Bible Dictionaries
Deafness
Holman Bible Dictionary
The inability to hear. According to the Old Testament God makes persons deaf or hearing (Exodus 4:11 ). The deaf were protected by the Mosaic law (Leviticus 19:14 ). The inability to hear is used as an image for waiting on God rather than resisting attackers (Psalm 38:13-14 ). Deafness is also symbolic of inattentiveness to and rebellion against God (Isaiah 42:18-20; Isaiah 43:8 ). Part of the future hope of the prophets is that the deaf will hear (Isaiah 42:18-20; Isaiah 43:8 ). The enemies of Israel would experience deafness in response to God's restoration of Israel (Micah 7:16 ). The New Testament interprets Jesus' healing of the deaf as evidence of Jesus's Messiahship (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22 ). Strangely, only Mark narrated the healing of a deaf person (Mark 7:33-35; compare Mark 9:14-29 ). Mark 9:25 attributes deafness to an evil spirit. The parallel narratives ( Matthew 17:14-19; Luke 9:37-42 ) emphasize epilectic-like fits rather than deafness.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Deafness'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​hbd/​d/deafness.html. 1991.