WORD STUDIES
Health:
Old Testament
OT:7965 shalowm (shaw-lome'); or shalom (shaw-lome'); from OT:7999; safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace: KJV - do, familiar, fare, favour, friend, great, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at) peace (-able, -ably), prosper (-ity, -ous), rest, safe (-ty), salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, wholly.
Gen 43:28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is
yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. KJV
OT:3444 yeshuw`ah (yesh-oo'-aw); feminine passive participle of OT:3467; something saved, i.e. (abstractly) deliverance; hence, aid, victory, prosperity:
KJV - deliverance, health, help (-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.
Ps 43:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted
within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my
countenance, and my God. KJV
OT:7500 riph'uwth (rif-ooth'); from OT:7495; a cure: KJV - health.
Prov 3:7-8 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
OT:4832 marpe' (mar-pay'); from OT:7495; properly, curative, i.e. literally (concretely) a medicine, or (abstractly) a cure; figuratively (concretely) deliverance, or (abstractly) placidity: KJV - ([in-]) cure (-able), healing (-lth), remedy, sound, wholesome, yielding.
Greek word "hugiaino." Denotes to be healthy, sound in good health as in 3 John 2.
Heal/Healing: In the Old Testament, to heal first occurs in Genesis 20:17 where God healed Abimelech. It is used approximately 65 times in the Old Testament. To heal is described as restoring to normal.
OT:7495 rapha' (raw-faw'); or raphah (raw-faw'); a primitive root; properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure: KJV - cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, thoroughly, make whole. See OT:7503.
In the New Testament, the verbs for this word include:
Therapueno: To serve or attend. Care for the sick, treat, cure, heal. Chiefly used in Matthew and Luke, once in John 5:10 and after the book of Acts only in Revelation 13:3, 12.
Iaomai: To heal, make whole both spiritually and physically.
- Example of physical healing: Matthew 15:28. Used 22 times in this meaning.
- For examples of spiritual healing: Matthew 13:15; John 12:40; Acts 28:27; Hebrews 12:13; 1 Peter 2:24.
Sozo: To save from disease and its effects. See Mark 5:23 and Luke 8:36 for examples.
Diasozo: To save thoroughly: Luke 7:3
The nouns for this word include:
Therapeia: Denotes care and attention (Luke 12:42). This word is also used to describe the effects of the leaves of the tree of life: Revelation 22:2.
Iama: A means of healing. Used in the plural in 1 Corinthians 12:9,28,30.
Iasis: Similar to the verb #2. Stresses the process as reaching completion (Luke 13:32; Acts 4:22,30).
Cure: The word is not used in the Old Testament. In the New Testament the noun iasia: healing, a cure: Luke 13:32; Acts 4:22; 4:30.
The verb therapeuo: to serve in Acts 17:25; to heal, restore to health, and cure in Matthew 17:16,18; Luke 7:21; 9:1; John 5:10; Acts 28:9.
Sickness
Sick: The word is used in the Old Testament 60 times in Hebrew. It is first found in Genesis 48:1. There is a variation in meaning, including weakness, less than normal, overdoing and becoming weak. The noun sickness occurs 23 times in the Old Testament and describes suffering as in Isaiah 53:3-4. Some translate it as grief and infirmity. The meaning of sickness is given in Deuteronomy 7:15.
In the New Testament, sick is used in verb form including:
Astheneo: To be weak, feeble, impotent, diseased.
Kamno: To be weary from the effects of constant work: Hebrews 12:3; James 5:15. Weariness of mind which hinders physical recovery.
Sunecho: Being seized or afflicted by ills, taken with.
It is also used as an adjective:
Asthenes: Without strength, feeble, weak.
Arrhostos: Feeble, sickly, sick folk.
The noun form includes:
Astheneia: Weakness, sickness.
Nosos: Disease
Infirmity: This word is not used in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament it includes:
Astheneia: Want of strength, weakness, inability to produce results: Romans 8:26; 2 Corinthians 11:30; 12:5,9,10. In Luke 13:11 it is the "spirit of infirmity" which attributes infirmity directly to satan.
Asthenema: Weakness of faith (Romans 15:1).
Disease: In the Old Testament disease of the feet is mentioned in 1 Kings 5:23 and 2 Chronicles 16:12. Disease in the bowels is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 21:15.
Disease is characterized as:
Loathsome: Psalms 38:7
Evil: Psalms 41:8
Great: 2 Chronicles 16:12
Sometimes incurable: 2 Chronicles 21:18
In the New Testament, the following nouns are used for disease:
Astheneia: Lacking strength, weakness, sicknesses, or infirmity.
Malalkia: Softness, debility, disease.
Nosos: To injure, disease, infirmities.
Malalkia: Softness, debility, disease.
Nosos: To injure, disease, infirmities.
Nosema: To dote about.
The following verbs are used in the New Testament:
Astheneo: Lack strength, to be weak, sick.
Echo Kakos: To be ill or diseased.
There were many types of diseases. Some are unnamed (Matthew 4:24; 14:35; Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:40). Others are identified (Matthew 9:20). Jesus healed all diseases: Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 14:35; Mark 1:32; 10:1; Luke 6:17; 9:1; John 5:4; 6:2
Affliction: As used in Greek, it means trouble, persecution, hardship, and tribulation, disease, ailment.
Mark 5:29-30 NKJV Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" [ KJV says plague - other translations Ailment]
The word used here in NKJV NT:3148 ma/stic- mastix (mas'-tix); probably
from the base of NT:3145 (through the idea of contact); a whip (literally, the
Roman flagellum for criminals; figuratively, a disease):KJV - plague, scourging.
NT:3145 massa/omai> massaomai (mas-sah'-om-ahee); from a primary masso (to
handle or squeeze); to chew:KJV - gnaw.
Wholeness
In the New Testament:
Holos: All, altogether, absolutely.
Pas: All.
Hapas: All, the whole.
Holokleros: Whole, entire.
Hugies: Making sick folk whole our sound: Matthew 12:13; 15:31; Mark 3:5; 5:34; Luke 6:10; John 5:4,6,9,11,14,15; 7:23; Acts 4:10
Holoteles: Wholly, whole, complete, through and through: 1 Thessalonians 5:23. To extend to every part of the being.
Verbs:
Hugiaino: To be in good health; they that are whole; wholesome, sound, healthful.
Sozo: To save, to make whole.
Iaomai: To heal, rendered to make whole.
Ischuo: To be strong.
Diasozo: To save thoroughly.
Jesus was concerned about wholeness:
While men wanted only healing, Jesus wanted to deal with the whole man. He said to the lame man at Bethesda, "Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:6).
Jesus came to minister to those who were not whole, the broken, sick, oppressed: Matthew 9:12; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31.
Jesus was the source of wholeness: John 5:15; Acts 9:34
As many as touched Jesus were made perfectly whole: Matthew 9:21?22; 14:36; Mark 5:28?34
Jesus made a servant who was on his death bed whole: Luke 7:10
He made the lame whole: John 5:9
Through the power of God, the disciples made the lame whole: Acts 9:34
Jesus made the maimed whole: Matthew 5:31
He restored hands whole: Matthew 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10
He made people whole of whatever disease they had: John 5:6
They were made completely whole: John 7:23
Jesus credited the faith of the people as an active part in their being made whole. "Thy faith hath made thee whole": Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; 10:52; Luke 8:48-50; 17:19
The Bible deals with the whole man:
Sickness of... Biblical Remedy Natural Remedy
The spirit(sin) Confession and repentance.
Appropriating salvation through Jesus None
The body Prayer of faith for physical healing.
Deliverance when demonically caused Natural healing Medical healing*
Emotions Prayer for inner healing.
Deliverance when demonically caused.
Confession and repentance for wrong emotions.
Forgiveness of others.
Restoration to others, where applicable.
Counseling
Mind Can involve prayer for healing if organic or functionally caused. Counseling or deliverance if demonically caused.
BIBLICAL WORD STUDIES: Summary
All legitimate healing comes from God, whether through prayer, medicine, or natural processes. Scripture teaches that while God performs miracles, He is equally active in the recurring events we can explain and predict (for an example, see Psalms 65 which explains the power of the Lord at work in the "natural" processes of the earth). The important thing is to realize this and give God glory for healing no matter the channel through which it is received: "they did not realize it was I who healed them." (Hosea 11:3)
