H2135 H2135
To be pure, make clean, or purify oneself; moral and ritual cleansing across Qal, Piel, and Hitpael stems.
A verb of moral and ritual purity whose meaning shifts with its stem. In the Qal, it asks the searching question 'Can a mortal be pure before God?' (Job 15:14; 25:4) — a stative condition, not an action. The Piel turns active: 'How can a young man keep his way pure?' (Ps 119:9), and the anguished cry 'I have kept my heart pure in vain' (Ps 73:13). The lone Hitpael in Isaiah 1:16 commands self-purification: 'Make yourselves clean!' The Aramaic cognate deka and Arabic dhaka ('be bright, pungent') hint at an original sensory meaning — the burning clarity of a clean fire — that became moral purity in Hebrew.
Senses
1. to be pure, be clean — To be pure or clean in a moral sense (Qal stative) — describing the condition of being blameless or innocent before God. Job's friends press the rhetorical question: 'What is man that he should be pure?' (Job 15:14; 25:4). The psalmist affirms God's right to judge: 'You are blameless when you speak' (Ps 51:4). Spanish 'sera-puro/sea-limpio' and the parallel with tsadaq ('be righteous') confirm the judicial-moral register. Micah 6:11 asks whether dishonest scales can ever be 'pure.' 4×
AR["تَزْكُوَ", "هَلْ-أَتَبَرَّأُ", "يَتَزَكَّى", "يَتَطَهَّرُ"]·ben["নির্দোষ-হও-তুমি", "শুদ্ধ-হতে-পারে", "শুদ্ধ-হব-কি", "সে-শুদ্ধ-হবে"]·DE["[האזכה]", "[יזכה]", "du-sind-blameless"]·EN["Shall-I-be-pure", "You-are-blameless", "can-be-pure", "he-is-pure"]·FR["être-pur", "יזכה"]·heb["ה-אזכה", "יזכה", "ייזכה", "תזכה"]·HI["और-निर्दोष", "क्या-शुद्ध-रहूँ", "शुद्ध-हो", "शुद्ध-होगा"]·ID["Dapatkah-Aku-membenarkan", "ia-murni", "murni"]·IT["[האזכה]", "can-essere-puro", "fu-puro", "he-is-pure"]·jav["dados-resik", "kula", "punapa-resik-Kawula", "resik"]·KO["깨끗하겠느냐", "이냐-깨끗하리", "주-께서-깨끗하시다-하리니"]·PT["Serei-puro", "seja-puro", "sejas-puro", "será-puro"]·RU["Оправдаюсь-ли", "будет-чист", "был-чист"]·ES["sea-limpio", "seas-puro", "será-puro", "¿Puedo-ser-puro"]·SW["atakuwa-safi", "awe-safi", "je-nitakuwa-safi", "uwe-safi"]·TR["Mı-temiz-olurum", "temiz-olasın", "temiz-olur"]·urd["تو-پاک-ہو", "پاک ہو", "پاک-ہو", "کیا-پاک-ٹھہراؤں"]
2. to make pure, cleanse — To make pure or keep clean (Piel factitive) — the active effort to purify or maintain purity. Psalm 119:9 asks how a young person can keep their path clean; Psalm 73:13 laments 'I have kept my heart pure in vain'; Proverbs 20:9 poses the universal challenge 'Who can say, I have made my heart pure?' Spanish 'he-purificado/limpiara' and German 'bewahren-rein' both capture the sustained, effortful nature of this causative sense. 3×
AR["طَهَّرْتُ", "يُزَكِّي-"]·ben["আমি-শুদ্ধ-করেছি", "শুদ্ধ-করবে-", "শুদ্ধ-করেছি"]·DE["[זכיתי]", "ich-haben-bewahrte-rein", "kann-bewahren-rein"]·EN["I-have-kept-pure", "I-have-made-pure", "can-keep-pure"]·FR["être-pur", "זכיתי"]·heb["זיכיתי", "יזכה"]·HI["मैंने-शुद्ध-किया", "शुद्ध-किया-है-मैंने"]·ID["aku-memurnikan", "aku-telah-mentahirkan", "menjaga-bersih"]·IT["Io-have-made-puro", "fu-puro"]·jav["kawula-sampun-ngresikaken", "kawula-sampun-ngresiki", "tiyang-nem-ngresiki-"]·KO["깨끗게-했노라-내가", "깨끗이-하였나이다", "깨끗하게-하리이까"]·PT["purificará", "purifiquei"]·RU["очистил-я", "очистит-", "очищал-я"]·ES["he-purificado", "limpiará"]·SW["ataihifadhi", "nimesafisha", "nimeusafisha"]·TR["arındırdım", "temiz-tutacak-", "temiz-tuttum"]·urd["میں-نے-پاک-رکھا", "پاک-رکھے", "پاک-کیا-میں-نے"]
3. to purify oneself — To purify oneself (Hitpael reflexive) — a self-directed command to undergo moral or ritual cleansing. Isaiah 1:16 alone carries this stem: 'Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean!' Spanish 'purificaos' (the reflexive imperative) perfectly mirrors the Hebrew reflexive-imperative force. The shift from Qal's 'being pure' through Piel's 'making pure' to Hitpael's 'purifying oneself' traces a full arc of agency. 1×
AR["تَطَهَّرُوا"]·ben["শুচি-হও"]·DE["[הזכו]"]·EN["make-clean"]·FR["[הזכו]"]·heb["היזכו"]·HI["शुद्ध-हो-लो"]·ID["sucikanlah-dirimu"]·IT["[הזכו]"]·jav["resik-aken"]·KO["깨끗케-하라"]·PT["purificai-vos"]·RU["очиститесь"]·ES["purificaos"]·SW["jitakaseni"]·TR["arının"]·urd["پاک-ہو"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [זָכָה] vb. be clear, clean, pure, always in moral sense (Assyrian zakû ZimBP; Aramaic דְּכָא, ܕܟܳܐ, ܕܟܺܝ; cf. Arabic ذَكَا be bright (of a fire), pungent (of an odour); be acute, quick of mind)— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יִזְכֶּה Jb 15:14; 25:4; 2 ms. תִּזְכֶּה ψ 51:6; 1 s. interrog. הַאֶזְכֶּה Mi 6:11;— 1. be clean, pure, of man, in the sight of God, Jb 15:14; 25:4 (in both ‖ יצדק; cf. also זַכּוּ…