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pure /
purify / purity related
links Note:
The Bible contains numerous purification rules & rituals.
Scripture contained herein is but a small sampling of such
passages. Also note that various Old Testament practices are not
binding under the New Covenant. Nevertheless, such passages may be
useful for reference purposes. |
God said to Jacob: "Go up now to Bethel.
Settle there and build an altar there to the God who appeared to
you while you were fleeing from your brother Esau." So Jacob
told his family and all the others who were with him: "Get
rid of the foreign gods that you have among you; then purify
yourselves and put on fresh clothes. We are now to go up to
Bethel, and I will build an altar there to the God who answered me
in my hour of distress and who has been with me wherever I have
gone." [GEN 35:1-3]
"The robe of the ephod you shall make
entirely of violet material. It shall have an opening for the head
in the center, and around this opening there shall be a selvage,
woven as at the opening of a shirt, to keep it from being torn.
All around the hem at the bottom you shall make pomegranates,
woven of violet, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen twined,
with gold bells between them; first a gold bell, then a
pomegranate, and thus alternating all around the hem of the robe.
Aaron shall wear it when ministering, that its tinkling may be
heard as he enters and leaves the LORD'S presence in the sanctuary;
else he will die. You shall also make a plate of
pure gold and engrave on it, as on a seal engraving, 'Sacred to
the LORD.' This plate is to be tied over the miter with a violet
ribbon in such a way that it rests on the front of the miter, over
Aaron's forehead. Since Aaron bears whatever guilt the Israelites
may incur in consecrating any of their sacred gifts, this plate
must always be over his forehead, so that they may find favor with
the LORD." [Taken from EX 28:31-38]
This fragrant
powder, expertly prepared, is to be salted and so kept pure and
sacred. [Taken from EX 30:35]
The vessels that were set on the table, its
plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring
libations, were of pure gold. [EX 37:16]
The sacred anointing oil and the fragrant
incense were prepared in their pure form by a perfumer. [EX 37:29]
The priest who performs the purification
ceremony shall place the man who is being purified, as well as all
these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance of the meeting
tent. [LEV 14:11]
The LORD said to Moses, "Order the
Israelites to bring you clear oil of crushed olives for the light,
so that you may keep lamps burning regularly. In the meeting tent,
outside the veil that hangs in front of the commandments, Aaron
shall set up the lamps to burn before the LORD regularly, from
evening till morning. Thus, by a perpetual statute for you and
your descendants, the lamps shall be set up on the pure gold
lampstand, to burn regularly before the LORD." [LEV 24:1-4]
"You shall take fine flour and bake it into
twelve cakes, using two tenths of an ephah of flour for each cake.
These you shall place in two piles, six in each pile, on the pure
gold table before the LORD. On each pile put some pure
frankincense, which shall serve as an oblation to the LORD, a
token offering for the bread. Regularly on each sabbath day this
bread shall be set out afresh before the LORD, offered on the part
of the Israelites by an everlasting agreement. It shall belong to
Aaron and his sons, who must eat it in a sacred place, since, as
something most sacred among the various oblations to the LORD, it
is his by perpetual right." [LEV 24:5-9]
Once she has done so, if she has been impure and unfaithful to her husband, this bitter water that brings a curse will go into her, and her belly will swell and her thighs will waste away, so that she will become an example of imprecation among her people. If, however, the woman has not defiled herself, but is still pure, she will be immune and will still be able to bear children.
[NUM 5:27-28]
As long as he is a nazirite he is sacred to the LORD. "If someone dies very suddenly in his presence, so that his dedicated head becomes unclean, he shall shave his head on the day of his purification, that is, on the seventh day." [NUM
6:8-9]
The LORD said to Moses: "Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify them."
[Taken from NUM 8:5-6]
"Whoever touches the dead body of any human
being shall be unclean for seven days; he shall purify himself
with the water on the third and on the seventh day, and then he
will be clean again. But if he fails to purify himself on the
third and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. Everyone
who fails to purify himself after touching the body of any
deceased person, defiles the Dwelling of the LORD and shall be cut
off from Israel. Since the lustral water has not been splashed
over him, he remains unclean: his uncleanness still clings to him."
[NUM 19:11-13]
Any unclean man who fails to have himself
purified shall be cut off from the community, because he defiles
the sanctuary of the LORD. As long as the lustral water has not
been splashed over him, he remains unclean. [NUM 19:20]
Eleazar the priest told the soldiers who had
returned from combat: "This is what the law, as prescribed by
the LORD to Moses, ordains: Whatever can stand fire, such as gold,
silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead, you shall put into the fire,
that it may become clean; however, it must also be purified with
lustral water. But whatever cannot stand fire you shall put into
the water. On the seventh day you shall wash your clothes, and
then you will again be clean. After that you may enter the
camp." [NUM 31:21-24]
So Hiram continued to provide Solomon with all the cedars and fir trees he wished;
while Solomon every year gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat to provide for his household, and twenty thousand measures of pure oil. [1KGS 5:24-25]
In the innermost part of the temple was located
the sanctuary to house the ark of the LORD'S covenant, twenty
cubits long, twenty wide, and twenty high. Solomon overlaid the
interior of the temple with pure gold. He made in front of the
sanctuary a cedar altar, overlaid it with gold, and looped it with
golden chains. The entire temple was overlaid with gold so that it
was completely covered with it; the whole altar before the
sanctuary was also overlaid with gold. [1KGS 6:19-22]
In addition, all King Solomon's drinking vessels
were of gold, and all the utensils in the hall of the Forest of
Lebanon were of pure gold. There was no silver, for in Solomon's
time it was considered worthless. [1KGS 10:21]
Once the inhabitants of the city complained to
Elisha, "The site of the city is fine indeed, as my lord can
see, but the water is bad and the land unfruitful."
"Bring me a new bowl," Elisha said, "and put salt
into it." When they had brought it to him, he went out to the
spring and threw salt into it, saying, "Thus says the LORD,
'I have purified this water. Never again shall death or
miscarriage spring from it.'" And the water has stayed pure
even to this day, just as Elisha prophesied. [2KGS 2:19-22]
The priests and Levites first purified
themselves, then they purified the people, the gates, and the
wall. [NEH 12:30]
For Judah rejoiced in its appointed priests and Levites
who carried out the ministry of their God and the ministry of purification (as did the singers and the gatekeepers) in accordance with the
prescriptions of David and of Solomon, his son. [Taken
from NEH 12:44-45]
Then I gave orders to purify the chambers, and I
had them replace there the utensils of the house of God, the
cereal offerings, and the incense. [NEH 13:9]
Then I ordered the Levites to purify themselves
and to go and watch the gates, so that the sabbath day might be
kept holy. This, too, remember in my favor, O my God, and have
mercy on me in accordance with your great mercy! [NEH 13:22]
Then Raguel praised the God of heaven in these
words: "Blessed are you, O God, with every holy and pure
blessing! Let all your chosen ones praise you; let them bless you
forever!" [Taken from TOBIT 8:15]
My spirit blesses the Lord, the great King;
Jerusalem shall be rebuilt as his home forever. Happy for me if a
remnant of my offspring survive to see your glory and to praise
the King of heaven! The gates of Jerusalem shall be built with
sapphire and emerald, and all your walls with precious stones. The
towers of Jerusalem shall be built with gold, and their
battlements with pure gold. [TOBIT 13:15-16]
Now, they had lately returned from exile, and
only recently had all the people of Judea been gathered together,
and the vessels, the altar, and the temple been purified from
profanation. [JDTH 4:3]
So Holofernes ordered his bodyguard not to
hinder her. Thus she stayed in the camp three days. Each night she
went out to the ravine of Bethulia, where she washed herself at
the spring of the camp. After bathing, she besought the Lord, the
God of Israel, to direct her way for the triumph of his people.
Then she returned purified to the tent, and remained there until
her food was brought to her toward evening. [JDTH 12:7-9]
"When the Jewish people saw Simon's loyalty and
the glory he planned to bring to his nation, they made him their
leader and high priest because of all he had accomplished and the
loyalty and justice he had shown his nation. In every way he
sought to exalt his people. In his time and under his
guidance they succeeded in driving the Gentiles out of their
country, especially those in the City of David in Jerusalem, who
had built for themselves a citadel from which they used to sally
forth to defile the environs of the temple and inflict grave
injury on its purity." [Taken from 1MACC 14:35-36]
Nehemiah and his companions called the liquid
nephthar, meaning purification, but most people named it naphtha.
[2MACC 1:36]
As we are about to celebrate the feast of the
purification of the temple, we are writing to you requesting you
also to please celebrate the feast. It is God who has saved all
his people and has restored to all of them their heritage, the
kingdom, the priesthood, and the sacred rites, as he promised
through the law. We trust in God, that he will soon have mercy on
us and gather us together from everywhere under the heavens to his
holy Place, for he has rescued us from great perils and has
purified his Place. [2MACC 2:16-18]
On the anniversary of the day on which the
temple had been profaned by the Gentiles, that is, the
twenty-fifth of the same month Chislev, the purification of the
temple took place. The Jews celebrated joyfully for eight days as
on the feast of Booths, remembering how, a little while before,
they had spent the feast of Booths living like wild animals in
caves on the mountains. Carrying rods entwined with leaves, green
branches and palms, they sang hymns of grateful praise to him who
had brought about the purification of his own Place. By public
edict and decree they prescribed that the whole Jewish nation
should celebrate these days every year. [2MACC 10:5-8]
Judas rallied his army and went to the city of
Adullam. As the week was ending, they purified themselves
according to custom and kept the sabbath there. [2MACC 12:38]
In such a manner was Menelaus, the transgressor of the law, fated to die; he was deprived even of decent burial.
It was altogether just that he who had committed so many sins against the altar with its pure fire and ashes should meet his death in ashes. [2MACC 13:7-8]
The priests stretched out their hands toward heaven, calling upon the unfailing defender of our nation in these words:
"Lord of all, though you are in need of nothing, you have approved of a temple for your dwelling place among us.
Therefore, O holy One, Lord of all holiness, preserve forever undefiled this house, which has been so recently purified." [Taken from 2MACC 14:34-36]
Shall you say: "My teaching is pure, and I
am clean in your sight"? [JOB 11:4]
The promises of the LORD are sure, silver
refined in a crucible, silver purified seven times. [PS 12:7]
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just; More
desirable than gold, than a hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also
than honey or drippings from the comb. By them your servant is
instructed; obeying them brings much reward. [PS 19:10-12]
LORD, the king finds joy in your power; in your
victory how greatly he rejoices! You have granted him his heart's
desire; you did not refuse the prayer of his lips. For you
welcomed him with goodly blessings; you placed on his head a crown
of pure gold. He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of
days forever. Great is his glory in your victory; majesty and
splendor you confer upon him. You make him the pattern of
blessings forever, you gladden him with the joy of your presence.
For the king trusts in the LORD, stands firm through the love of
the Most High. [Taken from PS 21:2-8]
Who may go up the mountain of the LORD? Who can
stand in his holy place? "The clean of hand and pure of
heart, who are not devoted to idols, who have not sworn falsely.
They will receive blessings from the LORD, and justice from their
saving God. Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the
face of the God of Jacob." [Taken from PS 24:3-6]
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash
me, make me whiter than snow. [PS 51:9]
God chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which
he favored. He built his shrine like the heavens, like the earth
which he founded forever. He chose David his servant, took him
from the sheepfold. From tending sheep God brought him, to
shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his heritage. He shepherded
them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided them. [PS 78:68-72]
"I, Wisdom, dwell with experience, and
judicious knowledge I attain. (The fear of the LORD is to hate
evil;) Pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth I
hate. Mine are counsel and advice; Mine is strength; I am
understanding. By me kings reign, and lawgivers establish justice;
By me princes govern, and nobles; all the rulers of earth. Those who love me I also love, and those who seek me find
me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than pure gold, and my revenue
than choice silver. On the way of duty I walk, along the paths of
justice, Granting wealth to those who love me, and filling their
treasuries." [PROV 8:12-21]
The wicked man's schemes are an abomination to
the LORD, but the pure speak what is pleasing to him. [PROV 15:26]
All the ways of a man may be pure in his own
eyes, but it is the LORD who proves the spirit. [PROV 16:2]
The LORD loves the pure of heart; the man of
winning speech has the king for his friend. [PROV 22:11]
Remove the dross from silver, and it comes forth perfectly purified;
Remove the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne is made firm through righteousness.
[PROV 25:4-5]
There is a group that is pure in its own eyes,
yet is not purged of its filth. [PROV 30:12]
My lover is radiant and ruddy; he stands out
among thousands. His head is pure gold; his locks are palm fronds,
black as the raven. His eyes are like doves beside running waters,
His teeth would seem bathed in milk, and are set like jewels. [SONG
5:10-12]
Such things as are hidden I learned and such as
are plain; for Wisdom, the artificer of all, taught me. For in her
is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, Manifold, subtle, agile,
clear, unstained, certain, Not baneful, loving the good, keen,
unhampered, beneficent, kindly, Firm, secure, tranquil,
all-powerful, all-seeing, And pervading all spirits, though they
be intelligent, pure and very subtle. For Wisdom is mobile beyond
all motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason
of her purity. For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure
effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nought that is
sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal
light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his
goodness. [WISDOM 7:21-26]
They no longer safeguard either lives or pure
wedlock; but each either waylays and kills his neighbor, or
aggrieves him by adultery. [WISDOM 14:24]
If a man again touches a corpse after he has
bathed, what did he gain by the purification? So with a man who
fasts for his sins, but then goes and commits them again: Who will
hear his prayer, and what has he gained by his mortification? [SIRACH
34:25-26]
When I was young and innocent, I sought wisdom.
She came to me in her beauty, and until the end I will cultivate
her. As the blossoms yielded to ripening grapes, the heart's joy,
My feet kept to the level path because from earliest youth I was
familiar with her. In the short time I paid heed, I met with great
instruction. Since in this way I have profited, I will give my
teacher grateful praise. I became resolutely devoted to her - the
good I persistently strove for. I burned with desire for her,
never turning back. I became preoccupied with her, never weary of
extolling her. My hand opened her gate and I came to know her
secrets. For her I purified my hands; in cleanness I attained to
her. At first acquaintance with her, I gained understanding such
that I will never forsake her. My whole being was stirred as I
learned about her; therefore I have made her my prize possession. [SIRACH
51:13-21]
Thus I will punish the world for its evil and
the wicked for their guilt. I will put an end to the pride of the
arrogant, the insolence of tyrants I will humble. I will make
mortals more rare than pure gold, men, than gold of Ophir. [ISA
13:11-12]
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide
for all peoples A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich
food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the
veil that veils all peoples, The web that is woven over all
nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe
away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will
remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken. [ISA 25:6-8]
Break out together in song, O ruins of
Jerusalem! For the LORD comforts his people, he redeems Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations;
All the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.
Depart, depart, come forth from there, touch nothing unclean! Out
from there! Purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the
LORD. Yet not in fearful haste will you come out, nor leave in
headlong flight, For the LORD comes before you, and your rear
guard is the God of Israel. [ISA 52:9-12]
Because you have sullied yourself with lewdness when I would have purified you, and you refused to be purified of your uncleanness, therefore you shall not be purified until I wreak my fury on you.
I, the LORD, have spoken; it is coming, for I will bring it about without fail. I will not have pity nor repent. By your conduct and your deeds you shall be judged, says the Lord GOD.
[EZEK 24:13-14]
Thus says the Lord GOD: When I purify you from
all your crimes, I will repeople the cities, and the ruins shall
be rebuilt; the desolate land shall be tilled, which was formerly
a wasteland exposed to the gaze of every passer-by. "This
desolate land has been made into a garden of Eden," they
shall say. "The cities that were in ruins, laid waste, and
destroyed are now repeopled and fortified." [EZEK 36:33-35]
To purify the land, the house of Israel shall
need seven months to bury them. [EZEK 39:12]
Of the wise men, some shall fall, so that the
rest may be tested, refined, and purified, until the end time
which is still appointed to come. [DAN 11:35]
Many shall be refined, purified, and tested, but
the wicked shall prove wicked; none of them shall have
understanding, but the wise shall have it. [DAN 12:10]
Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil, and
the sight of misery you cannot endure. [Taken from HAB 1:13]
Therefore, wait for me, says the
LORD, against the day when I arise as accuser; For it is
my decision to gather together the nations, to assemble the
kingdoms, In order to pour out upon them my wrath, all
my blazing anger; For in the fire of my jealousy shall
all the earth be consumed. For then I will change and
purify the lips of the peoples, That they all may call upon
the name of the LORD, to serve him with one accord [Taken from ZEPH 3:8-9]
On that day there shall be open to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a fountain to purify
from sin and uncleanness. [ZECH 13:1]
Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had
come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they observed that some
of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed,
hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat
without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of
the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat
without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that
they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and
jugs and kettles (and beds).) So the Pharisees and scribes
questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the
tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean
hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about
you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do
they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.' You
disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." He
went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment
of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, 'Honor
your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother
shall die.' Yet you say, 'If a person says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for
his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your
tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such
things." He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one
from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out
from within are what defile." [MK 7:1-15]
When the days were completed for their
purification according to the law of Moses, they took [Jesus] up to
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord [Taken from LK 2:22]
Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many
went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify
themselves. [JN 11:55]
After much debate had taken place, Peter got up
and said to them, "My brothers, you are well aware that from
early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the
Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God,
who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for
by faith he purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting
God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a
yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On
the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of
the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they." [ACTS 15:7-11]
Take these men and purify yourself with them,
and pay their expenses that they may have their heads shaved. In
this way everyone will know that there is nothing to the reports
they have been given about you but that you yourself live in
observance of the law. [ACTS 21:24]
While I was so engaged, they found me, after my
purification, in the temple without a crowd or disturbance. [ACTS
24:18]
We cause no one to stumble in anything, in order
that no fault may be found with our ministry; on the contrary, in
everything we commend ourselves as ministers of God, through much
endurance, in afflictions, hardships, constraints, beatings,
imprisonments, riots, labors, vigils, fasts; by purity, knowledge,
patience, kindness, in a holy spirit, in unfeigned love, in
truthful speech, in the power of God; with weapons of
righteousness at the right and at the left; through glory and
dishonor, insult and praise. We are treated as deceivers and yet
are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and
behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as
sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as
having nothing and yet possessing all things. [2COR 6:3-10]
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived
Eve by his cunning, your thoughts may be corrupted from a sincere
(and pure) commitment to Christ. For if someone comes and preaches
another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a
different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel
from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough. [2COR 11:3-4]
And this is my prayer: that your love may
increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of
perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure
and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and
praise of God. [PHIL 1:9-11]
Of course, some preach Christ from envy and
rivalry, others from good will. The latter act out of love, aware
that I am here for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim
Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking
that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. What
difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in
pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I
rejoice. Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, for I know that this
will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support
from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is
that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all
boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body,
whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death
is gain. [PHIL 1:15-21]
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with
you. [PHIL 4:8-9]
I repeat the request I made of you when I was on
my way to Macedonia, that you stay in Ephesus to instruct certain
people not to teach false doctrines or to concern themselves with
myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather
than the plan of God that is to be received by faith. The aim of
this instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and
a sincere faith. Some people have deviated from these and turned
to meaningless talk, wanting to be teachers of the law, but
without understanding either what they are saying or what they
assert with such assurance. [1TM 1:3-7]
Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set
an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith,
and purity. [1TM 4:12]
Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as a father. Treat younger men as brothers,
older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with complete purity.
[1TM 5:1-2]
Do not lay hands too readily on anyone, and do
not share in another's sins. Keep yourself pure. [1TM 5:22]
So turn from youthful desires and pursue
righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on
the Lord with purity of heart. [2TM 2:22]
In times past, God spoke in partial and various
ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he
spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and
through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his
glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains
all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished
purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of
the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the
name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. [HEB 1:1-4]
According to the law almost everything is
purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness. [HEB 9:22]
Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of
Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new
and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his
flesh, and since we have "a great priest over the house of
God," let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute
trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and
our bodies washed in pure water. [HEB 10:19-22]
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God
and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their
affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. [JMS 1:27]
The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our
members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting
the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by
Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea
creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil,
full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and
with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be
so, my brothers. Does a spring gush forth from the same opening
both pure and brackish water? [JMS 3:6-11]
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him
show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from
wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. Wisdom of
this kind does not come down from above but is earthly,
unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition
exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom
from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle,
compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or
insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for
those who cultivate peace. [JMS 3:13-18]
So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near
to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your
laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. [JMS
4:7-10]
Since you have purified yourselves by obedience
to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely
from a (pure) heart. [1PT 1:22]
Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander;
like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation,
for you have tasted that the Lord is good. [1PT 2:1-3]
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that
we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason
the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved,
we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been
revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope
based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. [1JN 3:1-3]
The city was square, its length the same as
(also) its width. He measured the city with the rod and found it
fifteen hundred miles in length and width and height. He also
measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits according to
the standard unit of measurement the angel used. The wall was
constructed of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as
glass. The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every
precious stone; the first course of stones was jasper, the second
sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth
beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh
hyacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve
pearls, each of the gates made from a single pearl; and the street
of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass. I saw no
temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and
the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for
the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. The
nations will walk by its light, and to it the kings of the earth
will bring their treasure. During the day its gates will never be
shut, and there will be no night there. The treasure and wealth of
the nations will be brought there, but nothing unclean will enter
it, nor any (one) who does abominable things or tells lies. Only
those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of
life. [RV 21:16-27]
Also try:
undefiled
[U]
celibacy
/ chastity / chaste [C1]
virgin
[C1]
profane
[P16]
immodest
/ impure [I]
unchaste
/ unchastity [U]
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