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καθαρότης

katharótēs

G2514 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

State or quality of being clean or pure, especially the condition of being free from impurity, defilement, or contamination. The term primarily denotes a state of physical, ritual, or moral cleanliness, and can refer to the absence of foreign substances or moral fault, with specific senses including ritual purity as stipulated by the Mosaic law, as well as general moral blamelessness or innocence.

Semantic Range

state of being clean, ritual purity (ceremonial cleanness), moral purity, innocence, blamelessness, freedom from physical or moral defilement

Root / Etymology

From καθαρός (katharós, 'clean, pure') + the abstract noun suffix -της (-tēs), indicating a state or quality. The word thus denotes the quality or state of being clean or pure.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, καθαρότης carries the broad sense of physical or ritual purity, with use extending into philosophical literature for ethical purity (e.g., purity of mind or soul). In the Septuagint and New Testament, it is most often associated with ritual or ceremonial cleanness, particularly in the context of Israelite or Judean religious practice (see Levitical laws of purity). While καθαρότης can sometimes refer to a wider sense of moral or ethical purity, its primary usage in the New Testament is in discussions of ritual purity or the condition required to approach sacred spaces or participate in communal worship. English translations as 'cleanness', 'purity', or 'purification' do not always capture this full range; especially, 'purification' may imply a process rather than a state, whereas καθαρότης more accurately refers to the established state or quality of being pure. Compare with ἁγιότης (hagiotēs, 'holiness') which emphasizes consecration or devotion rather than mere absence of defilement.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from καθαρός; cleanness (ceremonially):--purification.

Root Family

καθαρ- (akatharsía) — to clean, to purify, to be pure

Root καθαρ- to cleanse, to make pure
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G167 ἀκαθαρσία to impurity
G169 ἀκάθαρτος unclean things
G2508 καθαίρω he cleanses
G2511 καθαρίζω he cleansed
G2513 καθαρός to a pure one

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2514-01 καθαρότητα katharoteta N ACC F SG purifying purity purity 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2514-01 Hebrews 9:13 καθαρότητα katharoteta N ACC F SG purifying purity purity
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