BATH, BATHE, BATHING, is mentioned in Scripture in two contexts: that of personal cleanliness and ritual absolution. The Eng. VSS utilize “bath,” “bathing” and “washing” for a number of Heb. terms. The most frequently occurring is Heb. רָחַץ, H8175, “to hold out,” “overflow.” The human body was frequently washed by this method which seems to indicate scrubbing as well as flushing with water possibly out of a pot or beaker (Lev 15:13, et al.). As with most ancient peoples the Jews did not transport water for bathing with the exception of the upper class (2 Sam 11:2); however, in the course of time bathing pools were built in most villages. Although a certain hygienic quality must have been understood, the main purpose was ritual. In the main, ancient peoples had little or no comprehension of the germ theory of disease; yet most cultic rituals involved some form of lavation or sprinkling. The ritual use of washing throughout the OT represented cleansing from the moral implications of an action. An elaborate custom and form grew up around the practice so that to wash another was a sign of humility (1 Sam 25:41); to appear washed was a sign of joy and well-being (Gen 43:31) while to appear unkempt was a sign of public mourning (2 Sam 12:20, et al.). Water bathing was used frequently as a sign also of separation, so the infant was washed at birth (Ezek 16:4), the body at death (Acts 9:37), and the animal before shearing (Song of Solomon 4:2). The use of baptism, a specific type of washing or bathing as a sign of the covenant, was of great importance in the OT. This aspect carries over into the NT practice. A large variety of Gr. terms are used to tr. the Heb. notion in the LXX and some of these pass into the NT usage and vocabulary. Bathing as such is not mentioned in the NT, but washing, both hygienic and ritual, plays an important place in the Lord’s teaching. Jesus forbade the unkempt appearance commonly affected during religious fasts (Matt 6:17), and encouraged a secret contrition in its place. The washing of hands before meals was widely practiced among the Jews as an observance of the OT law (15:2) and this was governed by complex additions to the Levitical code as seen in the DSS. The excavations of both Qumran and Masada have revealed the remains of what may have been ceremonial washing pools. Contrary to the Jewish custom, the Greeks, as reported by numerous classical authors normally rubbed or lightly scraped the body after it had been wetted down with perspiration or covered with oil. The ritual nudity involved with this practice denoted in the Gr. word γυμνασίδιον, “school,” lit. “stripping place,” and the Jewish antagonism to this custom led to serious conflicts during the Hel. Age. The reaction to the Hel. and thus pagan customs appears to have made the Pharisees even more conscious and intent in reference to bathing than the OT had been. Of special interest is the washing of the body as fig. of the cleansing from sin. Such seems to be involved in Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus in John 3:5 as the most closely associated concept of water with birth involved cleansing. This same figure is evoked by Peter in the narrative of Jesus’ washing His disciples’ feet at the passover (13:9, 10). This same notion has been carried over into the foot-washing ceremonies of certain church groups which have continued the practice from antiquity.

Bibliography A. Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (1883); L. E. Toombs, IDB, Vol. 1 A-D, 365, 366 (1962).