hdt. 1.202: with Subst., κελεύθῳ ἐν κ. Pi. O. 6.23; χῶρος κ. Hdt. 1.132; ἐν κ. λειμῶνι Theoc. 26.5; ἐν ἡλίῳ κ. in the open sun, opp. σκιά, Pl. Phdr. 239c; ὥς σφι τὸ ἐμποδὼν ἐγεγόνεε κ. was cleared away, Hdt. 7.183; κ. ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἀρκυστασίας set up the nets in open ground, X. Cyn. 6.6; freq. of land, free from weeds, etc., παραδώσω τὸν κλῆρον κ. ἀπὸ θρύου καλάμου ἀγρώστεως κτλ. PTeb. 105.59 (ii B.C.); παραδώσω τὰς ἀρούρας κ. ὡς ἔλαβον BGU 1018.25 (iii A.D.): c. gen., γλῶσσα καθαρὴ τῶν σημηΐων clear of the marks, Hdt. 2.38; καθαρὸν τῶν προβόλων, of a fort, Arr. An. 2.21.7; of documents, free from mistakes, POxy. 1277.13 (iii A.D.); χειρόγραφον κ. ἀπὸ ἐπιγραφῆς καὶ ἀλείφαδος free from interlineation and erasure, PLond. 2.178.13 (ii A.D.). metaph., free, clear of debt, liability, etc., κ. ἀπὸ δημοσίων καὶ παντὸς εἴδους BGU 197.14 (i A.D.); κ. ἀπό τε ὀφειλῆς καὶ ὑποθήκης καὶ παντὸς διεγγυήματος ib. 112.11 (i A.D.); γῆ κ. ἀπὸ γεωργίας βασιλικῆς POxy. 633 (ii A.D.); καθαρὰ ποιῆσαι to give a discharge, PAvrom. 1 A 22; in moral sense, free from pollution, καθαρῷ θανάτῳ an honourable death, Od. 22.462; θάνατον οὐ κ., τὸν δι' ἀγχόνης Ph. 2.491; ψυχαὶ ἀρηΐφατοι καθαρώτεραι ἢ ἐνὶ νούσοις Heraclit. 136; freq. free from guilt or defilement, pure, χεῖρες A. Eu. 313 (anap.); καθαρὸς χεῖρας Hdt. 1.35, Antipho 5.11, And. 1.95; κ. παρέχειν τινὰ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν Pl. Cra. 405b; ἔρχομαι ἐκ κοθαρῶν κοθαρά Orph Fr. 32c.1,al.; of ceremonial purity, καθαρὰ καὶ ἁγνή εἰμι ἀπό τε τῶν ἄλλων τῶν οὐ καθαρευόντων καὶ ἀπ' ἀνδρὸς συνουσίας Jusj. ap. D. 59.78, cf. UPZ 78.28 (ii B.C.), LXX Numbers 8:7,al.; ἀπὸ τάφου καὶ ἐκφορᾶς καθαροί SIG 982.9 (ii B.C.); esp. of persons purified after pollution, ἱκέτης προσῆλθες κ. A. Eu. 474, cf. S. OC 548, etc.; also of things, βωμοί, θύματα, δόμος, μέλαθρα, A. Supp. 654 (lyr.), E. IT 1163, 1231 (troch.), 693: c. gen., clear of or from.., κ. ἐγκλημάτων Antipho 2.4.11; ἀδικίας, κακῶν, Pl. R. 496d, Cra. 404a; ὁ τῶν κακῶν κ. τόπος Id. Tht. 177a; κ. τὰς χεῖρας φόνου Id. Lg. 864e; Κόρινθον.. ἀποδεῖξαι τῶν μιαιφόνων καθαράν X. HG 4.4.6; κ. εἰμι ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος πάντων Acts 20:26, cf. D.C. 37.24; κ. ἀπὸ ὅρκου LXX Genesis 24:8; ceremonially pure, of food, ὄσπριον Hdt. 2.37; of victims, LXX Genesis 7:2,al., PGen. 32.9 (ii A.D.), etc.; κ. ἡμέραι, opp. ἀποφράδες, Pl. Lg. 800d. in act. sense, purifying, cleansing, λέβης Pi. O. 1.26; θέειον Theoc. 24.96.
4. of birth, pure, genuine, σπέρμα θεοῦ Pi. P. 3.15; πόλις E. Ion 673; τῶν Ἀθηναίων ὅπερ ἐστράτευε καθαρὸν ἐξῆλθε, i.e. were citizens of pure blood, Th. 5.8; οἱ τῷ γένει μὴ κ. Arist. Ath. 13.5; κ. ἀστοί Sch. Ar. Ach. 506; καθαρόν a real, genuine saying, Ar. V. 1015; κ. Τίμων a Timon pure and simple, Id. Av. 1549; κ. δοῦλος Antiph. 9 (glossed by ἀπηκριβωμένος, AB 105); ζημία κ., of a person, Alciphro 3.21.
5. of language, pure, ὀνόματα, λέξις, D.H. Comp. 1, 3; διάλεκτος Id. Dem. 5; so of writers, [ Λυσίας] κ. τὴν ἑρμηνείαν Id. Lys. 2; [ Ξενοφῶν] κ. τοῖς ὀνόμασι Id. Pomp. 4; also, clear, simple, σεμνὸς καὶ κ. Jul. Or. 2.77a. Gramm., preceded by a vowel, pure, D.T. 635.10, 639.5, Hdn.Gr. 2.930, al.; containing a 'pure' syllable, ib. 928.
6. without blemish, sound, ὁ κ. στρατός, τὸ κ. τοῦ στρατοῦ, the sound portion of the army, Hdt. 1.211, 4.135; v. supr. 4.
7. clear, exact, ἂν κ. ὦσιν αἱ ψῆφοι if the accounts are exactly balanced, D. 18.227 (sed cf. καθαιρέω 11.5). II Adv. purely, ἁγνῶς καὶ καθαρῶς h.Ap. 121, Hes. Op. 337: Comp. -ωτέρως Porph. Abst. 2.44.
2. of birth, κ. γεγονέναι Hdt. 1.147; αἱ κ. Ἑλληνίδες Sor. 1.112, cf. Luc. Rh. Proverbs 24:1-34.
3. with clean hands, honestly, σὺν δίκῃ.. καὶ κ. Thgn. 198; δικαίως καὶ κ. D. 9.62; κ. τε καὶ μετρίως τὸν βίον διεξελθεῖν Pl. Phd. 108c.
4. clearly, plainly, λέγειν Ar. V. 631, cf. E. Rh. 35 (anap.); λέξις κ. καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἔχουσα Isoc. 5.4; κ. γνῶναι Ar. V. 1045, Pl. Phd. 66e; εἴσεσθαι ibid.; καθαρώτατα ἀποδεῖξαι Id. Cra. 426b.
5. of language, purely, correctly, -ώτερον διαλέγεσθαι Plu. 2.1116e, cf. Luc. Im. 15.
6. entirely, Ar. Av. 591; κ. τις ὢν ἀόργητος Phld. Ir. p.71 W.; κ. ἐς ἐφήβους τελεῖν D.C. 36.25, cf. Cod.Just. 1.4.34.9: Sup. -ώτατα in its purest form, Phld. Piet. 66.
καθαρός, καθαρά, καθαρόν; (akin to Latincastus, incestus, English chaste, chasten; Curtius, § 26; Vanicek, p. 177); from Homer down; the Sept. mostly for טָהור; clean, pure (free from the admixture or adhesion of anything that soils, adulterates, corrupts);
a. physically: Matthew 23:26; Matthew 27:59; Hebrews 10:22 (23); Revelation 15:6; Revelation 19:8, 14, and Rec. in Revelation 22:1; χρυσίον, purified by fire, Revelation 21:18, 21; in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit, John 15:3; ὁ λελουμένος ... καθαρός ὅλος (where the idea winch Christ expresses figuratively is as follows: 'he whose inmost nature has been renovated does not need radical renewal, but only to be cleansed from every several fault into which he may fall through contact with the unrenewed world'), John 13:10.
b. in a levitical sense; clean, i. e. the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness: πάντα καθαρά, Romans 14:20; Titus 1:15.
c. ethically; free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt: Titus 1:15; ὑμεῖς καθαροί, John 13:10 (11); οἱ καθαροί τῇ καρδία (as respects heart (Winer's Grammar, § 31, 6 a.)), Matthew 5:8 (καθαρός χεῖρας, Herodotus 1, 35; κατά τό σῶμα καί κατά τήν ψυχήν, Plato, Crat., p. 405 b.); free from every admixture of what is false, sincere, ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας, 1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:22, and R G in 1 Peter 1:22; ἐν καθαρά συνειδήσει, 1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; genuine (joined with ἀμίαντος) θρησκεία, James 1:27; blameless, innocent, Acts 18:6. Hebraistically with the addition of ἀπό τίνος, pure from, i. e. unstained with the guilt of, anything (Winers Grammar, § 30, 6 a.; Buttmann, 157f (137f)): ἀπό τοῦ αἵματος, Acts 20:26; Susanna 46 Alex., cf. Genesis 24:8; Tobit 3:14; καθαρᾶς ἔχειν τάς χεῖρας ἀπό τοῦ φόνου, Josephus, Antiquities 4, 8, 16; in classical Greek with a simple genitive, as φόνου, Plato, legg. 9, p. 864 e.; cf. Passow, under the word, p. 1528{a}; (Liddell and Scott, under the word, 3); Kühner, § 421, 4 ii., p. 344.
d. in a levitical and ethical sense: πάντα καθαρά ὑμῖν, Luke 11:41, on which see ἔνειμι. (Synonym: see εἰλικρινής; cf. Westcott on 1 John 3:3.)
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καθαρός , -ά , -όν ,
[in LXX chiefly for H2889;]
pure, clean.
1. Physically: Matthew 23:26; Matthew 27:59, John 13:10-11 (fig.), John 15:3 (fig., as of a vine cleansed by pruning), Hebrews 10:22, Revelation 15:6; Revelation 19:8; Revelation 19:14; Revelation 21:18; Revelation 21:21.
2. Ceremonially: Luke 11:41, Romans 14:20, Titus 1:15.
3. Ethically;
(a) of persons: John 13:16, Acts 18:6, Titus 1:15; ό κ . τῇ καρδίᾳ (καθαρὸς χεῖρας , Hdt., i, 35), Matthew 5:8; seq. ἀπό (cl. c. gen. simp.; ΒΙ ., § 36, 11; Deiss., BS, 196; MM, Exp., xv), Acts 20:26;
(b) of things: καρδία , 1 Timothy 1:6, 2 Timothy 2:22; συνείδησις , 1 Timothy 3:9, 2 Timothy 1:3; θρησκεία , James 1:27.†
SYN.: see (ἁγνός = G53)
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
The word and its derivatives have a wide range of use, being applied physically to animals, land, grain, bread, milk, etc., e.g. Chrest. I. 89.5 (A.D. 149) κ ]αὶ δοκιμάσας (μόσχον) ἐσφράγισα ὡς ἔστιν καθαρός, BGU IV. 1018.25 (iii/A.D.) παραδώσο (l.–ώσω) τὰς ἀρούρας καθαρὰς ὡς παρέλαβον, P Oxy VIII. 1124.11 (A.D. 26) πυρὸν νέο [ν ] καθαρὸν ἄδολον, ib. IV. 736.26 (c. A.D. 1) ἄρτου καθαροῦ παιδ (ῶν), BGU IV. 1109.6 (B.C. 5) θηλάζουσαν τῶι ἰδίῳ αὐτῆς γάλακτι καθαρῷ, and metaphorically to ";freedom"; from disadvantages of various kinds, as in ib. 1040.21 (ii/A.D.) καθαρ [ὰ ]ν γὰρ ἔχων τὴν ψυ ̣χ ̣ὴν οὐδενὸς ἐπισ ̣τ ̣[ . . . . ]ν ̣ τῶν διαβαλόντων, or in the epitaphs Kaibel 516.13 (c. A.D. 1) καθα [ρ ]ὰν δὲ φυλάξας [σωφροσύνης ἀρετὴν τόν ]δε λέλονχε τάφον, 653.4 (iii/A.D.) ὡς ἀνίῃ καθαρή, of a mind freed from care : cf. also P Lond 178.13 (A.D. 145) (= II. p. 207) τὸ δὲ χειρόγραφον τοῦτο δισσὸν γραφὲν καθαρὸν ἀπὸ ἐπιγραφῆς καὶ ἀλίφαδος, P Oxy X. 1277.13 (A.D. 255) κυρία ἡ πρᾶσις ἁπλῆ γραφεῖσα καθαρά (";free from mistake";). The old idea that καθρὸς ἀπό is ";Hebraistic"; has been completely exploded by Deissmann BS p. 196, where the formula free of a money-debt is illustrated by passages scattered over a period of nearly three hundred years, e.g. BGU I. 197.14 (A.D.17) καθαρῷ ἀπὸ δημοσίων καὶ παντὸς εἴδους, ib. 94.13 (A.D. 289) καθαρὰς ἀπὸ. . δημοσίων τελεσμάτων : cf. also BS p. 221 s.v. ὀφειλή. P Hib I. 84(a) .6 σῖτον καθαρὸν ἀπὸ πάντων is an interesting new ex. coming as it does from B.C. 285–4 (not B.C. 301 as formerly believed : see Egypt Exploration Fund—Archacological Report, 1907–8, p. 50). In P Lond 1157 verso.16 f. (A.D.246) (= III. p. 110) ψιλὴ γῆ ἀπο ̣, [ἀ ]μπέλου there seems to be a similar use with ψιλός. For καθαρὰ ποιήσῃ = ";acquit"; see JHS xxxv. p. 54, and for (τὰ) καθαρά used as a subst. see P Lond 429.6, .12, al. (c. A.D. 350) (= II. p. 314 f.). In P Par 51.28 (B.C. 160 ) (= Selections, p. 21), a dream from the Serapeum, we find the words—αὗται δὲ γυναῖκές εἰσιν. ἐὰν μιανθῶσιν, [οὐ μ ]ὴ γένονται καθαραὶ πώποτε. For the higher pagan developments see what is said s.v. ἁγνός, and add the interesting Syll 567.3 ff. (ii/ A.D.) prescribing the conditions of entrance to a temple—πρῶτον μὲν καὶ τὸ μέ [γ ]ιστον, χεῖρας καὶ (γ)νώμην καθαροὺς καὶ ὑγιε [ῖς ] ὑπάρχοντας καὶ μηδὲν αὑτοῖς δεινὸν συνειδότας. Then follow τὰ ἐκτός —one thinks of Matthew 23:26 : after eating pease-pudding (ἀπὸ φακῆς) an interval of three days is prescribed, after goat’s flesh three, after cheese one, after practising abortion (ἀπὸ φθορείων) forty, after the death of a relative forty, after lawful sexual intercourse they may come the same day when sprinkled and anointed with oil. For the beginnings of the same distinction between lawful and illicit intercourse we may compare Syll 566, a Pergamene inscr. of ii/B.C.—.3 ff. ἁγνευέτωσαν δὲ κ [α ]ὶ εἰσίτωσαν εἰς τὸν τῆς θεο [ῦ ναὸν ] οἵ τε πολῖται καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς ἰδίας [γυναι ]κὸς καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου ἀνδρὸς αὐθημερόν, ἀπὸ δὲ ἀλλοτρίας κ [αὶ ] ἀλλοτρίου δευτεραῖοι λουσάμενοι · ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ κῆδους καὶ τεκούσης γυναικὸς δευτεραῖος · ἀπὸ δὲ τάφου καὶ ὲκφορ [ᾶς ] περιρασάμενοι (i.e.–ραν –) καὶ διελθόντες τὴν πύλην, καθ᾽ ἣν τὰ ἁγιστήρια τίθεται, καθαροὶ αὐθημερόν. The whole is an illustration of the four prohibitions in the Apostolic decree. As showing the Christian use of the adj. we may also cite the new fragment of an uncanonical gospel, where the Saviour, who has taken His disciples with Him inside the Temple to the ἁγνευτήριον, is reproached by the chief priest for having failed to perform the necessary ceremonies before entering the holy place—ἀλλὰ μεμολυ [μμένος ] ἐπάτησας τοῦτο τὸ ἱερὸν τ [όπον ὄν ]τα καθαρόν, ὃν οὐδεὶς ἄ [λλος εἰ μὴ ] λουσάμενος καὶ ἀλλά [ξας τὰ ἐνδύ ]ματα πατεῖ (P Oxy V. 840.16 ff.). For the subst. cf. P Lond 604B.169 (c. A.D. 47) (= III. p. 81) εἰς κάθαρσιν. Καθάρσιος = ";purging draught"; is found in the medical recipe P Oxy XI. 1384.1 (v/A.D.), and in the same document (.27) the compd. adj. πανκάθαρος is applied to angels.
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