Diseases/Conditions

Many people in the Bible suffered from illness or other conditions. Those mentioned in The Action Bible include the following:

Blindness. Inability to see. Some blindness was caused by eye infections while some people were born blind. Moses gave special instructions to provide for the blind and the deaf. Jesus healed several blind people. Sometimes blindness is used as a word picture of a person who refuses to see what God wants him to do. Jesus spoke of the Pharisees as “blind guides.” Peoples like the Philistines and Amalekites often blinded the captives they took in war. The Philistines blinded Samson when Samson was captured.

Boils. Swellings of the skin caused by different diseases. Job’s boils may have been smallpox. The boils of the cattle (one of the plagues on Egypt) may have been anthrax. Hezekiah’s boil might have been a carbuncle—a painful swelling. The prophet Isaiah prescribed a fig poultice for his boil.

Leprosy. A skin disease known as Hansen’s disease today. In Bible times, a number of skin diseases were called leprosy. The Old Testament book of Leviticus provides instructions for people dealing with skin diseases. Leprosy could be crippling. Some lepers lost fingers and toes. Since a form of leprosy was contagious, lepers were ordered to stay away from other people for a certain amount of time until signs of healing could be seen. They also were ordered to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn other people they were about to pass on the road.

Paralysis. An inability to move the muscles in a part of the body. The paralysis may have been due to polio, birth injuries, or other illnesses.

Plagues. Any serious epidemic among a group of people. God sometimes allowed a plague among people who rebelled as a consequence for their disobedience. The plague in 1 Samuel 5–6 might have been bubonic plague. Bubonic plague causes high fever, swelling, and swift death. It is usually spread by rats.

Sores. Infections on the skin, often developing around wounds or bruises that become infected. Lazarus had sores.

Withered Hand. A form of paralysis that affected the hand only. It may have been caused by polio. Withered hand is mentioned in Matthew 12:9–14.

Worms. Worms caused the death of Herod Agrippa. They were probably roundworms. These worms form a tight ball and block the intestine, causing death.