The term "able-bodied" refers to individuals who possess physical strength and health, enabling them to perform tasks and duties effectively. In biblical times, being able-bodied was often associated with the capacity to work, fight in battles, and fulfill various responsibilities within the community and family.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the concept of being able-bodied is frequently linked to military service and labor. For instance, when the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, a census was taken to determine the number of men able to serve in the army. Numbers 1:3 states, "You and Aaron are to number those who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone who can serve in Israel’s army." This census was specifically concerned with identifying able-bodied men who could participate in the conquest of Canaan.

The requirement for able-bodied individuals is also evident in the construction of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Skilled laborers and craftsmen were sought to undertake the intricate work required for these sacred structures. Exodus 35:10 mentions, "Let every skilled craftsman among you come and make everything that the LORD has commanded."

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the emphasis on being able-bodied shifts more towards spiritual readiness and the ability to serve within the Christian community. While physical ability is not as prominently highlighted, the concept of being prepared and equipped to serve is evident. For example, in 1 Timothy 4:8 , Paul writes, "For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come."

The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 illustrates the expectation that individuals use their abilities, whether physical or spiritual, to serve God and others. The servants are entrusted with different amounts of money, and their master expects them to use their resources effectively. This parable underscores the importance of being diligent and responsible with one's capabilities.

Cultural and Social Implications

In biblical society, being able-bodied often determined one's role and status within the community. Those who were physically capable were expected to contribute to the welfare of the family and society, whether through labor, military service, or other means. This expectation is reflected in various laws and customs, such as the gleaning laws in Leviticus 19:9-10, which provided for the poor and those unable to work by allowing them to gather leftover crops.

The concept of being able-bodied also intersects with themes of compassion and support for those who are not physically capable. The Bible frequently calls for care and provision for the weak, the sick, and the disabled, emphasizing the community's responsibility to support all its members, regardless of their physical abilities.(a.) Physically competent; having a sound, strong body; robust.2571. chamushim -- in battle array
... armed men, harnessed. Passive participle of the same as chomesh; staunch, ie
Able-bodied soldiers -- armed (men), harnessed. see HEBREW chomesh. 2570, 2571. ...
/hebrew/2571.htm - 6k

Whether it is Lawful for Religious to Live on Alms?
... and incur the guilt of sacrilege, and by the abuse of such things they eat and drink
judgment to themselves." Now religious if they be able-bodied can support ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is lawful for 15.htm

Whether it is Lawful for Religious to Beg?
... shall be no poor nor beggar among you," and (Ps.36:25): "I have not seen the just
forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread." Moreover an able-bodied mendicant is ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is lawful for 16.htm

Meditation on God
... it may be well enough for those who are in poverty and deep trial; but that it is
at all congruous with the condition of a healthy, able-bodied, successful and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 46 1900/meditation on god.htm

The Changed Life
... suddenly stopped. Something had gone wrong with the engines. There were five
hundred able-bodied men on board the ship. Do you think ...
/.../the greatest thing in the world and other addresses/the changed life.htm

Life at Herrnhut.
... of labour. For rich and poor, for Catholic and Protestant, for all
able-bodied men and women, the same stern rule held good. If ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter iv life at herrnhut.htm

"He that Sleepeth in Harvest is a Son that Causeth Shame. " ...
... It is harvest-time, and the old folks have been depending on their able-bodied son
getting in all their corn, but they are doomed to disappointment. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/xxx he that sleepeth in.htm

Ambrose Answers those who Press the Words of the Lord to the ...
... devout in her zeal, deprived of consolation; who at that time, when she might have
been helped and supported by the aid of her able bodied offspring, suffered ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter v ambrose answers those.htm

Chapter thirty-one
... Is it not a matter of personal suffering in some form for you that thousands of
able-bodied, willing men tramp the streets of this city and all cities, crying ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter thirty-one.htm

Power "In" and "Upon. "
... Suppose a battle going on, and I were a general and had a hundred thousand men,
great, able-bodied men, full of life, but they could not one of them handle a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/secret power/chapter ii power in and.htm

Who was Nicholas?
... to the year 1218. Some of these houses were places where able-bodied people
out of work found regular employment. We do not find ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter iv who was nicholas.htm

Able-bodied (4 Occurrences)
Able-bodied. Able, Able-bodied. Ablution . Noah Webster's Dictionary (a ...
Multi-Version Concordance Able-bodied (4 Occurrences). Deuteronomy ...
/a/able-bodied.htm - 7k

Ablution

/a/ablution.htm - 18k

Ethiopia (26 Occurrences)
... The settled population was also small, since in ancient as in modern times Egypt
naturally drew away most of the able-bodied and energetic youth as servants ...
/e/ethiopia.htm - 45k

Census (24 Occurrences)
... 21:5). (4.) Solomon made a census of the foreigners in the land, and found
153,600 able-bodied workmen (2 Chronicles 2:17, 18). (5 ...
/c/census.htm - 15k

Able (730 Occurrences)

/a/able.htm - 36k

Moabites (26 Occurrences)
... Judges 3:29 And they killed at that time about ten thousand of the Moabites, all
strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. (DBY NAS RSV NIV). ...
/m/moabites.htm - 28k

Tabernacle (333 Occurrences)
... But (1) does any intelligent person believe that 9 months was too short a time for
600,000 able-bodied men, to say nothing of their women and children, to ...
/t/tabernacle.htm - 101k

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