ἰάομαι
iáomai
G2390 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To heal, restore to health, make whole—primarily denotes the act of curing physical ailments or restoring health, but also extends metaphorically to the healing or restoration of communities, relationships, or circumstances. In certain contexts, can indicate deliverance or rescue from misfortune. The core sense is bringing about restoration and wholeness, whether bodily, mental, or social.
Semantic Range
to heal (physically), to cure (disease or injury), to restore to health, to make whole, to rescue or deliver (from affliction or distress), to bring restoration (to individuals or communities)
Root / Etymology
From the root ἰα-, related to healing and restoration. The word is a present middle/passive deponent verb. Related terms include ἰατρός ('physician'), ἴασις ('healing'), and possibly linked to Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go, to do, to perform; to heal”), though exact derivation is debated.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Earliest attested in Homeric Greek, where ἰάομαι is used for curing both wounds and diseases, and also metaphorically for relieving pain or distress. In Classical Greek, it often referred to medical healing but could be used for other types of restoration (e.g., healing a city, making peace). In the Septuagint, ἰάομαι frequently translates Hebrew רָפָא (rapha'), commonly denoting divine healing or miraculous cures. In the New Testament, ἰάομαι appears primarily in the narratives of Jesus and the early communities, referring both to physical cures and spiritual or communal restoration. Most English translations render the verb as 'heal,' but the nuance can range from medical treatment to all forms of making whole or right. Distinct from θεραπεύω (therapeuō), which often conveys the provision of ongoing service or care (sometimes non-miraculous), ἰάομαι tends to focus on the result—restoration and completeness. The figurative sense, such as the restoration of national or communal well-being, is prominent in both the Septuagint and later Jewish and Christian Greek texts.
Translation Consistency
The dominant and natural meaning across contexts is physical and restorative cure; ‘heal’ is the most common rendering in the data and comfortably covers bodily, relational, and communal restoration. It is more natural-sounding and broadly applicable than alternatives like ‘restore’ or ‘cure’, so using ‘heal’ ensures consistent, idiomatic English for all forms of G2390.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
middle voice of apparently a primary verb; to cure (literally or figuratively):--heal, make whole.
Root Family
ἰα- (íama) — to heal, to cure, to restore
Word Forms
13 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2390-06 |
ἰάθη | iathe | V AOR PASS IND 3P SG |
be healed | he was healed | he was healed | 5 |
G2390-01 |
ἰάσατο | iasato | V AOR MID IND 3P SG |
he healed | he restored to wholeness | he healed | 4 |
G2390-03 |
ἰάσομαι | iasomai | V FUT MID IND 1P SG |
I will heal | I myself will heal | I will heal | 3 |
G2390-04 |
ἰᾶσθαι | iasthai | V PRS MID INF |
to heal | to heal oneself / be healed | to heal | 2 |
G2390-05 |
ἴαται | iatai | V PRF PASS IND 3P SG |
heals | has been healed | has been healed | 2 |
G2390-10 |
ἰαθῆτε | iathete | V AOR PASS SUBJ 2P PL |
you may be healed | you may be healed | you may be healed | 2 |
G2390-12 |
ἰᾶτο | iato | V IMPF MID IND 3P SG |
healed | he was healing | he was healing | 2 |
G2390-02 |
ἰάσηται | iasetai | V AOR MID SUBJ 3P SG |
heal | might heal | might heal | 1 |
G2390-07 |
ἰαθεὶς | iatheis | V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG |
having been healed | having been healed | having been healed | 1 |
G2390-08 |
ἰαθῆναι | iathenai | V AOR PASS INF |
to be healed | to be restored whole | to be healed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
26 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2390-09 |
Matthew 8:8 | ἰαθήσεται | iathesetai | V FUT PASS IND 3P SG |
shall be healed | will be healed | will be healed |
G2390-06 |
Matthew 8:13 | ἰάθη | iathe | V AOR PASS IND 3P SG |
was-healed | he was healed | he was healed |
G2390-03 |
Matthew 13:15 | ἰάσομαι | iasomai | V FUT MID IND 1P SG |
I would heal | I myself will heal | I will heal |
G2390-06 |
Matthew 15:28 | ἰάθη | iathe | V AOR PASS IND 3P SG |
was healed | he was healed | was healed |
G2390-05 |
Mark 5:29 | ἴαται | iatai | V PRF PASS IND 3P SG |
she was healed | has been healed | has been healed |
G2390-04 |
Luke 5:17 | ἰᾶσθαι | iasthai | V PRS MID INF |
to heal | to heal oneself / be healed | to heal |
G2390-08 |
Luke 6:18 | ἰαθῆναι | iathenai | V AOR PASS INF |
to be healed | to be restored whole | to be healed |
G2390-12 |
Luke 6:19 | ἰᾶτο | iato | V IMPF MID IND 3P SG |
healed | he was healing | he was healing |
G2390-11 |
Luke 7:7 | ἰαθήτω | iatheto | V AOR PASS IMP 3P SG |
let be healed | let him be healed | let him be healed |
G2390-06 |
Luke 8:47 | ἰάθη | iathe | V AOR PASS IND 3P SG |
she was healed | he was healed | she was healed |
G2390-04 |
Luke 9:2 | ἰᾶσθαι | iasthai | V PRS MID INF |
to heal | to heal oneself / be healed | to heal |
G2390-12 |
Luke 9:11 | ἰᾶτο | iato | V IMPF MID IND 3P SG |
he healed | he was healing | he was healing |
G2390-01 |
Luke 9:42 | ἰάσατο | iasato | V AOR MID IND 3P SG |
healed | he restored to wholeness | he healed |
G2390-01 |
Luke 14:4 | ἰάσατο | iasato | V AOR MID IND 3P SG |
he healed | he restored to wholeness | he healed |
G2390-06 |
Luke 17:15 | ἰάθη | iathe | V AOR PASS IND 3P SG |
he had been healed | he was healed | he was healed |
G2390-01 |
Luke 22:51 | ἰάσατο | iasato | V AOR MID IND 3P SG |
he healed | he restored to wholeness | he healed |
G2390-02 |
John 4:47 | ἰάσηται | iasetai | V AOR MID SUBJ 3P SG |
heal | might heal | might heal |
G2390-07 |
John 5:13 | ἰαθεὶς | iatheis | V AOR PASS PTCP NOM M SG |
having been healed | having been healed | having been healed |
G2390-03 |
John 12:40 | ἰάσομαι | iasomai | V FUT MID IND 1P SG |
I should heal | I myself will heal | I myself will heal |
G2390-05 |
Acts 9:34 | ἰᾶταί | iatai | V PRS MID IND 3P SG |
heals | has been healed | has been healed |
G2390-13 |
Acts 10:38 | ἰώμενος | iomenos | V PRS MID PTCP NOM M SG |
healing | healing himself | healing |
G2390-01 |
Acts 28:8 | ἰάσατο | iasato | V AOR MID IND 3P SG |
healed | he restored to wholeness | he healed |
G2390-03 |
Acts 28:27 | ἰάσομαι | iasomai | V FUT MID IND 1P SG |
I will heal | I myself will heal | I will heal |
G2390-06 |
Hebrews 12:13 | ἰαθῇ | iathe | V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG |
be healed | he was healed | may be healed |
G2390-10 |
James 5:16 | ἰαθῆτε | iathete | V AOR PASS SUBJ 2P PL |
you may be healed | you may be healed | you may be healed |
G2390-10 |
1 Peter 2:24 | ἰάθητε | iathete | V AOR PASS IND 2P PL |
you were healed | you may be healed | you were healed |