Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, the term "impotent" is often used to describe individuals who are physically weak or disabled, lacking strength or power. This condition is frequently depicted in the New Testament, where Jesus performs miracles of healing, demonstrating His divine authority and compassion.
Biblical References:1.
John 5:2-9 : One of the most notable accounts of an impotent man is found in the Gospel of John. At the Pool of Bethesda, a multitude of disabled individuals, including the blind, lame, and paralyzed, awaited healing. Among them was a man who had been impotent for thirty-eight years. Jesus, seeing him lying there and knowing his long-term condition, asked, "Do you want to get well?" The man explained that he had no one to help him into the pool when the water was stirred. Jesus then commanded him, "Get up, pick up your mat, and walk." Immediately, the man was healed, took up his mat, and walked. This miracle not only restored the man's physical ability but also served as a testament to Jesus' power over infirmity.
2.
Acts 3:1-10 : Another significant instance is the healing of the lame man at the temple gate called Beautiful. Peter and John encountered a man who had been lame from birth, begging for alms. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declared, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" The man was instantly healed, leaping up and praising God. This miracle, performed in the name of Jesus, affirmed the apostles' authority and the power of faith in Christ.
Theological Significance:The healing of impotent individuals in the Bible underscores several key theological themes:
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Divine Compassion and Authority: Jesus' willingness to heal the impotent reflects His deep compassion for human suffering and His authority over physical ailments. These miracles are signs of the inbreaking of God's kingdom, where restoration and wholeness are realized.
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Faith and Obedience: The accounts often highlight the role of faith and obedience in the process of healing. The impotent man's response to Jesus' command to "get up" and the lame man's reaction to Peter's declaration demonstrate the importance of trusting in God's power and acting upon His word.
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Spiritual Symbolism: Physical impotence can also symbolize spiritual weakness or inability. Just as Jesus heals physical infirmities, He offers spiritual healing and strength to those who recognize their need and turn to Him in faith.
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Witness to the Gospel: The miraculous healings serve as powerful testimonies to the truth of the Gospel. They draw attention to the message of salvation and the transformative power of Jesus Christ, leading many to faith and glorifying God.
In summary, the biblical portrayal of impotent individuals and their healing is a profound demonstration of God's love, power, and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. These narratives invite believers to trust in God's ability to restore and renew, both physically and spiritually.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Not potent; lacking power, strength, or vigor, whether physical, intellectual, or moral; deficient in capacity; destitute of force; weak; feeble; infirm.
2. (a.) Wanting the power of self-restraint; uncontrolled; ungovernable; violent.
3. (a.) Wanting the power of procreation; unable to copulate; also, sometimes, sterile; barren.
4. (n.) One who is impotent.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
IMPOTENTim'-po-tent (astheneo, adunatos): The verb signifies "to be without strength," and derivatives of it are used inJohn 5:3, 7 the King James Version andActs 4:9 to characterize the paralyzed man at Bethesda and the cripple at the Temple gate. For the same condition of the Lystra lame man the word adunatos is used, which is synonymous. In these cases it is the weakness of disease. In this sense the word is used by Shakespeare (Love's Labor Lost, V, ii, 864; Hamlet, I, ii, 29). The impotent folk referred to in the Epistle of Jeremy (Baruch 6:28) were those weak and feeble from age and want; compare "impotent and snail-paced beggary" (Richard III, IV, iii, 53).
Alexander Macalister
Greek
193. akrates -- powerless,impotent... powerless,
impotent. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: akrates Phonetic
Spelling: (ak-rat'-ace) Short Definition: lacking self-control, inclined to
...770. astheneo -- to be weak, feeble
... be diseased,impotent, sick, weak. From asthenes; to be feeble (in any sense) --
be diseased,impotent folk (man), (be) sick, (be, be made) weak....
102. adunatos -- unable, powerless
... 1), could not do (1), without strength (1). impossible,impotent, weak.
From a (as a negative particle) and dunatos; unable, ie...
772. asthenes -- without strength, weak
... weak (12), weak things (1), weaker (1), weakness (2). feeble,impotent,
sick, weak. From a (as a negative particle) and the base...
3499. nekroo -- to put to death
... death, render weak Definition: lit. and met: I put to death, make as dead;
I render weak,impotent. Cognate: 3499 (from 3498 , corpse...
2135. eunouchos -- a eunuch
... From eune (a bed) and echo; a castrated person (such being employed in Oriental
bed-chambers); by extension animpotent or unmarried man; by implication, a...
Strong's Hebrew
3808. lo -- not... 1), cheaply* (1), disregarded* (1), except (1), failed* (1), false* (1), futile*
(1), gone (1), ignorant* (1), illiterate* (1),
impotent* (1), incapable* (1
...3524. kabbir -- great, mighty, much
... Word Origin from kabar Definition great, mighty, much NASB Word Usageimpotent*
(1), mighty (6), mighty men (1), mighty one (1), much (1), older* (1)....
Library
August the Twenty-FifthImpotent Enemies
... AUGUST The Twenty-fifthIMPOTENT ENEMIES. "Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ?" "Romans 8:31-39. Who can get between the love of Christ and me?...
Again in John v. 2, Etc. , on the Five Porches, Where Lay a Great...
... Sermon LXXV. Again in John v. 2, etc., on the five porches, where lay a great multitude
ofimpotent folk, and of the pool of Siloa. [CXXV. Ben.]...
More than Conquerors
... down, as it were, a miscellaneous mass of evil things, and then triumphs over them,
and all the genus to which they belong, as being utterlyimpotent to drag...
Whether a Spell Can be an Impediment to Marriage?
... stated with regard to frigidity [4986](A[1]). There is, however this difference
between a spell and frigidity, that a person who isimpotent through frigidity...
The Third Miracle in John's Gospel
... This poor man, sick andimpotent for eight and thirty years"many of which he had
spent, as it would appear, day by day, wearily dragging his paralysed limbs...
Jesus Life-Giver and Judge.
... As soon as theimpotent man discovered who it was that had given him strength, he
informed the authorities, either from sheer thoughtlessness, or because he...
Paul and Barnabas in Lystra.
... "And there sat a certain man at Lystra,impotent in his feet, being a cripple from
his mother's womb, who never had walked." His case resembles that of the man...
"O Wretched Man that I Am!"
... First, these words are the language of a regenerate man; second, of animpotent
man; third, of a wretched man; and fourth, of a man on the borders of complete...
Wilt Thou be Made Whole?
... Theimpotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool.... About
the answer of theimpotent man there could be no doubt....
At the Unknown' Feast in Jerusalem, and by the Pool of Bethesda.
... That such had been the case, has been inferred by some from this, that the narrative
of the healing of theimpotent man reads so Jewish, that the account of it...
Thesaurus
Impotent (5 Occurrences)... 3. (a.) Wanting the power of procreation; unable to copulate; also, sometimes,
sterile; barren. 4. (n.) One who is
impotent. Int.
...IMPOTENT.
...Unable (102 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Not able; not having sufficient strength, means,
knowledge, skill, or the like;impotent' weak; helpless; incapable; -- now...
Omnipotence (2 Occurrences)
... energy with which the divine nature operates finds expression also in the name
'El Chay, "Living God," which God bears over against theimpotent idols (1...
Womb (84 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS). Acts 14:8 At Lystra a certain man sat,impotent in
his feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked....
Withered (46 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV). John 5:3 In these lay a great multitude ofimpotent
folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water....
Walked (178 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Acts 14:8 At Lystra a certain man sat,impotent in his feet, a cripple
from his mother's womb, who never had walked. (WEB...
Imposture (1 Occurrence)
Impoverish (3 Occurrences)
Impossible (31 Occurrences)
... im-pos'-ib'-l (verb adunateo; adjective adunatos): "To be impossible" is the
translation of adunateo, "to be powerless," "impotent" (Matthew 17:20 Luke 1:37...
Folk (9 Occurrences)
... (KJV ASV). John 5:3 In these lay a great multitude ofimpotent folk, of blind,
halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. (KJV)....
Resources
What is the definition of idolatry? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is truth? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Plantinga's free will defense, and how does it address the problem of evil? | GotQuestions.orgImpotent: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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