If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.
(Job 9:30-31) ESV
Soap and nitre, also known as lye, or anything else we use to cleanse ourselves, contains Hydroxyl (OH). This is frequently in the form of Sodium Hydroxide. It’s part of a definition of the Hebrew word for soap.
Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations Na+ and hydroxide anions OH− .
– Sodium hydroxide (Wikipedia)
Can we tie this knot any tighter? Hydroxide is a base (alkali) Hydrogen is an acid. They are opposites. The pH scale is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution or compound.
As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.
(Proverbs 25:20) KJV
Vinegar (acid) upon nitre (base) is going to fizz and bubble as Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is given off. Explosively. We would be pretty upset if someone took away our garment in cold weather. We might blow up.
January 11 – Hydroxyl (OH–)
Chemically, Hydroxyl (OH-) is a cleaning agent. It is at the alkaline end of the pH scale.
Cleansing goes with the concepts of purification, refinement and sanctification.
Bible Reading: Genesis 34-36