Big Healing Book - Thayer’s Greek Lexicon Says That the Word for “Healed”

Objection: Thayer’s Greek Lexicon Says That the Word for “Healed” in 1 Peter 2:24 Means “to Bring About (One’s) Salvation”

Thayer is no good reason to believe this!

While Joseph Henry Thayer’s reference book is used in many seminaries and on many websites today, most if not all modern copies have a warning from the publisher that Thayer was a Unitarian (by definition an unbeliever) whose heretical views colored some of his entries. Thayer sometimes allowed his preconceived ideas to determine his meaning of Greek words without a careful comparison to the rest of the Greek text. 1 Peter 2:24 is one example of this, as is his entry for Paul’s “thorn” where, without any reasonable support from the Greek itself, he says that it refers to a bodily ailment. Thayer’s stated definition of thorn in 2 Corinthians 12:7 is correct as far as it meaning a sharp object and he would have been fine if had stopped there. However, he then adds his own unbiblical opinion that it “appears to indicate some constant bodily ailment or infirmity, which, even when Paul had been caught up in a trance to the third heaven, sternly admonished him that he still dwelt in a frail and mortal body.”

Thayer is also known for his published lecture against the inerrancy of Scripture. So this is a man whose writings you want to take with a grain of salt, if not a whole box of salt!

Even if he was right in many cases, that alone doesn’t prove that his lexicon is inerrant. Plenty of verses may be translated correctly in the Watchtower Bible, but I won’t run out and buy one because I know that it contains deliberate cultish distortions that fit the error of the group that publishes it.

First, as a theological point, “stripes” do not bring about remission of sin; only shed innocent blood does (Hebrews 9:22), so Thayer’s definition has to be wrong – Jesus’ stripes did NOT bring about your salvation. They purchased healing for your body, but that act alone would not have saved you from the lake of fire.

Second, as we shall see, the objector mentions Thayer’s completely made-up definition but does not credit him with other definitions of the same word that are on target. Thayer agreed that the word referred to healing in many other passages. The objector is making a desperate attempt to grasp at straws.

Third, it would be useful to look at other places in Scripture where the same Greek word for healed (iaomai) is used, and see if Thayer’s definition of “healed” in 1 Peter 2:24 in particular make sense. Thayer states correctly that it means “to heal, cure” in a variety of other verses, but for some reason he states that it means “bring about (one’s) salvation” in 1 Peter 2:24. Let’s substitute Thayer’s definition for the word “healed” in some of the many such verses where iaomai was translated and see whether it could apply to what is typically described as salvation in any of them.

“And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let its salvation be brought about.” – Hebrews 12:13

“And He came down with them, and stood in the plain, with the company of His disciples and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear Him and to have their salvation brought about of their diseases.” – Luke 6:17

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that your salvation may be brought about. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” – James 5:16

“And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that her salvation had been brought about of that plague.” – Mark 5:29

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present to bring about their salvation.” – Luke 5:17

“And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant had his salvation brought about in the selfsame hour.” – Matthew 8:13

“And the whole multitude sought to touch him; for there went virtue out of him, and brought about the salvation of them all.” – Luke 6:19

“And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God, and to bring about the salvation of the sick.” – Luke 9:2

“And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the Kingdom of God, and brought about the salvation of those who needed healing.” – Luke 9:11

“And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and brought about the salvation of the child, and delivered him again to his father.” – Luke 9:42

“And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear [the one that Peter had just chopped off with a sword], and brought about his salvation.” – Luke 22:51

“And it same to pass, that the father of Publius father lay sick of a fever and a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and brought about his salvation.” – Acts 28:8

We see that Thayer’s suggested meaning of iaomai does not fit the general use of the word elsewhere, so he has no basis other than his own presupposition to claim that his different meaning applies to 1 Peter 2:24.

If you believe (as Thayer did) that Scripture has errors, you might not mind making the substitutions above. If, however, you believe that the Word is error-free and consistent with itself, you would have to admit that the word iaomai obviously refers to healing, not to being saved from sin. It is lamentable that despite his extensive Greek research, much of which I assume is valid as far as the language goes, Thayer’s understanding of Scripture wasn’t even good enough to bring about his own salvation! He never had the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit; his work was solely that of his own intellect.

I am not saying that Thayer thought iaomai should have been translated in the manner above in those other Scriptures; he acknowledged that it DID refer to a cure or healing in those cases. I provided the pseudo-scriptures above just to demonstrate that “to bring about (one’s) salvation” never works as an alternative working definition of iaomai anywhere else, so Thayer had no legitimate basis for using that definition within 1 Peter 2:24.

Seeing as the objector brought up Thayer, Thayer’s own entire definition reads like this: “1) to cure, heal 2) to make whole 2a) to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation.” So even Thayer had to admit that the main meaning of iaomai had to do with healing and being whole even though 2a) is just something Thayer made up to fit his theology. I think it is safe to say that ANY Greek reference work out there will confirm that the word iaomai has to do with healing. It is purely Thayer’s speculation that iaomai could ever mean “to bring about (one’s) salvation” – because it is NEVER actually translated that way! (At least it isn’t in the KJV. If you are using a modern paraphrase to do your word studies, you are already in trouble, as the author’s opinions are already baked into the verses.) He read that erroneous idea into the Word. The same could be said for the New Testament quotations of Isaiah 6:10, where he also claimed that the word only had to do with “salvation” instead of healing. (This point is handled in a separate objection reply.)

Don’t take other people’s word for things – even mine! Be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and do your own research when you hear claims such as Thayer’s rendering of iaomai in 1 Peter 2:24. Then you’ll know the facts for yourself rather than taking a man’s word for something.

For starters, you can check out the “Healed” Defined section of this book.