ἀνορθόω

From the study of Hebrews 12:12

Range of meaning

'Make straight again, set upright, restore, rebuild.' It is used of re-erecting what has fallen, re-establishing a house or throne, straightening a bent body, and setting a dislocated limb or crooked thing back in line.

Against the English

BSB, NIV and NASB have 'strengthen' (which follows Isaiah's wording). KJV and WEB have 'lift up'. YLT has 'set ye up'. 'Strengthen' gives the result but loses the picture of straightening, along with the wordplay with 'straight paths' in v.13. 'Lift up' keeps the movement, but modern readers may hear it as raising hands in worship.

How it drifted

In contemporary church language, 'lift up your hands' usually means raising hands in praise (compare 1 Timothy 2:8, which uses a different verb, epairō). The KJV phrase was not meant that way. It meant raising arms that had fallen limp.

Used elsewhere in the period

LXX Psalm 145(146):8: 'the Lord sets upright (anorthoi) those who are bowed down.' Luke 13:13: the woman bent over for eighteen years 'was made straight' (anōrthōthē). Acts 15:16 (quoting Amos 9:11): 'I will rebuild (anorthōsō) its ruins.' 2 Samuel 7:13, 16 LXX: God 'will establish' David's throne. Here Hebrews replaces Isaiah's 'be strong' (ischysate) with this verb.

From the study of Acts 15:16

Range of meaning

To set upright again, straighten, restore, re-erect. Used of making something stand firm, and of straightening a bent body.

Against the English

KJV says 'set it up', YLT 'set upright', BSB/NIV/ESV 'restore'. 'Restore' is accurate but loses the physical picture of something lying flat being stood back up.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint, Nathan's oracle uses this verb: 'I will set up (anorthōsō) his throne forever' (2 Samuel 7:13; also 7:16 and 1 Chronicles 17:12, 14). In Luke 13:13 the woman bent double 'was made straight' (anōrthōthē). Hebrews 12:12 uses it for strengthening drooping hands.

From the study of Luke 13:13

Range of meaning

To set straight again, set upright, rebuild or restore something that has fallen or sagged. It can be used of bodies (straightening something bent), of buildings and structures (rebuilding), and of kingdoms or fortunes (re-establishing). The prefix ana- carries the sense of 'up again' or 'back'.

Against the English

'Straightened up' (BSB, NIV) and 'stood up straight' (WEB) make her the one doing the action. 'Was made straight' (KJV, ESV) and 'was set upright' (YLT) keep the Greek passive, which points to an outside cause. English also loses the 'again': this is a return to a posture she had lost, not just a physical movement.

Used elsewhere in the period

Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint, or LXX): Ps 144:14 LXX (= 145:14) 'the Lord ... sets upright all who are bowed down'; Ps 145:8 LXX (= 146:8) 'the Lord sets upright those who are bowed down', translating Hebrew zoqef kefufim. In 2 Sam 7:13, 16 LXX it is used of God establishing David's throne. Sirach 11:12 says the Lord 'raised him up from his low estate'. In the New Testament it appears only three times: here; Acts 15:16, where Luke's quotation of Amos 9:11 has God 'restoring' David's fallen tent; and Heb 12:12, 'straighten the drooping hands'. Greek medical writers also used it for straightening limbs. Older claims that this proves Luke was a physician have been widely questioned since H. J. Cadbury's work, because educated non-medical writers used the same words.