CategoryDoctrine / Ritual Purity and Moral Term
Modern Equivalentritually impure; morally defiled.
KJV Word TypeAdjective / noun
DefinitionIn the KJV, “unclean” can describe ritual impurity under the Mosaic law, ceremonial separation, moral defilement, or spiritual corruption depending on context.
Key Verses"And the leper in whom the plague is... shall cry, Unclean, unclean." (Leviticus 13:45); "Touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (2 Corinthians 6:17)
KJV Usage NoteThe word may refer to ritual categories, physical conditions, forbidden animals, moral impurity, or spiritual separation.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not always mean physically dirty; in Scripture it often means ritually or morally impure.
EtymologyFrom Old English unclæne, meaning not clean or impure.