Greek word · G909

βαπτισμός

baptismos

baptism

An act of dipping, immersing or washing. In the New Testament it is used for Jewish purity washings of cups, pots and bronze vessels (Mark 7:4), for the "various washings" of the Mosaic system (Hebrews 9:10), and, in some manuscripts of Colossians 2:12, for Christian baptism.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

βαπτισμός, -οῦ, ὁ (βαπτίζω), prop., the act of which βάπτισμα is the result;

1. a dipping, washing, lustration: Mark 7:4; of Jewish ceremonial. Hebrews 9:10; in Hebrews 6:2, βαπτισμῶν διδαχήν (-ῆς), "the pl. and the peculiar form seem to be used to include Christian baptism with other lustral rites" (Westc, in l.).

2. baptism: FlJ, Ant., 18, 5, 2 (of John's baptism), and some Fathers (see Soph., see word). Not so in NT, unless ἐν τ. βαπτισμῷ, in the act of baptism, Colossians 2:12, be read with Tr. (Rec., WH, R, -ματι).

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 6:2

Range of meaning

An act of dipping, immersing or washing. In the New Testament it is used for Jewish purity washings of cups, pots and bronze vessels (Mark 7:4), for the "various washings" of the Mosaic system (Hebrews 9:10), and, in some manuscripts of Colossians 2:12, for Christian baptism. The usual Christian term is the related βάπτισμα (baptisma), which the New Testament never uses for Jewish washings.

Against the English

KJV, BSB, WEB and YLT say "baptisms"; ESV and NASB say "washings"; NIV says "cleansing rites." "Baptisms" makes modern readers think straight away of the church rite, and the plural sounds strange (Christians are baptized once). "Washings" keeps the wider sense the word actually had.

How it drifted

Older English versions transliterated the Greek word family as "baptism" in every case, so a word that covered any ritual washing came to sound like the name of one Christian sacrament.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus uses βαπτισμός for John the Baptist's immersion (Antiquities 18.117), which he explains was not for forgiving sins but for purifying the body. Ritual immersion was widespread in Second Temple Judaism: stepped immersion pools (mikva'ot) have been excavated around Jerusalem and at Qumran, and the Community Rule (1QS 3:4–9; 5:13) speaks of purifying washings. Hebrews 9:10 places βαπτισμοί among the regulations "for the body" in force until the time of reformation.

From the study of Colossians 2:12

Range of meaning

Dipping or washing, especially ritual washing. From βαπτίζω, 'dip, plunge, immerse, wash'. The related noun βάπτισμα became the standard Christian word for the rite.

Against the English

"Baptism" is a transliteration, not a translation. It names the Christian rite correctly but hides the physical picture of going down into water that the burial-and-rising image depends on.

How it drifted

Latin and then English carried the Greek word over as a technical church term instead of translating it. As baptism practice varied over the centuries (pouring, sprinkling, infant rites), the English word lost its everyday Greek sense of plunging or washing.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT βαπτισμός usually means Jewish washings: of cups and pots (Mark 7:4), 'teaching about washings' (Heb 6:2), and 'various washings' (Heb 9:10). Josephus uses βαπτισμός for John the Baptist's immersion (Antiquities 18.117). The verb is used in the LXX of Naaman dipping seven times in the Jordan (2 Kgs 5:14). The Didache (7.1–3, late 1st or early 2nd century) prefers baptism in running water and allows pouring only when there is not enough water.

From the study of Hebrews 9:10

Range of meaning

The act of dipping or washing. In Jewish usage it means ritual washings: of vessels (Mark 7:4), of persons, and of sacred objects. It is related to baptisma, the more common Christian term for baptism.

Against the English

YLT says 'baptisms', which is literal but misleading. KJV has 'divers washings', BSB 'special washings', NIV 'ceremonial washings', ESV and NASB 'washings'. 'Washings' is the safest choice.

How it drifted

English 'baptism' has come to mean only the Christian rite, so a reader of YLT will picture church baptism. Nothing Christian is in view here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mark 7:4 uses it of 'washings of cups and pots' in Pharisaic practice. Hebrews 6:2 lists 'teaching about washings' (plural) among basic matters, perhaps to distinguish Christian baptism from other Jewish washings. Josephus (Antiquities 18.117) uses baptismos of John the Baptist's rite. Second Temple Jews practised immersion widely: excavations have found hundreds of stepped immersion pools, and the Qumran community bathed often.

Similar words

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 7:4 βαπτισμοὺς washings

    And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 2:12 βαπτισμῷ baptism

    And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.

    Here: Christian water baptism. The word comes from the 'dip, plunge' family, which is the picture behind going down into the grave and coming up again. Elsewhere in the NT this form usually means ritual washings.

Hebrews · 2

  1. Hebrews 6:2 βαπτισμῶν about baptisms

    instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

    Here: Plural: "washings" or "immersions." Placed first for emphasis, before the word it depends on. Not the usual New Testament word for Christian baptism (that is baptisma); baptismos is used elsewhere for Jewish ritual washings (Mark 7:4; Hebrews 9:10), so the plural likely covers instruction about different kinds of washing rites, Christian baptism among them.

  2. Hebrews 9:10 βαπτισμοῖς, washings,

    They consist only in food and drink and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time of reform.

    Here: Ritual washings or ablutions that remove impurity. This is not Christian baptism. It is the cleansing with water that the purity laws required before someone could approach the sanctuary.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.