רָחַץ
to wash
also: wash off, wash away, bathe fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘trans. wash’
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself).
Form
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H7364 appears in the Book of 2 Chronicles — 1 distinct verse. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Chronicles
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, רחץ (râchats) means “to wash.” Older and newer Bibles part ways — “bathe” in the King James Version, “he shall bathe” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) in modern versions. See the renderings breakdown. It turns up in 71 verses across 18 books, a moderately common footprint. The word gravitates to Leviticus (37%), then Exodus and Genesis. Different stems carry different senses — BDB groups them under 3 stems, among them Qal and Pual. Dig into 71-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7364 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 71
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 71 distinct verses.
- 18 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 18 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #550
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 550 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 71 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 71 distinct verses.
- Torah (Pentateuch) 47 verses · 66%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 14 verses · 20%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 10 verses · 14%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Bathe 16×, Wash 15×, He shall wash 6×
- American Standard Version: Wash 10×, Bathe 9×, He shall bathe 6×
- Berean Standard Bible: Bathe 19×, Wash 10×, Washing 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: He shall bathe 18×, Wash 9×, Bathe 5×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7364 across 72 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 21 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7364 across 64 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 21 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7364 across 72 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 23 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7364 across 79 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 24 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel) and Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 5 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. ר׳ Is 4:4 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִרְחַץ Dt 23:12 + etc.; Imv. ms. רְחַץ 2 S 11:8; 2 K 5:13; mpl. רַחֲצוּ Gn 18:4 +; Inf. cstr. רְחֹץ Gn 24:32 +, לְרָחְצָה Ex 30:18 +; Pt. fs. רֹחֶ֫צֶת 2 S 11:2, fpl. רֹחֲצוֹת Ct 5:12;— e.g. Isaiah 4:4
- 1. trans. wash (with water), c. acc. feet (רגלים; בַּמַּיִם often expr.), Gn 18:4; 19:2; 24:32; 43:24 (all J), Ju 19:21; 1 S 25:41; 2 S 11:8; Ct 5:3; יִר׳ פְּעָמָיו בְּדַם הָרָשָׁע ψ 58:11 (fig. of righteous, at י׳’s vengeance); c. acc. hands (יָדַיִם) Dt 21:6 (+ עַל over, in ceremonial, to express innocence), hence fig. אֶר׳ כַּפַּי בְּנִקָּיוֹן ψ 26:6; 73:13; hands and feet Ex 30:19 (+ מִן of laver), v 21; 40:31 (+ מִן id.; all P); c. acc. face (פָּנָיו) Gn 43:31 (J); c. acc. pers. Ez 16:9; Ex 29:4; 40:12; Lv 8:6 (all P), acc. בְּשָׂרוֹ (often ‖ כבּס of garments), Lv 14:9; 15:13 + 9 times P (H); c. acc. of parts of sacrificial victim Ex 29:17; Lv 1:9, 13; 8:21; 9:14; wash off, away, c. acc. of filth Is 4:4 (fig.). e.g. Genesis 18:4
- 2. intrans. wash, bathe (oneself): Ex 2:5 (E), 2 S 11:2; 12:20 1 K 22:38; 2 K 5:10, 12, 13; Is 1:16; Ez 23:40 (+ ל pers. of whom), Ru 3:3; Lv 14:8 + 14 times P (often ‖ כבּס); + ב of laver 2 Ch 4:6(×2); of eyes, bathed in milk (בֶּחָלָב) Ct 5:12 (fig.); Jb 29:6 (fig.), v. הָלִיךְ. e.g. Exodus 2:5
Pual
- Pf. 3 ms. רֻחָ֑ץ Pr 30:12 be washed (+ מִן of filth, fig.); 2 fs. בְּמַיִם לֹא רֻחַצְתְּ Ez 16:4 (in fig.). e.g. Proverbs 30:12
Hithpael
- Pf. 1 s. הִתְרָחַצְתִּי במו שׁלג Jb 9:30 if I washed myself in snow (fig.). e.g. Job 9:30
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. wash, wash off, away, bathe (NH = BH; Arabic رَحَضَ (also of garments); Ethiopic ርሕፀ:, ረሐፀ:, sweat; cf. Assyrian raḫâṣu, overflow, flood (on ḫ = ح v. NöZMG xi (1886), 727));—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
רָחַץ
- (b. h.) to bathe, wash. Sabb. 122ᵃ מותר לִרְחוֹץ בה מיד it is permitted to bathe in it immediately (after the exit of the Sabbath); ib. 151ᵃ; Makhsh. II, 5 רוֹחֵץ מיד. Ber. 15ᵃ מי שאין … לרחוץ ידיו (Ms. M. ליטול) he that has no water with which to wash his hands (before prayer). Tosef. Keth. VII, 6 ורוֹחֶצֶת במרחץ עם כל אדם a woman that bathes in a bath-house with all kind of people (loses her jointure). Y. ib. VII, 31ᵇ bot. (as a case for divorce) הדירה שלא תִרְחֲצִי וכ׳ if he bound her by a vow (saying), thou shalt not bathe in a bath-house; a. fr.—Part. pass. רָחוּץ. Zeb. 17ᵇ שלא רְחוּץ ידים וכ׳ not having washed his hands and feet (before a sacred function); Tosef. Men. I, 9. Ib. 12 שלא רחוץ, Var. ולא רָחְצוּ.
- 1. same, same, to wash, cleanse. Ib. 10 משפשף ומַרְחִיץ he rubs and washes (hands and feet). Ber. l. c. (ref. to Ps. XXVI, 6) דכתיב אֶרְחַץ ולא אַרְחִיץ (v. Ms. M., Rabb. D. S. a. l.) it is written erḥats (I bathe), and not arḥits (I cleanse), i.e. washing of hands as a symbolical act is equal to immersion. Y. Keth. V, 30ᵃ bot. ומַרְחֶצֶת לו וכ׳ she must bathe his feet (personally attend to his foot-bath). Yalk. Cant. 988 שמַרְחִיצִין את ישראל וכ׳ who cleanse Israel from sins; a. e. e.g. Psalms 26:6
- 2. to cause to bathe. Num. R. s. 132 עתיד … ולהַרְחִיצָם בנחלי חלב the Lord shall cause them to drink …, and to bathe in rivers of milk. Sabb. l. c.; Makhsh. l. c. מרחץ המרחצת בשבת a bath-house that allows bathing (is heated and open) on the Sabbath. Y. Ber. II, 4ᶜ bot. מרחץ ואע"פ שאינה מרחצת a bath-house, even if it is not in use.
- to cleanse.—Part. pass. מְרוּחָץ; pl. מְרוּחָצִין. Cant. R. to IV, 4 שהיו כולן מר׳ מן העונות they were all cleansed of their sins.
- to be cleansed. Yalk. Cant. l. c. שהטיף … ונִרְחֲצוּ מעונותיהם the Lord dropped dew upon them, and they were cleansed of their sins.
רְחֵץ
- (with על, or ב־) to lean on; to trust; to be safe. Targ. Ps. CXVIII, 8, sq. Ib. 10, sq. Targ. Y. I Gen. XXVII, 40. Targ. Job XII, 6; a. fr.—Y. Ber. II, 5ᵃ רְחִיצַיָּא אנן we are sure (cmp. מובטח, v. בָּטַח). Snh. 7ᵃ גברא דרחיצנא עליה וכ׳ the man in whom I trusted lifted up his club &c.; a. e.
- same. Targ. II Kings XVIII, 19, sq. Targ. Ps. XXV, 2. Ib. XXXVI, 8 Ms. (v. רוּחְצָן). Targ. Jer. XLIX, 4; a. fr.—B. Bath. 91ᵇ דמודי … דמִתְרְחִיץ עליהון וכ׳ he who assents to them (pretends to share their errors) falls into their hand; he who confides in them,—what is his is theirs. Y. Sabb. II, 5ᵇ לא תִתְרְחֵץ על צלותי rely not on my prayer. Cant. R. to VII, 2 בגין דאִיתְרְחִיצוּ ביה because they trusted in him; a. e.
- to cause to trust. Targ. Is. XXXVI, 15; Targ. II Kings XVIII, 30. Targ. Jer. XXIX, 31.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 45 distinct written forms H7364 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7364, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 71 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 71 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 18:4
- Exodus 2:5
- Leviticus 1:9
- Numbers 19:7
- Deuteronomy 21:6
- Judges 19:21
- Ruth 3:3
- 1 Samuel 25:41
- 2 Samuel 11:2
- 1 Kings 22:38
- 2 Kings 5:10
- 2 Chronicles 4:6
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
