WG: Healing¶
Overview¶
The healing concept in the Greek NT involves 8 words spanning two word families (therap- and ia-) plus the related concept of cleansing (katharizo). These words cover the action of healing, the healer, the cure itself, and the service dimension of medical care.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G2323 | θεραπεύω | therapeuo | verb | 43 | The primary healing verb (heal, cure, attend to) | G2323 |
| G2390 | ἰάομαι | iaomai | verb | 28 | Near-synonym healing verb (cure, make whole) | G2390 |
| G2511 | καθαρίζω | katharizo | verb | 29 | Cleansing — often paired with healing (lepers) | G2511 |
| G2395 | ἰατρός | iatros | noun | 7 | The healer (physician) | TODO(need G2395 study) |
| G2322 | θεραπεία | therapeia | noun | 4 | Service / household; healing (the activity) | TODO(need G2322 study) |
| G2386 | ἴαμα | iama | noun | 3 | The gift of healing (spiritual gift) | TODO(need G2386 study) |
| G2392 | ἴασις | iasis | noun | 3 | The act/result of curing | TODO(need G2392 study) |
| G2324 | θεράπων | therapon | noun | 1 | Attendant, servant (root of therapeuo) | TODO(need G2324 study) |
Relationships¶
Word Families¶
- therap- family: therapeuo (G2323, verb), therapeia (G2322, noun), therapon (G2324, noun) — all from root meaning "to attend to, serve"
- ia- family: iaomai (G2390, verb), iatros (G2395, noun), iama (G2386, noun), iasis (G2392, noun) — all from root meaning "to cure"
- kathar- family: katharizo (G2511) — related by function (cleansing as healing-adjacent action)
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| therapeuo (G2323) | iatros (G2395) | 2 | "Physician, heal thyself" (Luk 4:23) |
| therapeuo (G2323) | katharizo (G2511) | 1 | Twin commission: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers" (Mat 10:8) |
| iaomai (G2390) | therapeia (G2322) | 1 | "spake unto them... and healed them that had need of healing" (Luk 9:11) |
Despite being near-synonyms, therapeuo (G2323) and iaomai (G2390) never appear in the same verse — the Gospel writers use one or the other for any given healing narrative, never both together.
Roles in the Concept¶
- Primary action (serve/heal): therapeuo (G2323) — the dominant healing verb in the Synoptics; retains undertone of service/attendance
- Primary action (cure): iaomai (G2390) — focuses on the cure itself; occasionally metaphorical
- Related action (cleanse): katharizo (G2511) — purification, especially leprosy; paired with therapeuo in commissioning passages
- Agent: iatros (G2395) — the physician; used proverbially ("Physician, heal thyself")
- Activity/household: therapeia (G2322) — double sense: household servants (Mat 24:45, Luk 12:42) and healing activity (Luk 9:11, Rev 22:2)
- Gift: iama (G2386) — spiritual gift of healing (1 Cor 12:9, 28, 30)
- Result: iasis (G2392) — the cure as outcome (Luk 13:32, Act 4:22, 30)
- Root servant: therapon (G2324) — the original "attendant" meaning; used only of Moses (Heb 3:5)
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Luk 4:23 — therapeuo + iatros: "Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself"
- Luk 9:11 — iaomai + therapeia: "healed them that had need of healing"
- Mat 10:8 — therapeuo + katharizo (adjacent): "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers"
- Rev 22:2 — therapeia: "the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (uses the noun form)
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-10