The term identifies the ankle joint, the pivotal structure that transfers the weight of the entire body to the feet. In biblical thought, sound ankles signify readiness to stand, walk, and serve, whereas weakened or crushed ankles symbolize helplessness and exclusion from normal community life (2 Samuel 5:6-8; Jeremiah 31:8).

Acts 3:7 and Apostolic Witness

“And Peter took him by the right hand and helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles became strong” (Acts 3:7). This lone New Testament occurrence stands at a strategic moment: Peter’s first recorded miracle after Pentecost. The instant strengthening of the ankles certified several truths:
• The risen Jesus was continuing His works through His apostles (Acts 3:16).
• The gospel’s power reached beyond spiritual forgiveness to visible, bodily renewal, prefiguring final resurrection (Romans 8:23).
• The miracle authenticated the message Peter immediately proclaimed in Solomon’s Colonnade (Acts 3:12-26).

Symbolic Significance of Strengthened Ankles

1. Restoration of stability – The man moved from lifelong instability to standing “leaping up” (Acts 3:8). Stable ankles became a sign of the new footing the gospel gives (Psalm 40:2).
2. Readiness for worship – He “entered the temple courts with them, walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). Healthy ankles allowed participation in corporate worship, echoing Isaiah 35:6: “Then the lame will leap like a deer.”
3. Prophetic fulfillment – The scene recalls the promise that Messiah’s age would be marked by the lame healed (Luke 7:22).

Old Testament Anticipations

• Genesis 32:25-31 records Jacob’s hip disabled, contrasting with the lame man whose joints were restored; both events mark divine encounters.
• Ezekiel 47:3-5 uses “ankle-deep” water to picture progressive life flowing from the temple, hinting that healing power would issue from God’s presence.
• Proverbs 4:26 urges, “Make a level path for your feet,” associating moral direction with firm steps.

Christ’s Continuing Ministry Through the Church

The Spirit-empowered church, by invoking Jesus’ name, channels divine authority into tangible aid for human weakness. Acts 3 shows the pattern: compassionate contact (“took him by the right hand”), proclamation of Christ, and community integration (“all the people saw him walking,” Acts 3:9). The healed ankles underline that believers are commissioned to engage broken lives, not merely to announce a message.

Application for Ministry Today

• Offer both word and deed: present Christ’s saving message while addressing physical and social needs (James 2:15-17).
• Expect completeness: the gospel aims at holistic restoration—spiritual, emotional, and bodily.
• Invite worship: every act of divine healing should culminate in praise, drawing attention to God rather than the human instrument (Acts 3:12).
• Anticipate eschatological hope: each healed ankle foreshadows the day when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

Thus Strong’s Greek 4974, though appearing only once, anchors a pivotal narrative that illustrates the transforming reach of the risen Christ from the first century to the present.