Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, a "malady" refers to a disease, illness, or affliction that affects the body or mind. The Scriptures address maladies in various ways, often linking them to spiritual, moral, or divine causes and remedies. Throughout the Bible, maladies serve as both literal and metaphorical elements, illustrating the human condition and God's power to heal and restore.
Old Testament ReferencesIn the Old Testament, maladies are frequently mentioned in the context of divine judgment or as a consequence of sin. For instance, in
Deuteronomy 28:22, God warns the Israelites of the consequences of disobedience: "The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish." Here, maladies are depicted as instruments of divine discipline.
Leprosy is one of the most notable maladies discussed in the Old Testament.
Leviticus 13 and 14 provide detailed laws concerning the diagnosis and purification of leprosy, emphasizing the need for ritual cleanliness and the role of the priest in declaring a person clean or unclean. This reflects the broader biblical theme of holiness and the separation from sin.
New Testament ReferencesIn the New Testament, Jesus Christ's ministry is marked by numerous healings of various maladies, demonstrating His divine authority and compassion.
Matthew 4:23 states, "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." These healings serve as signs of the inbreaking of God's kingdom and the restoration of creation.
The healing of the paralytic in
Mark 2:1-12 illustrates the connection between physical maladies and spiritual forgiveness. Jesus first forgives the man's sins, then heals his paralysis, indicating that spiritual restoration is paramount and often intertwined with physical healing.
Spiritual and Metaphorical UseMaladies in the Bible are not limited to physical ailments but also include spiritual and moral afflictions.
Psalm 38:3-4 expresses the psalmist's anguish over sin: "There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear." Here, the malady is a metaphor for the weight of sin and the need for divine forgiveness.
The Apostle Paul speaks of a "thorn in the flesh" in
2 Corinthians 12:7-9, which is often interpreted as a physical or spiritual malady. Paul describes how he pleaded with the Lord to remove it, but God responded, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." This passage highlights the idea that God can use maladies to demonstrate His strength and grace.
Divine Healing and FaithThe Bible consistently presents God as the ultimate healer. In
Exodus 15:26, God declares, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." This promise underscores the connection between obedience, faith, and divine healing.
James 5:14-15 instructs believers to seek prayer and anointing for healing: "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick." This passage emphasizes the role of faith and community in seeking God's healing power.
In summary, maladies in the Bible are multifaceted, serving as both physical realities and spiritual symbols. They reveal the brokenness of the world, the consequences of sin, and the hope of redemption through God's healing power.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) Any disease of the human body; an ailment, a chronic disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder.
2. (n.) A moral or mental defect or disorder.
Greek
3554. nosos -- disease, sickness... disease, sickness. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: nosos Phonetic
Spelling: (nos'-os) Short Definition: a disease,
malady Definition: a disease
...769. astheneia -- weakness, frailty
... From asthenes; feebleness (of mind or body); by implication,malady; morally, frailty --
disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness. see GREEK asthenes....
Strong's Hebrew
2483. choli -- sickness... disease, grief, is sickness. From chalah;
malady, anxiety, calamity -- disease,
grief, (is) sick(-ness). see HEBREW chalah. 2482, 2483. choli. 2484 .
...8463. tachalu -- disease
... beginning, first time. Or tachalui {takh-al-oo'}; from chala'; amalady -- disease,
X grievous, (that are) sick(-ness). see HEBREW chala'. 8462, 8463....
Library
Of the Care with which theMalady of Dejection must be Healed.
... Prolegomena. Chapter II. Of the care with which themalady of dejection must
be healed. Wherefore if we are anxious to exert ourselves...
The Instance of King Uzziah who was Overcome by the Taint of the...
... Prolegomena. Chapter XI. The instance of King Uzziah who was overcome by
the taint of the samemalady. Of Uzziah, the ancestor of...
Epistle xx. To the Clergy and People Ariminum .
... Accordingly, inasmuch as your Church has long been deprived of pastoral rule from
themalady, as you know, of its own priest, we, moved by your entreaties...
The Saviour Lifted Up, and the Look of Faith.
... a poison. It is not uncommon in the Bible to see sin represented as amalady.
For thismalady, Christ had healing power. He professed...
Fifth Tractate. Happiness and Extension of Time.
... In the matter of sorrows and pains there is, no doubt, ground for saying that time
brings increase: for example, in a lingeringmalady the evil hardens into a...
Introduction to the Treatise that no one Can Harm the Man who Does...
... body to disease, corn to mildew, timber to rot, copper and iron to rust or in other
words that almost everything is liable to some connatural evil andmalady?...
Letter iii. --The Illusions of the Devil.
... Thismalady is, thank God, not incurable, but as long as it remains unhealed
it cannot but be even more dangerous than painful to you....
Of his Saying: "We have Heard that Some among You Walk Disorderly....
... all, but curiously meddling." He is nowhere satisfied to speak of those who will
not give themselves up to work, as if they were victims of but a singlemalady...
Defilers of Themselves with Beasts, Being Also Leprous, who have...
... clear that leprosantas cannot possibly mean "those who have been lepers"; for there
is no reason to be seen why those who were cured of thatmalady should have...
Whether an Advocate Sins by Defending an Unjust Cause?
... Now a physician is praised if he heals a desperatemalady. Therefore an advocate
also commits no sin, but ought to be praised, if he defends an unjust cause....
Thesaurus
Malady (3 Occurrences)... seated disorder. 2. (n.) A moral or mental defect or disorder. Multi-Version
Concordance
Malady (3 Occurrences). Matthew 4:23 And
...Boil (29 Occurrences)
... term for the sores in the sixth plague of Egypt (Exodus 9:9-11); for a sore which
might be confounded with leprosy (Leviticus 13:18-23); for Job'smalady (Job 2...
Reign (468 Occurrences)
... was going about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good
news of the reign, and healing every disease, and everymalady among the...
Malcam (6 Occurrences)
Herod (45 Occurrences)
... He was carried out of the theatre a dying man." He died (AD 44) of the same loathsome
malady which slew his grandfather (Acts 12:21-23), in the fifty-fourth...
Mary (50 Occurrences)
... was a penitent, drawn from the life of the street, undoubtedly arose, in the first
instance, from a misconception of the nature of hermalady, together with an...
Jehoram (27 Occurrences)
... He died a painful death from a fearfulmalady, and was refused a place in the
sepulchre of the kings (2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21). Int....
Lunatick (2 Occurrences)
... These various words seem to be derived from the strange and fierce or mournful
cries uttered by the unfortunate victims of this dreadmalady....
Grief (252 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Cause of sorrow or pain; that which afflicts or distresses; trial; grievance.
3. (a.) Physical pain, or a cause of it;malady. Int....
With (66342 Occurrences)
... and of the writer of Acts that the girl was not the conscious accomplice of her
masters, but their unfortunate victim through her mysteriousmalady, is clear....
Resources
Is Sunday sickness a real thing? | GotQuestions.orgHow did King David die? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the causes and solutions for a hardened heart? | GotQuestions.orgMalady: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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