Bible Word Study
πλύνω
plynō · I wash
πλύνω
I wash
Definition
πλύνω (plynō) means 'to wash,' specifically referring to the washing of garments or cloth. In the New Testament, it is used exclusively in a figurative sense to describe spiritual cleansing. The sole occurrence is in Revelation 7:14, where the great multitude has 'washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' This vivid imagery contrasts physical laundering with a profound spiritual reality.
Biblical Usage
This verb appears only once in the New Testament, in the apocalyptic book of Revelation. It is used in a highly symbolic context to describe the purification of believers. The washing is not literal but represents the atoning work of Christ, as seen in Revelation 7:14.
Etymology
Derived from the ancient Greek verb πλύνω, meaning 'to wash,' especially clothes. It is related to the noun πλυνός (plynos), meaning 'a washing tub or place.' The root conveys the basic action of cleansing by water, which in biblical Greek is often applied to ritual or spiritual purification.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it connects the mundane act of laundry to the supreme spiritual cleansing achieved by Christ's sacrifice. In Revelation 7:14, it underscores the doctrine of atonement—that forgiveness and purity come only through Jesus's blood, not human effort. Understanding this Greek term enriches the reading by highlighting the powerful metaphor of being clothed in righteousness cleansed by redemption. In the ancient world, washing garments was a labor-intensive, regular chore, often done at a public washbasin (πλυνός). The process involved beating, rinsing, and sun-bleaching to remove stains. This cultural reality makes the metaphor in Revelation 7:14 more striking: spiritual purity is not achieved by human scrubbing but by the paradoxical, miraculous 'washing' in blood, which culturally signifies stain and death, not cleanliness. νίπτω (niptō, G3538) — to wash a part of the body, like hands or feet. λούω (louō, G3068) — to bathe the entire body. καθαρίζω (katharizō, G2511) — to cleanse or purify in a general, often ritual or moral, sense.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). Concordance and morphology data are derived from the interlinear Bible.
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]