θερᾰπ-εύω G2323
To heal, cure, or restore to health; rarely, to serve or attend to someone's needs (classical sense surviving once in Acts).
Overwhelmingly in the New Testament, this verb means to heal or cure -- Jesus healing every disease (Matt 4:23), casting out demons and restoring the sick (Matt 8:16), and the disciples continuing this ministry (Luke 9:1). Spanish consistently renders 'sanar' (to make whole), French 'guerir' (to cure), and German 'heilen' (to heal), reflecting how uniformly the NT uses this word for physical restoration. A single occurrence in Acts 17:25, where Paul says God is not 'served' by human hands, preserves the older classical Greek sense of personal attendance or cultic service -- a meaning well attested in Herodotus and Plato but nearly extinct in biblical usage.
Senses
1. heal or cure — To restore someone to physical health by curing disease, injury, or affliction. Dominates NT usage (42 of 43 occurrences), spanning Jesus' healing ministry (Matt 4:23-24; 8:7, 16; 9:35), the apostles' continuation of it, and passive constructions of people being healed. Spanish 'sanar/sanados,' French 'guerir,' and German 'heilen' all converge on medical restoration. 42×
AR["أَن-يُشفَى", "أَنْ-يَشْفُوهُ", "الشِّفَاءُ", "شَفاهُم", "شَفاهُمْ", "شَفى", "شَفَاهُ", "شَفَاهُم", "شَفَاهُمْ", "شَفَى", "كانوا-يُشفَونَ", "كَانُوا-يُشْفَوْنَ", "لِيَشْفوا", "يَشفوا"]·ben["সুস্থ-করতে", "সুস্থ-করলেন", "সুস্থ-করা", "সুস্থ-করেছিলেন", "সুস্থ-করেছিলেন,", "সুস্থ-হচ্ছিল", "সুস্থ-হল"]·DE["heilen", "heilt"]·EN["he-healed", "healed", "to-heal", "were-being-healed"]·FR["guérir"]·heb["לְ-רַפֵּא", "לְרַפֵּא", "נִרְפְּאוּ", "נִרְפְאוּ", "רִפְּאָם", "רִפֵּא"]·HI["चंगा-करना", "चंगा-करने", "चंगा-किया", "चंगा-किया-था", "चंगे-किए-जाते-थे", "चनग-करन", "चनग-किय", "चनगअ-करनअ", "चनगअ-किय"]·ID["Dia-menyembuhkan", "Ia-menyembuhkan", "Ia-menyembuhkan,", "disembuhkan", "menyembuhkan", "untuk-menyembuhkan"]·IT["guarire"]·jav["kasarasaken", "nyarasaken", "nyarasaken,", "nyarasaken.", "nyarasaken?"]·KO["고쳤다", "고치게-하니", "고치는-것이", "고치도록", "고치셨다", "고치셨다.", "고치셨으니", "고침-받았다", "치료되었으니", "치료하다", "치료하셨다", "치료하셨으니"]·PT["curar", "curou", "curou,", "para-curar"]·RU["исцелил", "исцелить", "исцелялись", "исцелять"]·ES["eran-sanados", "le-sanó", "los-sanó", "sanar", "sanar?", "sanó"]·SW["alimponya", "aliponya", "aliponya,", "aliwaponya", "aliwaponya,", "kumponya", "kuponya", "kuponya?-", "waliponywa", "wao"]·TR["iyileştirdi", "iyileştirdi,", "iyileştiriliyorlardı", "iyileştiriliyorlardı.", "iyileştirmek", "iyileştirmek,", "iyileştirmeyi", "iyileştirsinler"]·urd["بہتوں-کو", "شفا-دی", "شفا-دیا", "شفا-دینا", "شفا-دینے", "شفا-پاتے-تھے"]
Matt 4:23, Matt 4:24, Matt 8:7, Matt 8:16, Matt 9:35, Matt 10:1, Matt 10:8, Matt 12:10, Matt 12:15, Matt 12:22, Matt 14:14, Matt 15:30 (+30 more)
2. serve or attend to — To render service or attendance, reflecting the classical Greek meaning of tending to a deity or master. Appears only in Acts 17:25 where Paul declares God is not 'therapeuetai' -- served or attended to -- by human hands. Spanish 'es servido' and English 'is served' capture this rare survival of the pre-medical sense in the NT. 1×
AR["يُخدَمُ"]·ben["সেবা-পান"]·DE["heilt"]·EN["is-served"]·FR["guérir"]·heb["מְשֻׁרָת"]·HI["सेवा-किया-जाता-है"]·ID["dilayani"]·IT["guarire"]·jav["dipun-ladosi"]·KO["섬김-받지-아니하시며"]·RU["обслуживается"]·ES["es-servido"]·SW["anahudumiwi"]·TR["hizmet-edilir"]·urd["خدمت-لی-جاتی-ہے"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
θερᾰπ-εύω, later also θᾰρᾰπεύω (which see), future -εύσωRefs 5th c.BC+:—middle, future -εύσομαιRefs: aorist ἐθεραπευσάμην Refs 4th c.BC+:—passive, future -ευθήσομαιRefs: future middle in passive sense, Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist ἐθεραπεύθην Refs:—to be an attendant, do service, once in Refs 8th c.BC+:—middle, Refs __II do service to the gods, ἀθανάτους, θεοὺς θ., Refs 8th c.BC+; Διόνυσον, Μούσας,…