WG: Cleansing / Purity
Overview
The clean/unclean concept in Hebrew Scripture forms a fundamental binary system governing access to sacred space, fellowship, and worship. The taher/tame word families are exact antonyms, each with verb, adjective, and noun forms. Physical washing actions (kabas, rachats) serve as the ritual mechanism for transitioning from unclean to clean status.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H2891 |
טָהֵר |
ṭâhêr |
verb |
94 |
The action — become/make clean |
H2891 |
| H2889 |
טָהוֹר |
ṭâhôwr |
adj |
96 |
The state — clean/pure |
H2889 |
| H2892 |
טֹהַר |
ṭôhar |
noun (m) |
2-4 |
The quality — brightness, purity |
H2892 |
| H2893 |
טׇהֳרָה |
ṭohŏrâh |
noun (f) |
13 |
The process — purification |
H2893 |
| H2930 |
טָמֵא |
ṭâmêʼ |
verb |
160 |
The antonym action — become/make unclean |
H2930 |
| H2931 |
טָמֵא |
ṭâmêʼ |
adj |
88 |
The antonym state — unclean |
H2931 |
| H2932 |
טֻמְאָה |
ṭumʼâh |
noun |
37 |
The antonym condition — uncleanness |
H2932 |
| H3526 |
כָּבַס |
kâbaç |
verb |
51 |
The mechanism — wash (garments) |
H3526 |
| H7364 |
רָחַץ |
râchats |
verb |
72 |
The mechanism — wash/bathe (body) |
H7364 |
| G2511 |
καθαρίζω |
katharizō |
verb |
29 |
NT equivalent of ṭâhêr — cleanse, make clean |
G2511 |
| G2513 |
καθαρός |
katharós |
adj |
27 |
NT equivalent of ṭâhôwr — clean, pure |
G2513 |
| G2512 |
καθαρισμός |
katharismos |
noun |
7 |
NT equivalent of ṭohŏrâh — purification |
G2512 |
| G2514 |
καθαρότης |
katharotēs |
noun |
1 |
Abstract quality of cleanness — ceremonial purity of the flesh (hapax, Heb 9:13) |
G2514 |
| G1571 |
ἐκκαθαίρω |
ekkathairo |
verb |
2 |
Intensified cleansing — ἐκ + καθαίρω "purge out thoroughly"; corporate leaven-removal (1Co 5:7) and individual self-purification (2Ti 2:21) |
G1571 |
| G1245 |
διακαθαρίζω |
diakatharizo |
verb |
2 |
Intensified cleansing — δια + καθαρίζω "cleanse through and through"; winnowing the threshing floor (Mt 3:12, Lk 3:17) |
TODO(need G1245 study) |
| H2455 |
חֹל |
chol |
noun |
7 |
OT "common/profane" — the non-sacred category, antonym of qodesh; priestly formula "between holy and profane" |
H2455 |
| G952 |
βέβηλος |
bébēlos |
adj |
5 |
LXX/NT "profane" — primary LXX translation of chol (PMI 11.40) |
TODO(need G952 study) |
| G2839 |
κοινός |
koinós |
adj |
12 |
NT "common/profane/unclean" — the state of being non-sacred |
G2839 |
| G2840 |
κοινόω |
koinóō |
verb |
12 |
NT "defile/make common" — the action of rendering profane |
G2840 |
| G628 |
ἀπολούω |
apolouō |
verb |
2 |
NT "wash away" — complete moral purification (ἀπό + λούω); figurative whole-body washing removing sin |
G628 |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- טהר root (clean): ṭâhêr (H2891 verb), ṭâhôwr (H2889 adj), ṭohŏrâh (H2893 noun)
- טמא root (unclean): ṭâmêʼ (H2930 verb), ṭâmêʼ (H2931 adj), ṭumʼâh (H2932 noun)
- Washing actions: kabas (H3526) and rachats (H7364) are unrelated roots that form a functional pair — kabas for garments, rachats for body
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| kabas (H3526) |
rachats (H7364) |
19 |
"wash his clothes and bathe his flesh" — standard purification formula |
| tame verb (H2930) |
kabas (H3526) |
18 |
"he is unclean... shall wash his clothes" |
| tame verb (H2930) |
rachats (H7364) |
15 |
"he is unclean... shall bathe in water" |
| tame verb (H2930) |
tame adj (H2931) |
14 |
"it shall be unclean... it is unclean" |
| taher (H2891) |
kabas (H3526) |
13 |
"wash his clothes... and be clean" |
| taher (H2891) |
rachats (H7364) |
8 |
"bathe his flesh in water, and be clean" |
| tahowr (H2889) |
tame adj (H2931) |
13 |
"between the unclean and the clean" |
| taher (H2891) |
tahowr (H2889) |
7 |
"he shall pronounce him clean: he is clean" |
| taher (H2891) |
tumʼah (H2932) |
5 |
"cleanse it from the uncleanness" |
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| taher + tahowr |
both → καθαρίζω/καθαρός |
Clean word family maps consistently |
| tame verb + tame adj |
both → μιαίνω/ἀκάθαρτος |
Unclean family maps to two Greek roots |
| kabas + rachats |
both → πλύνω/λούω |
Washing verbs distinguished in Greek |
Roles in the Concept
- Positive state: ṭâhôwr (טָהוֹר) — the condition of being clean/pure
- Positive transition: ṭâhêr (טָהֵר) — becoming clean or being declared clean
- Positive quality: ṭôhar (טֹהַר) — the abstract quality of brightness/purity
- Positive process: ṭohŏrâh (טׇהֳרָה) — the purification procedure
- Negative state: ṭâmêʼ adj (טָמֵא) — the condition of being unclean
- Negative transition: ṭâmêʼ verb (טָמֵא) — becoming unclean or making unclean
- Negative condition: ṭumʼâh (טֻמְאָה) — the abstract quality of uncleanness
- Mechanism (garments): kâbaç (כָּבַס) — laundering clothes as ritual cleansing
- Mechanism (body): râchats (רָחַץ) — bathing flesh in water
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Lev 11:32 — taher + tame: "it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed"
- Lev 13:6 — taher + kabas: "the priest shall pronounce him clean... he shall wash his clothes, and be clean"
- Lev 14:8 — taher + kabas + rachats: "he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean"
- Lev 15:13 — taher + kabas + rachats: "when he... is cleansed... he shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean"
- Num 19:12 — taher + tame: "He shall purify himself... on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean"
- Eze 36:25 — taher + tumʼah: "ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness... will I cleanse you"
Generated from: search_strongs.py, co-occurrence queries
Last updated: 2026-03-31