clean
Katharos describes inner integrity, material cleanliness, and freedom from defilement or blame in Scripture.
The attested uses most often describe an inwardly sound condition of heart, conscience, or person; they also describe clean clothing, linen, vessels, and gold, and can mark freedom from bloodguilt or the status of things described as clean.
Senses in use
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Inner integrity and personal purity · dominant
In 1 Timothy 1:5 and 2 Timothy 2:22, the genitive singular feminine forms occur in clauses about a heart from which love proceeds and those who call on the Lord. The dative singular feminine forms in 1 Timothy 3:9 and 2 Timothy 1:3 occur with conscience, while the nominative plural masculine form in John 15:3 stands in Jesus' statement to his disciples; the APB renders the latter clause, "You are already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you."
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Clean or pure material things · common
The term describes the inside of a cup and plate in Matthew 23:26 and a linen cloth used to wrap a body in Matthew 27:59. In Revelation 19:8 and Revelation 21:18, the APB renders clauses about "bright clean fine linen" and "pure gold, like clear glass," showing its use with visible materials and objects.
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Free from blame or defilement in a relation · occasional
In Acts 18:6, the nominative singular masculine form occurs in the speaker's declaration after opposition: the APB renders, "I am clean." Acts 20:26 similarly has a personal declaration concerning "the blood of all," while Luke 11:41 and Romans 14:20 apply the neuter plural forms to "all things" in statements about charity and food.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the relevant clauses with "clean," "pure," "innocent," and "spotless," depending on the verse's subject and context. These terms describe the verse-level presentation rather than fixed individual renderings.