Baths

Bathing was frequent among the Hebrews for both hygienic and ritual purposes. Ritual bathing was required for purification from various forms of uncleanness—after contact with a corpse, after childbirth, after discharge, and for priests before service (Leviticus 14:8; Numbers 19:19; Exodus 30:20). The pools and baths used for ritual purification (mikveh) had specific requirements for water source. In Egypt, where the Hebrews lived, regular bathing was also customary (Exodus 2:5). Jesus's washing of the disciples' feet at the Last Supper drew on the imagery of bathing as a sign of cleansing and prepared them for the greater cleansing of forgiveness (John 13:10).