Greek word · G5199

ὑγιής

hygiēs

healthy

Sound, healthy, in good working order. It is used of bodies and limbs, and by extension of sound speech or sound teaching ("sound words"). The core idea is that something works as it should.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὑγιής, -ές, accusative, ὑγιῆ (Attic usually -ιᾶ),

[in LXX for חַי, etc. ;]

sound, whole, healthy: Matthew 12:13 15:31, Jhn.5:[4], 6, 9, 11, 14, 15 7:23, Acts 4:10; before ἀπό, Mark 5:34; of words, opinions, etc. (as in cl.), metaphorically, λόγος, Titus 2:8.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of John 5:14

Range of meaning

Sound, healthy, in good working order. It is used of bodies and limbs, and by extension of sound speech or sound teaching ("sound words"). The core idea is that something works as it should.

Against the English

KJV and YLT have "whole," which in 1611 meant "healthy, uninjured" (as in "hale"). BSB, WEB and most modern versions have "well." Both are accurate. "Whole" has picked up modern overtones of inner or holistic completeness that the Greek word does not carry here.

How it drifted

"Made whole" became a devotional phrase for inner, spiritual or emotional restoration. In 1611 it simply meant physically healed.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in classical and Hellenistic Greek medical writing for bodily health. In the NT it is used of a restored hand (Matt 12:13) and of the crippled who were made sound (Matt 15:31). In the Pastoral Letters it has the sense of "sound" speech (Titus 2:8). John uses it six times, five of them for this one man (5:6, 9, 11, 14, 15), and again in 7:23: "I made a whole man healthy on the Sabbath."

From the study of John 5:11

Range of meaning

Sound, healthy, in good condition. Used of bodies, of limbs restored to use, and by extension of 'sound' teaching or speech (Titus 2:8). In the Gospels it means a body brought back to working order.

Against the English

BSB, WEB, NIV and NASB say 'made me well'. ESV and NLT say 'healed me'. KJV and YLT say 'made me whole'. 'Whole' was the old English word for physically healthy (it shares a root with 'heal' and 'hale'). Modern ears may hear an inner or emotional 'wholeness'.

How it drifted

Since the 1600s 'whole' has lost its everyday medical sense and picked up therapeutic and spiritual overtones.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in medical and everyday Greek for health. Matthew 12:13 has a withered hand restored 'sound like the other'. John uses the word as the theme of this episode (5:6, 9, 11, 14, 15). In John 7:23 Jesus looks back on this very healing: 'I made an entire man sound on the Sabbath.'

From the study of John 5:15

Range of meaning

Healthy, sound, whole, in good working condition. Used of bodies, limbs, and by extension sound teaching or sound judgment.

Against the English

'Well' (BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV) is accurate. KJV/YLT 'whole' carries the sense of being restored to full soundness, and it fits the link to 7:23 ('a whole man').

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in medical and everyday Greek (the source of English 'hygiene'). Used in the Gospels for restored limbs (Matt 12:13; Mark 5:34, 'be healed'). In John it appears only in this story (5:6, 9, 11, 14, 15) and in 7:23.

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 12:13 ὑγιὴς sound

    Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other.

    Here: Describes the hand's new state. It is fully sound and working, not just a little better. (This is the root of English 'hygiene'.)

  2. Matthew 15:31 ὑγιεῖς, restored,

    The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

    Here: The deformed limbs are now sound and whole. There is no verb, only the adjective, so the line reads like a before-and-after list: 'maimed, whole'.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 5:34 ὑγιὴς healthy

    “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”

    Here: Physically sound, in working order. It is the ordinary Greek word for bodily health (the root of English 'hygiene').

John · 6

  1. John 5:6 ὑγιὴς well

    When Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

    Here: 'Healthy, sound in body': the opposite of the 'weakness' or 'illness' (astheneia) of v.5. It is the theme word of the whole episode (vv. 9, 11, 14, 15; 7:23).

  2. John 5:9 ὑγιὴς well

    Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day,

    Here: Sound, in full working order. This is the state of a body that functions again, not just relief from symptoms. Jesus uses the same word in 7:23 when he defends this healing: 'I made a whole man well on the Sabbath.'

  3. John 5:11 ὑγιῆ, well,

    But he answered, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

    Here: The result of the making: 'made me sound'. This is the key word of the whole episode (5:6, 9, 11, 14, 15). It means bodily health. A man paralysed for 38 years now stands up and is able to carry things.

  4. John 5:14 ὑγιὴς well

    Afterward, Jesus found the man at the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”

    Here: Physically sound, in working order. This is the same word Jesus used when he asked, "Do you want to become healthy?" (5:6). His question has now been answered.

  5. John 5:15 ὑγιῆ. well.

    And the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

    Here: Sound, restored to full working health. It is the key word of the whole episode (5:6, 9, 11, 14, 15), and Jesus returns to it in 7:23: 'I made a whole man well on the Sabbath.'

  6. John 7:23 ὑγιῆ sound

    If a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?

Acts · 1

  1. Acts 4:10 ὑγιής. sound.

    then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

    Here: Sound and healthy in body, fully working. It comes last in the sentence for emphasis: the verdict on the man's body is 'sound'.

Titus · 1

  1. Titus 2:8 ὑγιῆ, sound,

    and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

    Here: Literally 'healthy.' This is the medical picture that runs through the letter: true teaching is healthy and brings health, and the false teaching on Crete is like a sickness.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.