3553. noséma
Lexical Summary
noséma: Disease, Sickness

Original Word: νόσημα
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: noséma
Pronunciation: no-SAY-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (nos'-ay-ma)
KJV: disease
NASB: disease
Word Origin: [from G3552 (νοσέω - has a morbid interest)]

1. an ailment

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
disease.

From noseo; an ailment -- disease.

see GREEK noseo

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 3553 nósēma (a neuter noun derived from 3554 /nósos, "a chronic illness") – a disease (sickness) viewed in terms of its results (especially mental torment).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from noseó
Definition
sickness
NASB Translation
disease (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3553: νόσημα

νόσημα, νοσηματος, τό, disease, sickness: John 5:4 Rec. Lachmann (Tragg., Aristophanes, Thucydides, Xenophon, Plato, and following.)

Topical Lexicon
Occurrence in Scripture

Strong’s 3553 appears only once in the Greek New Testament, in the textual tradition of John 5:4. There the word describes the physical maladies that were supernaturally cured at the Pool of Bethesda: “From time to time an angel of the Lord went down into the pool and stirred up the water. Then the first one to enter after the water was stirred was healed of whatever disease he had” (John 5:4).

Context at the Pool of Bethesda

The verse situates νόσημα within a narrative that contrasts human incapacity and divine intervention. Crowds of invalids lay by the pool, illustrating Israel’s wider condition of spiritual and physical helplessness. The stirring of the waters testifies that relief came only by God’s initiative; no human method or medicinal skill is mentioned. Thus νόσημα functions as the backdrop against which the gracious power of God is displayed, preparing the reader for the direct healing authority Jesus will reveal in John 5:6–9.

Interplay with Angelic Agency

The ministry of an angel underscores that even created heavenly beings are deployed in God’s ongoing care for His people (Hebrews 1:14). While Scripture never presents angels as autonomous healers, it does portray them as instruments through which God may convey mercy. The presence of νόσημα in this context reminds believers that sickness falls under the sovereignty of God, who may choose various means—natural or supernatural—to accomplish His purposes.

Divine Compassion Toward the Sick

Throughout both Testaments, disease is neither ignored nor trivialized. God hears the cry of the afflicted (Exodus 15:26; Psalm 103:3) and ultimately sends His Son who “went throughout all Galilee…healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23–24). The single New Testament usage of νόσημα therefore resonates with a broader Scriptural theme: the Lord’s heart to restore shattered bodies as a sign of His kingdom (Luke 9:2).

Foreshadowing of Christ’s Messianic Ministry

The pool episode sets the stage for Jesus’ own healing on the Sabbath. By healing a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years, Christ demonstrates that His word, not the water, is ultimate. The solitary appearance of νόσημα is thus strategically placed: human hopes tied to a periodic, uncertain miracle are supplanted by the incarnate Word who heals with immediate authority. This anticipates the messianic prophecy, “Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).

Historical and Cultural Background

In first-century Judea, persistent illness could lead to social marginalization, poverty, and ceremonial uncleanness. Public pools served not only hygienic but also therapeutic roles. Hellenistic culture attributed healing properties to certain springs, while Jewish tradition acknowledged that God might endow specific locations with curative grace (2 Kings 5:10–14). John 5:4 therefore reflects an intersection of commonly held expectations and biblical theology: physical healing, whenever granted, ultimately traces back to the Lord.

Pastoral and Practical Applications

1. Compassionate Ministry: The presence of νόσημα calls Christ-followers to imitate their Lord by caring for the sick through prayer, visitation, and tangible support (James 5:14; Matthew 25:36).
2. Sovereignty and Means: While God may heal instantaneously, He also works through medical science, which should be received with gratitude and discernment.
3. Eschatological Hope: Physical healing in this age is a signpost pointing to the total restoration promised in the resurrection (Revelation 21:4). Even when healing is withheld, believers rest in God’s sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Related Concepts in Scripture

• νόσος (“disease”) – frequent in the Gospels (Luke 7:21).
• ἀσθένεια (“weakness”) – captures both physical and spiritual frailty (Romans 8:26).
• ἴασις (“healing”) – divine act of restoration (Acts 4:22).

Summary

Though Strong’s 3553 appears only once, its placement in John 5:4 contributes richly to Johannine theology and the biblical portrait of God’s redemptive concern for human sickness. νόσημα highlights the misery of fallen humanity, the mediating role of angels, and—above all—the supremacy of Christ, whose word accomplishes what stirring waters only symbolized.

Forms and Transliterations
νοσηματι νοσήματι nosemati nosēmati nosḗmati
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
John 5:4 Noun-DNS
GRK: δήποτε κατειχετο νοσήματι
KJV: of whatsoever disease he had.
INT: at the time he was held by disease

Strong's Greek 3553
1 Occurrence


νοσήματι — 1 Occ.

3552
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