Original Word: θεραπεύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: therapeuó
Pronunciation: ther-ap-yoo'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (ther-ap-yoo'-o)
KJV: cure, heal, worship
NASB: healed, heal, healing, cured, cure, get healed, getting cured
Word Origin: [apparently from an obsolete derivative of the base of G2330 (θέρος - summer)]

1. to wait upon menially
2. (figuratively) to adore (God)
3. (specially) to relieve (of disease)

cure, heal, worship.

From the same as therapon; to wait upon menially, i.e. (figuratively) to adore (God), or (specially) to relieve (of disease) -- cure, heal, worship.

see GREEK therapon

2323 therapeúō – properly, heal, reversing a physical condition to restore a person having an illness (disease, infirmity).

[2323 (therapeúō), the root of "therapy" and "therapeutic," usually involves natural elements in the process of healing.]

Word Origin
from therapón
Definition
to serve, cure
NASB Translation
cure (1), cured (4), get healed (1), getting cured (1), heal (9), healed (21), healing (5), served (1).

STRONGS NT 2323: θεραπεύω

θεραπεύω; imperfect ἐθεράπευον; future θερπεύσω; 1 aorist ἐθεράπευσα; passive, present θεραπεύομαι; imperfect ἐθεραπευομην; perfect participle τεθεραπευμενος; 1 aorist ἐθεραπευθην; (θέραψ, equivalent to θεράπων); from Homer down;

1. to serve, do service: τινα, to one; passive, θεραπεύεται ὑπό τίνος, Acts 17:25.

2. to heal, cure, restore to health: Matthew 12:10; Mark 6:5; Luke 6:7; Luke 9:6; Luke 13:14; Luke 14:3; τινα, Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:7, 16, etc.; Mark 1:34; Mark 3:10; Luke 4:23; Luke 10:9; passive, John 5:10; Acts 4:14; Acts 5:16, etc.; τινα ἀπό τίνος, to cure one of any disease, Luke 7:21; passive, Luke 5:15; Luke 8:2; θεραπεύειν νόσους, μαλακίαν: Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 10:1; Mark 3:15 (R G L, Tr marginal reading in brackets); Luke 9:1; a wound, passive, Revelation 13:3, 12.

Basic Sense within Scripture

While the classical root of θεραπεύω is “to serve,” the New Testament consistently uses it for the act of curing bodily disease or demon-induced affliction. Healing is presented as an act of compassionate service that restores created wholeness and thereby foreshadows the complete redemption promised in the gospel.

Occurrences in the Earthly Ministry of Jesus Christ

From His inaugural Galilean circuit (Matthew 4:23) to the final week in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:14), Jesus “healed every disease and sickness among the people.” Mass healings (Matthew 12:15; Luke 4:40) emphasize the breadth of His authority, while individual encounters—such as the man with the withered hand (Matthew 12:10), the demon-possessed mute and blind (Matthew 12:22), and the woman long bound by the spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:14)—highlight His compassionate attention to each sufferer. In every case healing accompanies proclamation: “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:9).

Authority and Compassion Revealed

Therapeuō underscores that Christ’s miracles are never mere displays of power; they are tangible expressions of covenant mercy. Mark 6:5 notes that unbelief constrains reception of this mercy, yet even there “He laid His hands on a few sick and healed them,” showing that divine compassion persists even amidst rejection.

Healing and the Sabbath Controversies

The verb surfaces repeatedly in Sabbath settings (Matthew 12:10-15; Luke 13:14; 14:3), sharpening the conflict with religious leaders. Jesus’ question in Luke 14:3—“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”—reveals that true Sabbath rest consists in liberation from the crippling effects of the Fall. By healing on that day, He fulfills rather than violates the Sabbath.

Commissioning of Disciples

Matthew 10:1 records that Jesus “gave them authority over unclean spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Luke 9:6 testifies, “So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.” The verb thus marks apostolic ministry as a continuation of Christ’s own work, confirming the preached word with signs following (Mark 16:20).

The Early Church

Acts extends the pattern. Multitudes in Jerusalem were healed (Acts 5:16); the bedridden father of Publius on Malta was healed, leading to an island-wide outbreak of ministry (Acts 28:9). Healing remains God’s prerogative, mediated through Spirit-empowered servants for the advancement of the gospel.

Faith, Repentance, and Restoration

Although θεραπεύω emphasizes physical cure, the narratives intertwine healing with forgiveness and faith. The healed demoniac Mary Magdalene follows Jesus (Luke 8:2); the formerly lame man stands beside Peter and John as living testimony (Acts 4:14). Bodily restoration becomes a signpost toward spiritual renewal.

Counterfeit Healing in Revelation

Revelation 13:3, 12 uses the passive form (“was healed”) to describe the Beast’s deadly wound. Satanic mimicry of Christ’s resurrection aims to deceive “those who dwell on the earth,” underscoring that not all apparent healings are divine. Discernment is required lest signs without truth lead to apostasy.

Eschatological Fulfillment

All biblical healings anticipate the consummation where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). Until then, the church prays for the sick (James 5:14-16) and trusts God’s sovereign will, knowing that every genuine θεραπεύω in time is a preview of the ultimate restoration.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

1. Ministry is service: The root idea of “attending” reminds believers that healing gifts are exercised in humble service, not self-exaltation.
2. Word and deed converge: Preaching and healing operate together in Jesus’ model; compassion authenticates proclamation.
3. Hope for the whole person: Christ’s redemptive work addresses both sin and its bodily consequences, encouraging holistic pastoral care.
4. Vigilance against counterfeit signs: Revelation’s warning guards the church against chasing wonders detached from scriptural truth.

Therapeuō thus threads through the New Testament as a sign of the inaugurated Kingdom, an instrument of mercy, a validation of apostolic authority, and a pledge of the age to come when the Great Physician completes His saving work.

εθεραπευεν εθεράπευεν ἐθεράπευεν εθεραπεύετο εθεραπευθη εθεραπεύθη ἐθεραπεύθη εθεραπευθησαν εθεραπεύθησαν ἐθεραπεύθησαν εθεραπευον εθεράπευον ἐθεράπευον εθεραπευοντο εθεραπεύοντο ἐθεραπεύοντο εθεράπευσε εθεραπευσεν εθεράπευσεν ἐθεράπευσεν θεραπευει θεραπεύει θεραπευειν θεραπεύειν θεραπευεσθαι θεραπεύεσθαι θεραπευεσθε θεραπεύεσθε θεραπευεται θεραπεύεται θεραπευετε θεραπεύετε θεραπευθηναι θεραπευθήναι θεραπευθῆναι θεραπευοντες θεραπεύοντες θεράπευοντι θεραπεύουσι θεραπεῦσαι θεραπευσει θεραπεύσει θεραπευσον θεράπευσον θεραπεύσουσι θεραπευσω θεραπεύσω θεραπευων θεραπεύων τεθεραπευμεναι τεθεραπευμέναι τεθεραπευμενον τεθεραπευμένον τεθεραπευμενω τεθεραπευμένω τεθεραπευμένῳ etherapeuen etherápeuen etherapeuon etherápeuon etherapeuonto etherapeúonto etherapeusen etherápeusen etherapeuthe etherapeuthē etherapeúthe etherapeúthē etherapeuthesan etherapeuthēsan etherapeúthesan etherapeúthēsan tetherapeumenai tetherapeuménai tetherapeumeno tetherapeumenō tetherapeuménoi tetherapeuménōi tetherapeumenon tetherapeuménon therapeuei therapeúei therapeuein therapeúein therapeuesthai therapeúesthai therapeuesthe therapeúesthe therapeuetai therapeúetai therapeuete therapeúete therapeuon therapeuōn therapeúon therapeúōn therapeuontes therapeúontes therapeusai therapeûsai therapeusei therapeúsei therapeuso therapeusō therapeúso therapeúsō therapeuson therápeuson therapeuthenai therapeuthênai therapeuthēnai therapeuthē̂naiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts