Attention!
Partner with StudyLight.org as God uses us to make a difference for those displaced by Russia's war on Ukraine.
Click to donate today!Bible Dictionaries
Holman Bible Dictionary
A physical condition in which walking is difficult or impossible. In the Old Testament, lame animals were not acceptable sacrifices (
Deuteronomy 15:21;
Malachi 1:8 ,Malachi 1:8,
1:13 ). The lame were prohibited from serving as priests though they were allowed to eat from the priests' provisions (
Leviticus 21:18 ). The Jebusites boasted that their stronghold of Jerusalem was so impregnable that even the blind and lame would be able to turn back David's troops (
2 Samuel 5:6 NRVS, NIV). A proverb excluding the blind and lame from “the house” (that is, the Temple) is traced to the assault on Jerusalem (
2 Samuel 5:8 ). In the New Testament, the healing of the lame forms an important part of Jesus' messianic work (
Matthew 11:2-6;
Matthew 15:29-31 ). By healing the lame in the Temple, Jesus restored these excluded ones to full participation in the worshiping community (
Matthew 21:14 ). Acts tells of the early church continuing Jesus' healing ministry to the lame: Peter and John (
Acts 3:2 ); Philip (
Acts 8:7 ); Paul (
Acts 14:8-10 ).
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 'Lame, Lameness'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/l/lame-lameness.html. 1991.