Luke 14:2 "And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy." (KJV)
Luke 14:2
ESV - 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.
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❖ The Greek: hudropikos (G5203) is referred as "dropsical", a disease of the body causing swelling due to excess water and this is rendered as "dropsy" in English Bible (Luke 14:2). This is a strange disorder as the body of the patient is often very much bloated ❖ This disease is referred only once in the Bible. This is one of the unidentified sicknesses and infirmities have been healed by Jesus, as recorded in Luke 14:2. Full provision has been made by Christ to heal all physical ailments (Mt. 8:17; Jn. 10:10; Jas. 5:14-16, 1Pet. 2:24). Jesus went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on Sabbath day. This could have been any one of the Sanhedrin or the rulers of the Jews (cp. Jn. 3:1; 19:38). And every one was maliciously watching Him as this man was brought to the dinner, with the obvious ailment, so Jesus would be tempted to heal him. It worked, and Jesus did heal him. It was the Sabbath day, and no work was to be done on the Sabbath, not even so much as to light a candle, according to the Pharisees. They wanted to see if Jesus heal him on Sabbath. ❖ Jesus healed him instantly and immediately and let him go(Lk. 12:4). This healing could be seen for the swelling would immediately go down. Immediate healings are all that Jesus did. There is no record of a gradual healing like the ones modern men talk about to excuse their powerlessness and unbelief. One or two minor references are always used such as Christ laying hands on the blind man twice (Mk. 8:23-25), and the boy who began "to amend" (Jn. 4:51-52). In both of these cases the healing was immediate, for it does not take long to lay hands on a man twice; and the fever left the boy at a certain hour. If men get healings this quickly they need not call them gradual.
"Dropsy" is a term formerly used for edema or swelling. It is actually a contraction of "hydropsy", referring to the accumulation of water in body tissues, leading to their increasing in size. (The New Living Translation paraphrase of the cited verse on the biblehub.com website states specifically that the man in question had swollen arms and legs.) (I find it interesting that this information is provided only in the gospel of Luke, perhaps indicating Luke's knowledge of or interest in this condition as a physician (Colossians 4:14).)
14:2 suffering from edema Refers to a condition in which fluid accumulation in connective tissues or bodily cavities causes swelling and inhibits circulation. FSB The condition called dropsy entails swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs. MSG "Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints." Dr. Charles Rryie in his The Miracles of Our Lord says that "dropsy, or edema, is an abnormal accumulation of watery fluid in the body which is symptomatic of a deeper and more serious problem. The fluid collects in the tissues and cavities of the body, such as the abdomen or legs and feet, and often is the result of cardiac, renal, or hepatic diseases." And then Ryrie adds, "When the man was healed, he undoubtedly was relieved not only of the swelling caused by the fluid but also of the disease that produced it."
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