What does νίπτω (níptō) mean in the Bible?
Νίπτω means to wash, especially a body part such as hands, feet, or face. Jesus tells fasting disciples to wash their faces so private devotion will not become public performance.
Greek · G3538
νίπτω
To wash
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νίπτω G3538
Pronunciation níptō
What does νίπτω (níptō) mean in the Bible?
Νίπτω means to wash, especially a body part such as hands, feet, or face. Jesus tells fasting disciples to wash their faces so private devotion will not become public performance.
Reader summary
Full entry for νίπτω (G3538) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G3538?
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include wash (4), to wash (2), washed (2), are You going to wash (1), had washed (1).
Where does νίπτω (níptō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:17. Its strongest book concentrations include John (13), Matthew (2), 1 Timothy (1), Mark (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Νίπτω means to wash, especially a body part such as hands, feet, or face. Jesus tells fasting disciples to wash their faces so private devotion will not become public performance. The Gospels also report ceremonial handwashing traditions and Jesus' dispute over traditions that can obscure the deeper source of defilement. In John 9, the blind man washes at Jesus' command and returns seeing, while the action serves the sign without becoming a general healing technique.
First Timothy remembers widows who washed the saints' feet as an embodied practice of humble hospitality. The verb names washing, not one fixed ritual. Context distinguishes hygiene, custom, obedient sign-action, and hospitable service; it does not automatically refer to baptism or spiritual cleansing.
How the Bible Uses It
Νίπτω describes washing parts of the body. Its settings include ordinary care, ceremonial custom, obedient response to Jesus, and humble hospitality.
- Matt.6.17
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
Washing the face hides the bodily signs of fasting so devotion remains directed to the Father rather than public admiration.
- Mark.7.3
Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially.
Mark explains an elder tradition of ceremonial handwashing within Jesus' challenge to traditions that can displace God's command.
- John.9.7
Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
The man obeys Jesus' unusual command, and his washing belongs to a unique sign revealing Jesus as the light of the world.
- 1Tim.5.10
And well known for good deeds such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and devoting herself to every good work.
Footwashing appears among a widow's known good works, expressing lowly hospitality toward the saints.
- Matt.15.2
“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
The accusation about unwashed hands concerns inherited tradition, not a direct biblical command that Jesus' disciples ignored.
Passage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It wash 4× Matthew 6:17, John 9:7, John 9:11, John 13:14
to wash 2× John 13:5, John 13:10
washed 2× John 9:7, John 9:11
are You going to wash 1× John 13:6
had washed 1× John 13:12
have washed 1× John 13:14
I wash 1× John 13:8
I washed 1× John 9:15
shall You wash 1× John 13:8
They do not wash 1× Matthew 15:2
they wash 1× Mark 7:3
washing 1× 1 Timothy 5:10
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 6:17 νίψαι to wash Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular Matthew 15:2 νίπτονται to They do not wash Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural Mark 7:3 νίψωνται to they wash Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Middle - 3rd Person Plural John 9:7 νίψαι to wash Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular John 9:7 ἐνίψατο to washed Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular John 9:11 νίψαι to wash Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular John 9:11 νιψάμενος to washed Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular John 9:15 ἐνιψάμην to I washed Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular John 13:5 νίπτειν to to wash Verb - Present Infinitive Active John 13:6 νίπτεις to are You going to wash Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 6:17
Aligned rows 17
Books represented 4
Matthew 2 Mark 1 John 13 1 Timothy 1
Source forms
νίψαι 3x nipsai Matthew 6:17, John 9:7, John 9:11
ἔνιψεν 2x enipsen John 13:12, 1 Timothy 5:10
νίπτειν 2x niptein John 13:5, John 13:14
ἔνιψα 1x enipsa John 13:14
ἐνιψάμην 1x enipsamēn John 9:15
ἐνίψατο 1x enipsato John 9:7
νίπτεις 1x nipteis John 13:6
νίπτονται 1x niptontai Matthew 15:2
Parsing patterns
Verb - Aorist Imperative Middle - 2nd Person Singular 3x Matthew 6:17, John 9:7, John 9:11
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x John 13:12, 1 Timothy 5:10
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 2x John 13:5, John 13:14
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 1x John 13:14
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular 1x John 9:15
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular 1x John 9:7
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle 1x John 13:10
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular 1x John 9:11
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Distinguish ordinary or ceremonial washing from baptismal and spiritual-cleansing vocabulary before making a doctrinal connection.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that the man born blind establishes washing at a location as a repeatable healing method.
- Do not treat every handwashing practice as hypocrisy; Jesus' critique concerns tradition displacing God's word and mislocating defilement.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Washing a specific body part, contrasting with λούω which means bathing the whole body.
Strong's G3538
Lexical occurrences 17 verses Greek text appearances 17 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 17 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
to wash
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Washing a specific body part, contrasting with λούω which means bathing the whole body.
to wash, usually of a part of the body: with accusative of person(s), Jhn.13:8; τ. πόδας, Jhn.13:5-6, 8 13:12, 14, 1Ti.5:10; mid., reflexive, to wash oneself: Jhn.9:7, 11 9:15; τ. χεῖρας, Mat.15:2, Mrk.7:3; τ. πόδας, Jhn.13:10; τ. πρόσωπον, Mat.6:17 (in cl. Att.. prose, used only in compounds; cf. ἀπο-νίπτω). νίζω, see: νίπτω
Synonymsλούω (which see), πλύνω
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 17 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 6:17 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Middle Imperative
νίψαι, niyai
I wash
Read verse Matthew 15:2 Verb Third Person Plural Present Middle Indicative
νίπτονται niptontai
I wash
Read verse Mark 7:3 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Middle Subjunctive
νίψωνται niywntai
I wash
Read verse John 9:7 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Middle Imperative
νίψαι niyai
I wash
Read verse John 9:7 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Middle Indicative
ἐνίψατο, eniyato
I wash
Read verse John 9:11 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Middle Imperative
νίψαι. niyai
I wash
Read verse John 9:11 Verb Aorist Middle Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
νιψάμενος, niyamenov
I wash
Read verse John 9:15 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Middle Indicative
ἐνιψάμην, eniyamhn
I wash
Read verse John 13:5 Verb Present Active Infinitive
νίπτειν niptein
I wash
Read verse John 13:6 Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Indicative
νίπτεις nipteiv
I wash
Read verse John 13:8 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
νίψῃς niyhv
I wash
Read verse John 13:8 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
νίψω niyw
I wash
Read verse John 13:10 Verb Aorist Middle Infinitive
νίψασθαι, niyasqai
I wash
Read verse John 13:12 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔνιψε eniyen
I wash
Read verse John 13:14 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἔνιψα eniya
I wash
Read verse John 13:14 Verb Present Active Infinitive
νίπτειν niptein
I wash
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 17 Tenses Aorist, Present Voices Middle, Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Imperative command or strong request 3×
Aorist Middle Matt 6:17 · John 9:7 · John 9:11 3×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 3×
Present Active John 13:5 · John 13:14 2×
Aorist Middle John 13:10 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 7×
Aorist Active John 13:12 · 1 Tim 5:10 · John 13:14 3×
Aorist Middle John 9:7 · John 9:15 2×
Present Middle Matt 15:2 1×
Present Active John 13:6 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 3×
Aorist Active John 13:8 2×
Aorist Middle Mark 7:3 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Aorist Middle John 9:11 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 17 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 13 present 4
Voice
middle 9 active 8
Mood
indicative 7 imperative 3 infinitive 3 subjunctive 3 participle 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 6:17 νίψαι aorist middle imperative imperative Matthew 15:2 νίπτονται present middle indicative ongoing Mark 7:3 νίψωνται aorist middle subjunctive subjunctive John 9:11 νίψαι aorist middle imperative imperative John 9:11 νιψάμενος aorist middle participle participle John 9:15 ἐνιψάμην aorist middle indicative completed John 9:7 νίψαι aorist middle imperative imperative John 9:7 ἐνίψατο aorist middle indicative completed John 13:10 νίψασθαι aorist middle infinitive infinitive John 13:12 ἔνιψεν aorist active indicative completed John 13:14 ἔνιψα aorist active indicative completed John 13:14 νίπτειν present active infinitive infinitive John 13:5 νίπτειν present active infinitive infinitive John 13:6 νίπτεις present active indicative ongoing John 13:8 νίψῃς aorist active subjunctive subjunctive John 13:8 νίψω aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 1 Timothy 5:10 ἔνιψεν aorist active indicative completed
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
A physical act can serve very different purposes. Washing the face during fasting protects devotion from theatrical display. Ceremonial handwashing becomes part of a dispute about human tradition and the heart's true defilement. Washing at Siloam is a commanded act within one man's healing and the revelation of Jesus, not a technique the church can reproduce at will.
Washing saints' feet represents humble hospitality and sustained good works. These contexts invite embodied discipleship without superstition. Christianity does not despise ordinary care, meals, bodies, water, or service, yet it refuses to make external washing a substitute for a clean heart and faithful obedience. Teachers should preserve each passage's purpose, honor humble service that receives little notice, and resist promising spiritual or physical outcomes from copying a sign's outward action.
Anchor passage
Matt.6.17
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 6:16-18, fasting before the Father rather than people
- Mark 7:1-23, handwashing tradition and heart defilement
- John 9:1-41, washing at Siloam and the sign of sight
- Genesis 18:1-8, water and hospitality for guests
- John 13:1-17, Jesus washing disciples' feet
- Titus 3:4-7, saving washing language distinct from ordinary νίπτω
Νίπτω commonly refers to washing a part of the body, unlike broader washing verbs that may describe bathing, cleansing clothes, or ritual purification. The direct object and middle forms help identify the bodily action.
From Old to New Testament
Ancient hospitality includes water for dusty feet, and priestly or ritual washings mark covenant worship. Jesus exposes externalism, serves through footwashing, and grants the deeper cleansing to which outward practices cannot by themselves attain.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain