What Does Luke 11:38 Mean in the King James?
And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The word rendered “washed” means “immersed,” so the Pharisee is startled by a missed ritual threshold before the meal.
THE MEANING
The Pharisee watches Jesus come to the meal and is struck by the immersion he expects but does not see. The missed rite takes over his attention before a word is spoken. You meet the force of an expectation as it shapes what seems out of place.
THE ROOT
ἐβαπτίσθη
ebaptisthē
GROWS FROM
βαπτίζω
Immerse or dip beneath; here, to be immersed.
“Washed” can sound like general cleaning, but the Greek is a form of baptizō, “immerse,” evoking a particular action before the meal. The word makes visible the ritual threshold at the center of the Pharisee’s astonishment.
ALSO GROWS
baptismos: Immersion; washing
βαπτισμός
This noun names the washing as an immersion, clarifying the kind of act the Pharisee expects.
baptistēs: One who immerses
βαπτιστής
The related title keeps the root’s action visible: this word family names a person through the act of immersing.
THE PATTERN
Washing marks a boundary around meals and approach to sacred service.
When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD:And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.THE THREAD
And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.Mark 7:4 uses the same βαπτίζω (baptizō, immerse) word family for washing after the market. The shared verb gives Luke’s “washed” the same ritual texture: an immersion expected before eating.
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