What is a 'spirit of infirmity'?

[HawkBlue27]

Luke 13:10-13
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

What does it mean when the text says 'spirit of infirmity'? I looked in a couple of other versions like the ESV for example and it said things like "disabling spirit". So what does it mean? Does it mean the woman here was possessed? Or something else like she was just crippled?

Thanks.

 

[Philpy1976]

I have always taken it to mean that she was crippled.

When God created the Earth it was good, 100% good, there was no death, no illness, no crippling disease. Sin brought those things into the equation and so they are still associated with that sin.

They are bad and Jesus defeated them.

 

[A New Day]

that spirit of infirmity is understood after that in a few verses:

Luke 13:16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

 

[sdowney717]

I always think she was oppressed of the devil, not possessed.
The difference is a matter of degree.

There were many evil spirits inhabiting people in that time and place which you read about Jesus casting out frequently. Being around Jesus also stirred up these evil spirits and made it real obvious to those around them. Evil spirits were also in children, as in the story of the boy whose father said it would throw the kid into the fire.

17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. 22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

Today psychiatric drugs are used, which if the person is really possessed, I think the drugs just mask it somewhat, (you ever see someone so doped up on zyprexa there drooling and look empty?), but nothing has changed, people are still possessed and oppressed by evil spirits which modern medicine will never admit exist. And people can be mental cases without evil spirits getting involved.

Most people will never want today to admit to thinking their child is possessed by a spirit. And if the person is, and you suggest so, will suddenly get very angry with you. Such is life with modern medicines deceiving the simple minded into thinking modern medicine and enough money or government support cures everything.

 

[Philpy1976]

You know, an awful lot of the illnesses and diseases we see today are born of sin too.

Artificial food additives, sweeteners and chemicals are added to food, despite the knowledge that they are extremely harmful, yet they are 'approved'. Money is the deciding factor. The fact that cancers and other illnesses arise is not a problem to them because guess what? There is money to be made there too (Big Pharma).

 

[Inkachu]

Luke 13:10-13
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

What does it mean when the text says 'spirit of infirmity'? I looked in a couple of other versions like the ESV for example and it said things like "disabling spirit". So what does it mean? Does it mean the woman here was possessed? Or something else like she was just crippled?

Thanks.

Since it specifically says "spirit", that hints to me that it was an actual spiritual oppression, not just a physical ailment.

 

[parsley]

Notice that Jesus did not say this of every person He healed.

An unusual thing struck me in looking this up... the word "spirit" was not demon, but pneuma, which is more like a human soul/spirit. It is the same word used for Holy Spirit.

Search for: Luke 13:11 - Strong's Interlinear Bible Search - Reference Desk - StudyLight.org

What she had used the word, "want of strength, weakness, infirmity "
Current medical topics show how fibromyalgia impacts the whole person. Many fibro patients were also victims of physical or emotional abuse. They were worn down to a point that the body lost its ability to repair itself.

Depression can do similar things to people -- deplete them of the ability to pull themselves out of it. Substance addictions can be that way. Low seratonin, low ambition, slow healing.

There are mind-body connections in most diseases. Schizophrenia and psychoses can appear consuming.

(Apologies for all the loose medical conclusions formed-- it is to describe the situation.)

So while I agree there can be spiritual oppression in the supernatural sense, this was not a situation like the man who needed to be fettered in chains. People debate whether demonic possession is possible in a Christian; here is an example where there was clearly something oppressing her (chemical, spiritual, supernatural, physical), but Jesus did not say that it possessed her. It caused her long-term suffering and altered her spinal position.

 

[Philpy1976]

Very interesting.

I suffer from Chronic fatigue syndrome, which is closely linked to fibro.
Perhaps I was meant to see this and to look into it more...