Lexical Summary rephuah: Healing, Cure, Remedy Original Word: רְפֻאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance healed, medicine Feminine passive participle of rapha'; a medicament -- heal(-ed), medicine. see HEBREW rapha' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom rapha Definition remedy, medicine NASB Translation healing (2), remedies (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [רְפֻאָה] noun feminine remedy, medicine; — plural absolute רְפֻאֹת Ezekiel 30:21; Jeremiah 30:13, וֺת- Jeremiah 46:11 (all figurative). Topical Lexicon Semantic Nuance The noun denotes a remedy, cure, or healing bandage. In each canonized occurrence it appears in a negative construction, underscoring the absence of any effective medical or spiritual remedy when divine judgment has been decreed. Occurrences in Canonical Context Jeremiah 30:13 – Spoken to Jacob in exile: “There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no healing for you”. The word heightens the people’s helplessness; they have exhausted political alliances and religious pretenses, and only divine mercy can restore them. Jeremiah 46:11 – Addressed to Egypt: “Go up to Gilead and take balm, O Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you multiply remedies; there will be no healing for you”. Egypt’s famed pharmacology cannot counteract God’s decree; the futility of human resources meets the sovereignty of Yahweh. Ezekiel 30:21 – Directed again to Pharaoh: “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage to strengthen it to hold the sword”. The imagery of an unbandaged fracture stresses the lasting incapacitation of a world power that resists the Lord. Theology of Healing and Judgment 1. Remedy withheld is itself an aspect of judgment. Where sin persists unrepented, the Great Physician withholds the cure (compare Deuteronomy 32:39; Hosea 5:13). Prophetic Significance The prophets employ the word to unmask a false sense of security in external “balm” or foreign alliances. Their oracles anticipate a future day when the Lord Himself provides the only sufficient remedy (Jeremiah 30:17; Isaiah 53:5). Christological Fulfillment Isaiah’s promise, “By His stripes we are healed,” finds realization in Jesus Christ, who proclaims in Luke 4:18 “He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind.” Peter affirms, “By His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). What was withheld in judgment is granted in the gospel. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Preaching: Expose the inadequacy of self-help solutions; direct hearers to the sole sufficiency of the Crucified and Risen Healer. Related Biblical Motifs Balm of Gilead (Jeremiah 8:22), Jehovah-Rapha (Exodus 15:26), the tree whose leaves are “for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). Each motif converges on the truth that ultimate healing is God-given and covenantal. Summary The term portrays the indispensable yet absent remedy in times of divine wrath. Its rarity sharpens its impact: when God withholds healing, no human art can supply it. Conversely, when He provides healing through the Messiah, no malady—individual or national—remains incurable. Forms and Transliterations רְפֻא֔וֹת רְפֻא֜וֹת רְפֻא֥וֹת רפאות rə·p̄u·’ō·wṯ refuot rəp̄u’ōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 30:13 HEB: דִּינֵ֖ךְ לְמָז֑וֹר רְפֻא֥וֹת תְּעָלָ֖ה אֵ֥ין NAS: your cause; [No] healing for [your] sore, KJV: thou hast no healing medicines. INT: your cause for sore healing recovery is no Jeremiah 46:11 Ezekiel 30:21 3 Occurrences |
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