Dropsy

At a Glance

Older term for edema or fluid swelling.

Key Points

• Appears in Luke 14:2
• identifies a sick man at a Pharisee's house
• not a doctrine, but part of a healing narrative.

Description

Dropsy is an older English medical term for bodily swelling caused by abnormal fluid retention, roughly corresponding to what would now be called edema. In Luke 14:2 the condition identifies the man Jesus healed at a Pharisee's house on the Sabbath. The passage offers no technical diagnosis, but it clearly presents a real physical affliction within a teaching moment about mercy and lawful Sabbath action.

Biblical Context

In Luke 14:1-6 Jesus is invited to dine with Pharisees, where he heals a man with dropsy and then defends doing good on the Sabbath. The scene illustrates both Jesus' authority and his concern for mercy.

Historical Context

In older English Bible usage, dropsy was a common medical term for visible swelling from fluid buildup. Modern readers usually understand it as a description of symptoms rather than a precise diagnosis.

Jewish and Ancient Context

In Second Temple Jewish settings, illness was often observed in concrete bodily terms rather than modern clinical categories. The narrative focus is not on the cause of the illness but on Jesus' response to human need within Sabbath controversy.

Primary Key Texts

• Luke 14:2

Secondary Key Texts

• Luke 14:1-6

Original Language Note

Luke 14:2 uses the Greek term ὑδρωπικός (hydrōpikos), meaning dropsical or afflicted with fluid swelling.

Theological Significance

The entry matters because the healing occurs in a Sabbath controversy, showing that mercy and restoration accord with God's law and with Jesus' authority.

Philosophical Explanation

The term is descriptive, not doctrinal. It refers to a bodily condition and should be read as a narrative detail rather than as a symbol requiring allegorical expansion.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not over-specify the medical diagnosis beyond the biblical description. Do not build theological claims on the illness itself; the text's emphasis is on Jesus' healing and the Sabbath setting.

Major Views

There is little interpretive dispute about the term's sense; differences are mainly translational and medical, not doctrinal.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Dropsy is not a theological doctrine. The doctrinal issue in Luke 14 is the proper use of the Sabbath and the legitimacy of doing good.

Practical Significance

The entry reminds readers that Jesus sees physical suffering and responds with mercy; Christians should likewise value compassion and relief of need.

Related Entries

• Sabbath
• Healing
• Miracles of Jesus
• Pharisees

See Also

• Edema
• Disease
• Luke 14