Bible Strands
Ephesians 5:26
to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Ephesian believers, using the marriage analogy to explain Christ’s purpose after stating He gave Himself up for the church. The verse occurs in the middle of a sequence defining how Christ prepares the church for presentation.
The words — λουτρῷ (loutrō) translates to washing, and ἁγιάσῃ (hagiasē) translates to He may sanctify. The Greek construction places the washing of water and the word as the direct means of the sanctifying action.
The thread — The connection between cleansing, water, and the word runs through John 15:3, Ezekiel 36:25, and Hebrews 10:22. Each reference ties purification to a specific divine agent or instrument rather than human ritual.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that sanctification and cleansing are accomplished through God’s spoken word, not ceremonial practice. It demands alignment with the holy and blameless condition Christ secures for the church.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Cross-references
- Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
- Ezekiel 36:25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.
- John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
- John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
- Titus 3:5 He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
- Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- 1 John 5:6 This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, because the Spirit is the truth.