In biblical terminology, the concept of a "bruise" carries both physical and metaphorical significance. The term is often used to describe physical injury, but it also holds deeper spiritual and prophetic meanings within the Scriptures.

Old Testament Usage

The Hebrew word often translated as "bruise" is "שׁוּף" (shuph), which can mean to crush or to strike. One of the most significant occurrences of this term is found in Genesis 3:15, where God pronounces judgment upon the serpent after the Fall of Man: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He will bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel" . This verse is widely regarded as the Protoevangelium, or the first gospel, foretelling the ultimate victory of Christ over Satan. The "bruising" of the serpent's head signifies a fatal blow, while the "bruising" of the heel of the woman's seed indicates suffering but not ultimate defeat.

In Isaiah 53:5, the suffering servant is described: "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" . Here, the term "crushed" is often understood as a deep, grievous bruise, symbolizing the Messiah's suffering and sacrifice for humanity's sins.

New Testament Usage

In the New Testament, the Greek word "συντρίβω" (syntribo) is used to convey the idea of bruising or crushing. Romans 16:20 states, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you" . This passage echoes the promise of Genesis 3:15, affirming the ultimate defeat of Satan through the work of Christ and His Church.

The concept of bruising also appears in the context of Jesus' ministry. In Matthew 12:20, quoting Isaiah 42:3, it is said of Jesus, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory" . This illustrates Christ's compassion and gentleness towards the weak and downtrodden, emphasizing His role as a merciful Savior.

Theological Implications

Theologically, the imagery of bruising in the Bible underscores the reality of sin and its consequences, as well as the redemptive work of Christ. The bruising of the serpent's head by the seed of the woman is a powerful symbol of the triumph of good over evil, and the bruising of Christ Himself is central to the doctrine of atonement. Through His suffering and sacrifice, believers find healing and reconciliation with God.

In summary, the biblical concept of a bruise extends beyond mere physical injury to encompass profound spiritual truths about sin, redemption, and the ultimate victory of Christ over evil.1. (v. t.) To injure, as by a blow or collision, without laceration; to contuse; as, to bruise one's finger with a hammer; to bruise the bark of a tree with a stone; to bruise an apple by letting it fall.

2. (v. t.) To break; as in a mortar; to bray, as minerals, roots, etc.; to crush.

3. (v. i.) To fight with the fists; to box.

4. (n.) An injury to the flesh of animals, or to plants, fruit, etc., with a blunt or heavy instrument, or by collision with some other body; a contusion; as, a bruise on the head; bruises on fruit.

BRUISE; BRUISED

brooz, broozd: The noun occurs in Isaiah 1:6 the King James Version, "bruises and putrifying sores," as the translation of chabbarah. The verb translations a number of Hebrew words, the principal ones being:

(1) shuph (Genesis 3:15 (twice));

(2) daqaq (Isaiah 28:28 (twice) (the American Standard Revised Version "ground," "and though the wheel of his cart and his horses scatter it, he doth not grind it" for the King James Version "nor break it with the wheels of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen"));

(3) dakha', in the classical passage, Isaiah 53:5, "He was bruised for our iniquities," Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him";

(4) ratsats, "A bruised reed shall he not break," Isaiah 42:3 (quoted in Matthew 12:20).

In the New Testament bruise is the translation of sparasso, "to rend" (the American Standard Revised Version "bruising him sorely") Luke 9:39; of suntribo, "to break to pieces" (Matthew 12:20); "shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20); of thrauo in Luke 4:18 in the quotation from Isaiah 58:6, "to set at liberty them that are bruised" (WH omits the verse).

Arthur J. Kinsella

3468. molops -- a bruise
... a bruise. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: molops Phonetic Spelling:
(mo'-lopes) Short Definition: a bruise, stripe Definition: a bruise, stripe ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3468.htm - 6k

4937. suntribo -- to break in pieces, crush
... suntribo Phonetic Spelling: (soon-tree'-bo) Short Definition: I break by crushing
Definition: I break by crushing, break in pieces, shatter, crush, bruise. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4937.htm - 7k

5299. hupopiazo -- to strike under the eye
... to strike under the eye. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: hupopiazo Phonetic
Spelling: (hoop-o-pee-ad'-zo) Short Definition: I bruise, worry, exhaust ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5299.htm - 7k

2352. thrauo -- to break in pieces
... verb Definition to break in pieces NASB Word Usage oppressed (1). crush, bruise,
oppress. A primary verb; to crush -- bruise. Compare rhegnumi. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2352.htm - 6k

7779. shuph -- to bruise
... 7778, 7779. shuph. 7780 . to bruise. Transliteration: shuph Phonetic Spelling:
(shoof) Short Definition: bruise. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7779.htm - 5k

6482. petsa -- a bruise, wound
... 6481, 6482. petsa. 6483 . a bruise, wound. Transliteration: petsa Phonetic
Spelling: (peh'-tsah) Short Definition: wound. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/6482.htm - 6k

6481. patsa -- to bruise, wound by bruising
... patsa. 6482 . to bruise, wound by bruising. Transliteration: patsa Phonetic Spelling:
(paw-tsah') Short Definition: emasculated. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6481.htm - 6k

2250. chabburah -- a stripe, blow
... a stripe, blow. Transliteration: chabburah or chabburah or chaburah Phonetic
Spelling: (khab-boo-raw') Short Definition: bruise. Word ...
/hebrew/2250.htm - 6k

1792. daka -- to crush
... crushing (1), oppressed (1). beat to pieces, break in pieces, bruise, contrite,
crush, destroy, humble, oppress,. A primitive root ...
/hebrew/1792.htm - 6k

1854. daqaq -- to crush, pulverize, thresh
... thresh (1), very fine (1). beat in pieces small, bruise, make dust, into powder,
be, very small, stamp small. A primitive root (compare ...
/hebrew/1854.htm - 6k

7490. rea -- to crush, shatter
... 1). break, bruise. (Aramaic) corresponding to ra'a' -- break, bruise. see HEBREW
ra'a'. 7489b, 7490. rea. 7491 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7490.htm - 6k

7667. sheber -- a breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash
... 1), ruin (3), smashing (1). affliction, breach, breaking, broken-footed,
bruise, crashing, destruction. Or sheber {shay'-ber}; from ...
/hebrew/7667.htm - 6k

4273. machats -- a severe wound
... 4272, 4273. machats. 4274 . a severe wound. Transliteration: machats Phonetic
Spelling: (makh'-ats) Short Definition: bruise. Word ...
/hebrew/4273.htm - 6k

7533. ratsats -- to crush
... break, bruise, crush, discourage, oppress, struggle together. A primitive
root; to crack in pieces, literally or figuratively -- break ...
/hebrew/7533.htm - 6k

It Pleased the Lord to Bruise Him
... TALK THIRTEEN. IT PLEASED THE LORD TO BRUISE HIM. It is a mystery in the
minds of many why Christian people often have to suffer. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk thirteen it pleased the.htm

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Declarations of Old ...
... "And I will put enmity between thee (the "serpent") and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/i the redeemers return is.htm

Radical Exposition.
... and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt
bruise his heel.". Our critics have two objections to ...
/.../concerning the assumptions of destructive criticism/ix radical exposition.htm

A Crushed Snake
... ROMANS A CRUSHED SNAKE. 'The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly.'"Romans 16:20. There are three other Scriptural ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/a crushed snake.htm

Rom. xvi. 17, 18
... For after telling them to "mark them which cause [1697] divisions," and not to listen
to them, he proceeds, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxxii rom xvi 17.htm

The Apostles Referred to the Redeemer's Return in the Language of ...
... "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly"(Rom.16:20).
The reference here is to Gen.3:15 where we have recorded ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/2 the apostles referred to.htm

How the Devil Always Lies in Wait for Our End, and How we Ought ...
... For thus you will learn to "bruise" his dangerous beginnings, if you are not
ashamed to disclose any of them to your superior. Footnotes: ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter xxxvii how the devil.htm

January 14 Evening
... [The woman's seed] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."GEN.3:
15. ... The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. Isa.52:14. ...
/.../anonymous/daily light on the daily path/january 14 evening.htm

The Death of Christ
... Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 24, 1858, by the. REV. CH SPURGEON. at the
Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens. "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the death of christ.htm

Thessalonica
... The sentence pronounced on Satan, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 22 thessalonica.htm

Bruise (19 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To injure, as by a blow or collision, without laceration; to contuse; as,
to bruise one's finger with a hammer; to bruise the bark of a tree with a ...
/b/bruise.htm - 14k

Bruised (36 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Bruise. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. BRUISE; BRUISED. brooz, broozd: The noun occurs ...
/b/bruised.htm - 18k

Heel (8 Occurrences)
... Figurative: (1) Of the partial victory of the evil power over humanity, "Thou shalt
bruise (m "lie in wait for") his heel" (Genesis 3:15), through constant ...
/h/heel.htm - 12k

Wound (58 Occurrences)
... image. (BBE). Exodus 21:25 burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise
for bruise. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/w/wound.htm - 24k

Enmity (23 Occurrences)
... and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Exodus 23:22 ...
/e/enmity.htm - 15k

Breach (55 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) A breaking up of amicable relations; rupture. 6. (n.) A bruise; a wound.
7. (n.) A hernia; a rupture. 8. (n.) A breaking out upon; an assault. ...
/b/breach.htm - 27k

Buffet (4 Occurrences)
... buffet me" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Used figuratively of self-control: "I buffet (the
King James Version keep under, the Revised Version, margin "bruise") my body ...
/b/buffet.htm - 9k

Batter (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (vt) To beat with successive blows; to beat repeatedly and with violence, so
as to bruise, shatter, or demolish; as, to batter a wall or rampart. ...
/b/batter.htm - 7k

Hers (15 Occurrences)
... Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel ...
/h/hers.htm - 11k

Offspring (186 Occurrences)
... her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
(WEB NIV). Genesis 4:25 Adam knew his wife again. She gave ...
/o/offspring.htm - 36k

What does Genesis 3:15 mean that “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible mean by "an eye for an eye"? | GotQuestions.org

What is the Adamic covenant? | GotQuestions.org

Bruise: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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