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Bible Dictionaries
Heal
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or Râphâ' (רָפָה, Strong's #7495), “to heal.” This word is common to both ancient and modern Hebrew. It occurs approximately 65 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, appearing first in Gen. 20:17: “… God healed Abimelech.”
“To heal” may be described as “restoring to normal,” an act which God typically performs. Thus, appeals to God for healing are common: “… O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed” (Ps. 6:2); “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed …” (Jer. 17:14). Not only are human diseases “healed,” but bad water is restored to normal or “healed” (2 Kings 2:22); salt water is “healed” or made fresh (Ezek. 47:8); even pottery is “healed” or restored (Jer. 19:11).
A large number of the uses of râphâ' express the “healing” of the nation—such “healing” not only involves God’s grace and forgiveness, but also the nation’s repentance. Divine discipline leads to repentance and “healing”: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us …” (Hos. 6:1). God promises: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord …” (Jer. 30:17). Even foreign cities and powers can know God’s “healing” if they repent (Jer. 51:8-9).
False prophets are condemned because they deal only with the symptoms and not with the deep spiritual hurts of the people: “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14; also 8:11).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Heal'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/h/heal.html. 1940.
