כָּבַס (ka.vas)
ka.vas
Washer's
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 44 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb kavas means to wash, but specifically by treading or stamping with the feet. In the ancient world, cleaning heavy woolen garments required more than simple rinsing; it involved fulling, a process where the fabric was crushed underfoot in soapy water to remove dirt and oils. This physical action is why the word often appears in contexts involving ritual purification, where cleanliness is achieved through this vigorous, labor-intensive method.
While other Hebrew words describe washing the body or hands, kavas focuses on cleaning textiles and objects. The sources highlight that this term carries a strong metaphorical weight when applied to sin. In passages like Jeremiah 2:22 and Psalm 51:9, the prophet uses the image of trying to remove stains with soap or lye, yet the stain remains, pointing to the need for divine intervention. The physical act of treading serves as a vivid picture of thorough cleansing that human effort alone cannot fully achieve.
Translators typically render kavas as "wash" or "washing," though this can obscure the specific cultural practice behind it. The word appears frequently in Leviticus, detailing the steps priests must take to purify garments affected by mildew or other defilements. This usage underscores that ritual purity was not just a spiritual concept but involved tangible, physical actions. The repeated emphasis on washing clothes reflects a community deeply concerned with maintaining holiness through observable acts of purification.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word kavas describes a thorough, physical washing of garments, often involving treading or stamping to remove deep stains. In ancient Israel, this was not a quick rinse but a labor-intensive process essential for removing dirt, oils, and ritual impurity from woolen fabrics. This tangible act highlights how holiness in the Old Testament was lived out through concrete, observable steps that prepared the community to approach God with clean hands and pure hearts.
While the physical act of washing clothes is detailed extensively in Leviticus, the prophets use this imagery to speak to our inner lives. Jeremiah and Psalm 51 point out that no amount of human effort can scrub away the stain of sin. The word reminds us that while we take seriously the outward signs of purity, true cleansing comes only from divine intervention. It invites us to bring our deepest burdens to God, trusting in His power to restore what we cannot fix ourselves.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 44 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- he will wash18×
- and/ he will wash12×
- and/ they will wash3×
- [the] washer3×
- you will wash2×
- was washed out2×
- and/ they washed2×
- and/ it will be washed2×
- washers1×
- wash1×
- and/ you will wash1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יְכַבֵּ֧ס6×
- יְכַבֵּ֥ס4×
- וְ/כִבֶּ֧ס4×
- כוֹבֵֽס\׃3×
- יְכַבֵּ֣ס3×
- יְכַבֵּ֖ס2×
- וְ/כֻבַּ֥ס2×
- וְ/כִבֶּ֨ס2×
- וְ/כִבֶּ֥ס2×
- וְ/כִבֶּ֣ס2×
- הֻכַּבֵּ֣ס2×
- תְּכַבֵּ֔ס1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 13:58
The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean.”
This verse specifies that if a plague remains after the initial washing, the garment must be washed a second time, showing that complete purification sometimes requires persistent effort.
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Exodus 19:10
Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,
Here the command to wash garments precedes the giving of the Law at Sinai, linking physical cleanliness with the spiritual readiness required to encounter God's presence.
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Leviticus 14:8
“He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.
The leper’s cleansing ritual includes washing clothes alongside shaving and bathing, demonstrating that restoration to the community involved both bodily and material purification.
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Genesis 49:11
Binding his foal to the vine, his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
Jacob’s prophecy uses the striking image of washing garments in wine to depict a future abundance so great it resembles a festive, overflowing harvest.