Washing

The physical or ritual cleansing of part or all of a person's body, a person's clothing or certain vessels. Washing can be symbolic of purification from defilement or cleansing from sin. It can also be part of preparation for a special act of religious service.

Washing as the cleansing of the body, clothing or certain vessels

Exodus 30:17–21; Leviticus 13:53–54 See also Exodus 40:30–32; Leviticus 6:27, Leviticus 14:8–9, Leviticus 15:2–13, Leviticus 16:24, Leviticus 16:26–28; Numbers 31:24; 2 Chronicles 4:6 parallel 1 Kings 7:38; John 2:6

And the LORD said to Moses, “You are to make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die. Thus they are to wash their hands and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

But when the priest reexamines it, if the mildew has not spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather article, the priest is to order the contaminated article to be washed and isolated for another seven days.

Jesus Christ taught that inner purity was more important than ritual washing

Matthew 15:17–20 parallel Mark 7:20–23 See also Mark 7:1–9 parallel Matthew 15:1–3; Mark 7:14–15 parallel Matthew 15:10–11; Luke 11:37–41

“Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

Washing as a symbolic act

Of purification from defilement

Leviticus 11:24–25 See also Leviticus 11:28, Leviticus 11:40, Leviticus 13:6, Leviticus 13:34, Leviticus 15:4–8, Leviticus 17:15–16; Deuteronomy 23:10–11; 2 Kings 5:10

These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.

Of cleansing from sin

1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Ephesians 5:25–27 See also Psalm 51:2, Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:16, Isaiah 4:4; Jeremiah 4:14; Acts 22:16; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:22; James 4:8; Revelation 7:14, Revelation 22:14

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

Of personal cleansing before a special act of religious service

Leviticus 16:24 See also Exodus 19:10–11, Exodus 29:4, Exodus 40:12–13, Exodus 40:30–32; Leviticus 8:6; Numbers 8:6–7, Numbers 8:21

He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people.

Washing one's hands was used as a symbolic declaration of innocence

Deuteronomy 21:6–7 See also Psalm 26:6, Psalm 73:13; Matthew 27:24

Then all the elders of the city nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the heifer whose neck has been broken, and they shall declare, “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.