כָּבַס
ka.vas (H3526H)
to wash
AI Word Study
# Kāvas (כָּבַס): The Hebrew Word for Washing The Hebrew verb kāvas carries the straightforward meaning "to wash," appearing 48 times throughout the biblical text. This frequency suggests it was a common term for a routine domestic activity, reflecting the practical necessity of cleansing in ancient Israelite life. The word encompasses the physical action of removing dirt or impurity through water, a basic human need that appears across multiple contexts in scripture. Given its 48 occurrences, kāvas was evidently used regularly enough to warrant its own distinct term rather than relying on more general vocabulary. This suggests the biblical writers found value in specifically naming the act of washing as a distinct concept worthy of linguistic precision. The word likely applied to both everyday hygiene and ritual cleansing practices, though the provided data does not specify whether it carried particular religious or ceremonial weight beyond its literal meaning. Without access to specific biblical passages from this lexical entry, the full range of contexts—whether kāvas referred to washing bodies, clothing, or objects, and whether it appeared in literal or metaphorical usage—cannot be determined from the information given. The data confirms only that it was a common, established Hebrew verb for the fundamental human act of washing.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,
Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.
Whatever shall touch its flesh shall be holy. When there is any of its blood sprinkled on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place.
Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
He who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. They are unclean to you.
He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
The priest shall examine him again on the seventh day. Behold, if the plague has faded and the plague hasn’t spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
On the seventh day, the priest shall examine the itch; and behold, if the itch hasn’t spread in the skin, and its appearance isn’t deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean.
then the priest shall command that they wash the thing that the plague is in, and he shall isolate it seven more days.
Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and behold, if the plague hasn’t changed its color, and the plague hasn’t spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire. It is a mildewed spot, whether the bareness is inside or outside.
If the priest looks, and behold, the plague has faded after it is washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof;
The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean.”
“He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.
It shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his body in water. Then he shall be clean.
He who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.
Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
He who sits on anything on which the man who has the discharge sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘He who touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘If he who has the discharge spits on him who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
Whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. He who carries those things shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘Whomever he who has the discharge touches, without having rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
“ ‘When he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.
Every garment and every skin which the semen is on shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the evening.
Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
Whoever touches anything that she sits on shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
Whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
“He who lets the goat go as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
He who burns them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
“ ‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. Then he shall be clean.
But if he doesn’t wash them, or bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.’ ”
You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves.
The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.
He who burns her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.
He who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening. It shall be to the children of Israel, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them, for a statute forever.
The clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day. On the seventh day, he shall purify him. He shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.
It shall be a perpetual statute to them. He who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening.
You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”
Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither groomed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before me,” says the Lord Yahweh.
Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long will your evil thoughts lodge within you?
“But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderers’ soap;