← G3552 G3554 →

νόσημα

nósēma

G3553 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A sickness or disease; a specific condition of illness or affliction affecting humans or animals. The term denotes a concrete manifestation of illness, rather than a general state of unhealthiness. In various contexts, it can refer to sickness in a medical, physical, or occasionally metaphorical sense, indicating a source of suffering or affliction.

Semantic Range

disease, illness, sickness, affliction, specific sickness, malady, morbid condition

Root / Etymology

Derived from the verb νοσέω ('to be ill, to be diseased'), with the nominal suffix -μα denoting the result or manifestation of an action, thus meaning 'that which is disease' or 'a diseased condition.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, νόσημα appears in medical, philosophical, and literary texts to refer to specific sicknesses or diseases, as opposed to general poor health (e.g., μαλακία or ἀσθένεια). The term emphasizes the concrete or observable character of a disease, whether acute or chronic. In Koine Greek, including the Septuagint and New Testament, νόσημα is rare and tends to denote an actual affliction or malady. English translations sometimes render it simply as 'disease,' but the Greek can imply a particular or diagnosed disease, distinguished from broader terms for weakness or infirmity. Notably, the word is not among the primary vocabulary for 'suffering' or 'affliction' and stands apart from terms expressing spiritual, ritual, or generic misfortune. Related terms include νόσος ('disease'), which often overlaps in meaning, though νόσημα can more specifically indicate the result or outcome of sickness. The word appears infrequently in the canonical New Testament, more often in medical or descriptive contexts in Hellenistic and later Greek literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from νοσέω; an ailment:--disease.

Root Family

νόσημα (nosēma) — disease, sickness, malady, morbid condition

Root νοσ- to be ill, to suffer disease

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3553-01 νοσήματι nosemati N DAT N SG with disease to a sickness to a sickness 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3553-01 John 5:4 νοσήματι nosemati N DAT N SG with disease to a sickness to a sickness
← G3552 Greek Lexicon G3554 →