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Psalms 51:2 — Word Study

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WLCהֶ֭רֶב כַּבְּסֵ֣נִי מֵעֲוֹנִ֑י וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י טַהֲרֵֽנִי׃

BSALebobôwʼ to(wards)ʼêl NathanNâthân prophetnâbîyʼ whichʼăsher Lebobôwʼ to(wards)ʼêl BathshebaBath-Shebaʻ BathshebaBath-Shebaʻ

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 51
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 2 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ta.ha.Re.ni) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 51:2quick helps
In a sentenceDavid asks God to wash and cleanse him from his wrongdoing and sin.
Who is speakingDavid, expressing his deep need for purification.
Where we areA penitential psalm where David seeks mercy and forgiveness.
The hard wordעָוֹן
Take awayThe plea for cleansing indicates an awareness of guilt.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbבְּ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 51:2

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Plea for Mercy and Cleansinggenerated

1Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.

Psalm 51:2 captures David's heartfelt plea for God's mercy. After his sin with Bathsheba, David recognizes his need for cleansing from both iniquity and sin, emphasizing his desire for a pure heart and a renewed spirit. This psalm is a profound expression of repentance and the need for divine forgiveness, reflecting themes found throughout the Scriptures.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 51:7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
2Ezekiel 36:25I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
3Zechariah 13:1“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
41 Corinthians 6:11And 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.
5Hebrews 9:13–14For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word כַּבְּסֵ֣נִי, ka.be.Se.nigenerated

The verb כַּבַּס (kabac) means to wash, specifically by treading or stamping, often associated with the work of a fuller. In this context, it conveys David's urgent request for God to wash away his moral stains and guilt.

The imperative form indicates a direct plea to God for action, highlighting David's recognition of his need for divine intervention to cleanse him from his iniquity and sin.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb כַּבְּסֵ֣נִי, wash me, governs the sentence with two phrases following it: one describing what David wants to be washed from and the other what he wants to be cleansed from. The structure emphasizes the dual nature of his request for both washing and cleansing.

The use of the conjunction וּ (and) connects the two requests, indicating that both actions are equally important to David's plea for forgiveness.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates כַּבַּס as πρὸς, indicating a direction towards cleansing, which emphasizes the action of washing as a means to achieve a state of purity.

The LXX's rendering shows a consistent understanding of the need for purification, aligning with the themes of repentance and divine mercy found in the Hebrew text.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 51:2 shows David asking God to wash him clean from his wrongdoing and to cleanse him from his sin. This plea highlights David's understanding of his guilt and his desire for purification, which is a central theme in this psalm.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does David mean by 'iniquity'?

In this context, 'iniquity' refers to moral evil or sin that David acknowledges in his heart, highlighting his need for God's forgiveness.

Why does David ask to be cleansed from sin?

David recognizes that sin separates him from God, and he desires to be restored to a state of purity and closeness with the Lord.

What is the significance of washing in this verse?

Washing symbolizes the removal of guilt and the restoration of purity, which is essential for David's relationship with God.

How does this verse relate to the concept of repentance?

This verse exemplifies true repentance, where David acknowledges his wrongdoings and earnestly seeks God's mercy and cleansing.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I need to seek God's cleansing and forgiveness?
  2. How can I cultivate a heart that is sensitive to sin and seeks repentance like David?
  3. What steps can I take to ensure I am living in a way that honors God's desire for purity?
  4. How does understanding my own sinfulness deepen my appreciation for God's mercy?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early Church Fathers have commented on this psalm, particularly focusing on the themes of repentance and divine mercy, as seen in the quotation from Augustine of Hippo.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 51 354–430
"More and more wash me from mine unrighteousness" [Psalms 51:2]. What is, "More and more wash"? One much stained. More and more wash the sins of one knowing.
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 51 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 51:2 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,.... Which supposes defilement by sin, and that very great, and such as none can remove but the Lord himself; who, when he takes it in hand, does it effectually

Read John Gill on Psalms 51 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity - (cf.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 51 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Wash me throughly, Heb. multiply to wash me; by which phrase he implies the greatness of his guilt, and the insufficiency of all legal washings, and the absolute necessity of some other and better thing to wash him, even of God’ s grace, and the blood of Christ; which as Abraham saw by faith, , so did David, as is sufficiently evident (allowing for the darkness of the dispensation and expressions of the Old Testament) from divers passages of the Psalms, of which I have spoken in their proper places; and his earnest and passionate desire of pardon, which he desires above all other things; wherein he showeth himself to be a true penitent, because his chief care and desire was to obtain God’ s…

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 51 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.Ver. 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity] Heb. Multiply, wash me; so Isaiah 55:7. God is said to multiply pardon as much as we multiply sin. David apprehended his sin so exceeding sinful, his stain so inveterate, so engrained, that it would hardly be ever gotten out till the cloth were almost rubbed to pieces; that God himself would have somewhat to do to do it. He had been in a deep ditch, Proverbs 23:27, and was pitifully defiled; he therefore begs hard to be thoroughly rinsed, to be bathed in that blessed fountain of Christ’ s blood, that is opened for sins and for uncleanness, Zechariah 13:1; to be cleansed…

Read John Trapp on Psalms 51 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Wash me thoroughly.—Literally, Wash me much, whether we follow the Hebrew text or the Hebrew margin. The two clauses of the verse are not merely antithetic. The terms wash and cleanse seem to imply respectively the actual and the ceremonial purification, the former meaning literally to tread, describing the process of washing clothes (as blankets are washed to this day in Scotland) by trampling them with the feet, the latter used of the formal declaration of cleanliness by the priest in the case of leprosy (Leviticus 13:6-34). (For the iniquity and sin, see Psalms 32:1.)

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 51 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 2. Wash me throughly] הרבה כבסני harbeh cabbeseni, "Wash me again and again, - cause my washings to be multiplied." My stain is deep; ordinary purgation will not be sufficient.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 51 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1–4. Prayer for forgiveness and cleansing: its ground, God’s grace; its condition, man’s repentance.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 51 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity - literally, “Multiply to wash me.” The word rendered “throughly” is a verb, either in the infinitive or imperative mood, and suggests the idea of “multiplying”

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 51 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Wash away my wrongdoing! Cleanse me of my sin!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Wash me throughly from mine iniquitie, and clense me from my sinne.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Wash me fully from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Thoroughly wash me from mine iniquity, And from my sin cleanse me,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Thoroughly wash me from my iniquity, || And cleanse me from my sin,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

(51:4) Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul David went to the house of Achimelech. [1 Kings 22]

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Wash away all my guilt; cleanse me from my sin.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Let all my wrongdoing be washed away, and make me clean from evil.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseadverbialהֶ֭רֶבincreaseverbכַּבְּסֵ֣washobjectנִיmeprepositional phrase · prepositionalמֵfromnoun phraseעֲוֺנִ֑iniquityיmyוּֽandclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalמֵfromnoun phraseחַטָּאתִ֥sinיmyverbטַהֲרֵֽcleanseobjectנִיme

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text aligns with the Septuagint in the main structure of the verse, confirming the essential elements of David's plea. Both witnesses reflect the same core request for washing and cleansing, though the Dead Sea Scrolls show some textual variations with words supplied by editors.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

הֶ֭רֶב כַּבְּסֵ֣נִי מֵעֲוֹנִ֑י וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥י טַהֲרֵֽנִי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
הֶ֭רֶבἐνכַּבְּסֵ֣נִיπρὸςמֵעֲוֹנִ֑יτὸνוּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥יεἰσῆλθενטַהֲרֵֽנִי׃πρὸς

5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q85a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

בבוא אלי׳ו נתן הנביא כאשר בא [אל] בת שבע

8 words on the leather — 1 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q91a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[בבוא] [אלי׳ו] [נתן] [הנביא] [כאשר] [בא] [אל] בת [שבע]

1 word on the leather — 8 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 51:2רָבָהincreaseincreaseרָבָהכָּבַסwash mewash meכָּבַסעָוֹןfrom iniquifrom iniquity mעָוֹןחַטָּאָהand from siand from sin myחַטָּאָהטָהֵרcleanse mecleanse meטָהֵרחָטָאto sinto sinחָטָארָבַבto multiplto multiply tenרָבַבעָוָהto twistto twistעָוָהאֲבַדto destroyto destroyאֲבַדפָּרָהbe fruitfube fruitfulפָּרָהמָעַטto diministo diminishמָעַטרָחַץto wash: wto wash: washרָחַץבֶּ֫גֶדtreacherytreacheryבֶּ֫גֶדפֶּ֫שַׁעtransgresstransgressionפֶּ֫שַׁעחַטָּאָהsinsinחַטָּאָהשָׂעִרhairyhairyשָׂעִרעֵזgoatgoatעֵזטֻמְאָהuncleannesuncleannessטֻמְאָהכָּבַסto washto washכָּבַס
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 51:2

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

increase wash me from iniquity my and from sin my cleanse me
הֶ֭רֶבHe.rev increase H7235 Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
227× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to increase or grow, like a plant shooting up. It is used in the Bible to describe something getting bigger or more abundant. The KJV translates it as abundance or bring up.
Tyndale gloss
to multiply
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רָבָה (rabah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to increase or multiply, encompassing ideas of becoming great, numerous, or abundant. It has various forms, including Qal (to become many), Piel (to make large), and Hiphil (to make much). The word also appears in a context related to shooting in Genesis 21:20. There is a noted Aramaic equivalent, רְבָה.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[רָבָה] 225 vb. be, or become, much, many, great

Qal 59

become many, numerous

be great

grow great (Aramaism)

Pi. 4 make large, increase

Hiph. 162

make much or many

make great, obj. pers.

base

[רָבָה] vb. shoot;—only Qal Gn 21:20

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7235a רָבָה be, or become, much, many, great .. become many, numerous

. . be great

. grow great (Aramaism)

. make large, increase

. . make much or many

. make great, obj. pers.

H7235b רָבָה shoot

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7235 rabah raw-baw'

a primitive root; to increase (in whatever respect):--(bring

in) abundance (X -antly), + archer (by mistake for 7232), be

in authority, bring up, X continue, enlarge, excel,

exceeding(-ly), be full of, (be, make) great(-er, -ly,

X -ness), grow up, heap, increase, be long, (be, give, have,

make, use) many (a time), (any, be, give, give the, have) more

(in number), (ask, be, be so, gather, over, take, yield) much

(greater, more), (make to) multiply, nourish, plenty(-eous), X

process (of time), sore, store, thoroughly, very.

see HEBREW for 07232

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רָבָה (ra.vah) — to multiply.

1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things)

1a2) to be or grow great

1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to make much, make many, have many

1c1a) to multiply, increase

1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly

1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly

1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much

Aramaic equivalent: re.vah (רְבָה "to grow great" H7236)

רָבָה (ra.vah) — to shoot.

(Qal) to shoot

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVhv2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
HVhv2ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

in'-kres, (noun), in-kres' (verb): Employed in the English Bible both as verb and as noun, and in both cases to represent a number of different words in the original. As a verb it is used in the ordinary sense of the term. As a noun it is usually used of plant life, or of the herds and flocks, to denote the fruitage or the offspring; more rarely of money, to denote the interest. As examples of the different terms translated by this word, students who read Hebrew or Greek may compare De 7:22; Pr 16:21; Job 10:16 the King James Version; Job 12:23; Nu 18:30; De 7:13

increase wash me from iniquity my and from sin my cleanse me
כַּבְּסֵ֣נִיka.be.Se.ni wash me H3526 Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
51× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To wash means to clean something, often by trampling or stamping on it with the feet, as seen in the process of washing clothes.
Tyndale gloss
to wash
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כָּבַס (kabac) means to wash, specifically by treading, and is associated with the work of a fuller. It can refer to both literal washing of garments or people and figurative uses. The entries note various forms, including participles and different verb stems, indicating actions like washing and being washed.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[כָּבַס] 51 vb. (tread), wash

Qal highway of fuller’s (= treader’s, washer’s) field

Pi.

wash garments (i.e. by treading)

wash person

Pu. be washed, of garment

Hothp. after the plague is washed out

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3526 כָּבַס (tread), wash

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3526 kabac kaw-bas'

a primitive root; to trample; hence, to wash (properly, by

stamping with the feet), whether literal (including the

fulling process) or figurative:--fuller, wash(-ing).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּבַס (ka.vas) — Washer's.

This name means to wash (by treading)

כָּבַס (ka.vas) — to wash.

1) to wash (by treading), be washed, perform the work of a fuller

1a) (Qal) washer, fuller, treader (participle)

1b) (Piel) to wash (garments, person)

1c) (Pual) to be washed

1d) (Hothpael) to be washed out

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVpv2ms/Sp1bs — Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
HVpv2ms/Sp1bs
increase wash me from iniquity my and from sin my cleanse me
מֵעֲוֹנִ֑יme.'a.vo.Ni from iniquity my H5771 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
233× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means moral evil or sin, like the kind God sees in people's hearts. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Psalms. This concept is key to understanding human nature.
Tyndale gloss
iniquity: crime
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָוֹן (avon) refers to iniquity, guilt, or the punishment associated with iniquity. It encompasses concepts of moral evil, such as perversity and depravity, and includes the consequences or punishment for these actions. The term appears in contexts like 2 Kings 7:9 and Psalm 51:5, highlighting its significance in discussions of sin and guilt.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָוֹן n.m. iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5771 עָוֹן iniquity, guilt, or punishment of iniquity

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5771 `avon aw-vone'

or oavown (2 Kings 7:9; Psalm 51:5 (7)) {aw-vone'}; from

5753; perversity, i.e. (moral) evil:--fault, iniquity,

mischeif, punishment (of iniquity), sin.

see HEBREW for 07

see HEBREW for 05753

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָוֺן (a.van) — iniquity: crime.

: crime

1) perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity

1a) iniquity

1b) guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition)

1c) consequence of or punishment for iniquity

עָוֺן (a.van) — iniquity: guilt.

: guilt

1) perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity

1a) iniquity

1b) guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition)

1c) consequence of or punishment for iniquity

עָוֺן (a.van) — iniquity: punishment.

: punishment

1) perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity

1a) iniquity

1b) guilt of iniquity, guilt (as great), guilt (of condition)

1c) consequence of or punishment for iniquity

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Ncmsc/Sp1bs — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HR/Ncmsc/Sp1bs
increase wash me from iniquity my and from sin my cleanse me
וּֽמֵחַטָּאתִ֥יu.me.cha.ta.Ti and from sin my H2403 Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
295× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word describes sin, guilt, or punishment for sin, and also the sacrifice or purification made to atone for it. It is used in the Bible to describe the consequences and solutions for sin. The KJV translates it as 'punishment' or 'sin'.
Tyndale gloss
sin
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חַטָּאָה (chatta'ah) refers to sin and encompasses various aspects such as the condition of sin, guilt, punishment, and sin-offering. It can denote both the act of sinning and the consequences, including purification from ceremonial uncleanness. The term is built from the root word for offense and is used in contexts relating to sin and its expiation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חַטָּאָה n.f. sinful thing, sin, Ex 34:7 (J E) Is 5:18.

done

חַטָּאת n.f. sin, sin-offering

sin

condition of sin, guilt of sin

punishment for sin

sin-offering

purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2403a חַטָּאָה sin, sin-offering(?) . sin

. sin-offering

H2403b חַטָּאת sin, sin-offering . sin

. condition of sin, guilt of sin

. punishment for sin

. sin-offering

. purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2403 chatta'ah khat-taw-aw'

or chattacth {khat-tawth'}; from 2398; an offence (sometimes

habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or

expiation; also (concretely) an offender:--punishment (of

sin), purifying(-fication for sin), sin(-ner, offering).

see HEBREW for 02398

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חַטָּאָה (chat.ta.ah) — sin.

sin, sinful thing

חַטָּאת (chat.tat) — sin.

: sin

1) sin, sin offering

1a) sin

1b) condition of sin, guilt of sin

1c) punishment for sin

1d) sin-offering

1e) purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness

חַטָּאת (chat.tat) — sin: sin offering.

: sin_offering

1) sin, sin offering

1a) sin

1b) condition of sin, guilt of sin

1c) punishment for sin

1d) sin-offering

1e) purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness

חַטָּאת (chat.tat) — sin: punishment.

: punishment/purification

1) sin, sin offering

1a) sin

1b) condition of sin, guilt of sin

1c) punishment for sin

1d) sin-offering

1e) purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp1bs — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp1bs
increase wash me from iniquity my and from sin my cleanse me
טַהֲרֵֽנִי׃ta.ha.Re.ni cleanse me H2891 Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
94× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to be pure, either physically, morally, or ceremonially. It appears in Leviticus for purification rituals and in Psalm 51 where David asks God to purify his heart. This concept is central to Jewish and Christian ideas of cleanliness and holiness.
Tyndale gloss
be pure
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

טָהֵר (taher) means to be clean or pure, covering physical, ceremonial, and moral aspects of purity. It can refer to being free from disease, ceremonially clean, or morally innocent. The verb has various forms, including Qal (to be clean), Piel (to cleanse), and Hithpael (to purify oneself). Brown-Driver-Briggs notes a specific instance of miraculous cleansing related to leprosy.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

טָהֵר vb. be clean, pure

Qal

be clean, i.e. (miraculously) freed from leprosy by washing in the Jordan

be clean ceremonially

be clean morally

Pi.

cleanse, purify

pronounce clean, ceremonially

perform the ceremony of cleansing

Pu. a land not cleansed

Hithp.

purify oneself

present oneself for purification

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2891 טָהֵר be clean, pure

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2891 taher taw-hare'

a primitive root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by

implication) to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated;

Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy):--be

(make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge,

purify(-ier, self).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

טָהֵר (ta.her) — be pure.

1) to be clean, be pure

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be clean (physically-of disease)

1a2) to be clean ceremonially

1a3) to purify, be clean morally, made clean

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to cleanse, purify

1b1a) physically

1b1b) ceremonially

1b1c) morally

1b2) to pronounce clean

1b3) to perform the ceremony of cleansing

1c) (Pual) to be cleansed, be pronounced clean

1d) (Hithpael)

1d1) to purify oneself

1d1a) ceremonially

1d1b) morally

1d2) to present oneself for purification

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVpv2ms/Sp1bs — Verb piel imperative second person masculine singular · suffix
HVpv2ms/Sp1bs
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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