Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

WATER OF PURIFICATION

Water used to “cleanse” or remove various forms of ritual impurity (Heb. mê niddâ, “waters of impurity”). It consisted of the ashes of the red heifer, cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet material mixed with water from a running stream (Lev. 14:4-8, 49-52; Num. 19:2-19).

The water was applied in three ways: immersion, sprinkling, and hand-washing. Immersion was required of the priest who sacrificed the red heifer (Num. 19:7), booty (31:21-23), the cleansed leper (Lev. 14:8-9), one who had an emission of semen (Lev. 15:16-18), a menstruant or one who had contact with a menstruant (vv. 19-24), anyone who had a discharge or contact with anyone who did (vv. 2-15, 25-28), and anyone who had contact with a corpse or certain carcasses (5:2; 11:8-40; Num. 19:11-13; Deut. 14:8; Hag. 2:13).

Sprinkling preceded immersion in the case of the leper (Lev. 14:1-7) and the one who had contracted corpse uncleanness (Num. 19:14-19). Sprinkling alone was used in the consecration of Levites (Num. 8:7) and in the cleansing of houses affected by leprosy (Lev. 14:49-52). Evidently hyssop was dipped in water to accomplish this rite (Num. 19:18). Hand-washing to remove ritual impurity was practiced almost exclusively by the priesthood (Exod. 30:17-21; 40:31; 2 Chr. 4:2-6).

The cleansing accomplished by these methods involved ritual impurity, and not moral impurity (sin). Later authors, however, used such language figuratively to refer to moral/ethical cleansing (Ps. 26:6; 51:2, 7[MT 4, 9]; Isa. 1:16-18; Jer. 4:14; Ezek. 36:25).

In the NT immersion (baptism) is referred to as “purification” (Luke 2:22; John 3:25; Acts 21:24, 26). In addition to the situations requiring immersion in the OT, tradition had added entrance into the temple (Josephus Ant. 12.145; m. Yoma 3:3; y. Yoma 40b) and grave uncleanness (Para 3:7; cf. Heb. 6:2; 9:10). Proselytes (gentile converts to Judaism) had to undergo immersion (y. Qidd. 64d; Yebam. 46a-47b; 71a; Ker. 9a; cf. also 1QS 3:1-9; 4:20-23), which is probably the antecedent to Christian baptism. Sprinkling appears only in the metaphorical sense (Heb. 9:13; 10:22; cf. 1QS 4:20-23).

Hand-washing enjoyed a marked increase in popularity in intertestamental Judaism. Evidently the sages expanded this requirement of priestly purity to apply to common people on the basis of Lev. 15:11 (µul. 106a; cf. t. µag. 3:2-3; Dem. 2:2). A more stringent position on hand-washing was taken by the school of Shammai, which required hand-washing before and after meals (y. Šabb. 1:7 [3c]; cf. BJ 2.129-30). The more lenient initially resisted it (ʿEd. 5:6; ʿErub. 21b), a development directly reflected in the NT (cf. Mark 7:1-16 par.; Luke 11:37-41). Such ceremonial cleansing provides the background against which to understand the presence of the large jars of water at the wedding of Cana (John 2:6). Hand-washing is mentioned metaphorically in Jas. 4:8.

W. E. Nunnally

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

WATER OF PURIFICATION

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)