ὑγιής (hugiēs)
hugiēs
healthy
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek adjective hugiēs describes someone who is sound, whole, or healthy in body. It appears fourteen times in the New Testament, often in narratives where physical healing restores a person to wholeness. For instance, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand so that it becomes "sound" again (Matthew 12:13), and Peter declares that the lame man stands before them "healthy" (Acts 4:10). The word emphasizes complete restoration rather than mere absence of pain.
Its root relates to the concept of safety or well-being, sharing a connection with the English word "hygiene." While primarily used for physical health in the Gospels and Acts, it carries a metaphorical weight in Titus 2:8, where Paul urges that teaching should be "sound" (hugiēs). Here, the term shifts from bodily integrity to doctrinal stability, suggesting that true health involves both physical wholeness and truthful instruction.
Translators typically render hugiēs as "healthy," "whole," or "sound." The nuance lies in the idea of functional integrity. A healthy limb works properly; sound teaching holds together without error. This dual usage highlights how biblical language often links physical restoration with spiritual truth, presenting health as a state of being fully aligned with God’s design.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word hugiēs points to a state of being whole and functional. In the Gospels, we see Jesus restoring people not just to pain-free existence, but to full capability. When He heals the man with the withered hand, the limb is restored so it works just like the other (Mark 3:5). This shows that God’s care includes our physical integrity and our ability to serve.
Paul later uses this same concept for our teaching and speech in Titus 2:8. He urges believers to maintain "sound" doctrine. Just as a healthy body functions without defect, sound teaching holds together without error. This connection reminds us that spiritual health and physical wholeness are both part of God’s design for us.
Whether we are seeking healing for our bodies or stability in our faith, this word encourages us to look for complete restoration. It is a reminder that God wants us to be fully aligned with His purpose, working well in every area of life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- sound4×
- well3×
- healthy2×
- well.1×
- well,1×
- sound.1×
- sound,1×
- restored,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ὑγιὴς8×
- ὑγιῆ,2×
- ὑγιῆ.1×
- ὑγιῆ1×
- ὑγιής.1×
- ὑγιεῖς,1×
Key Verses
-
Mark 3:5
When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other.
This verse explicitly uses the word to describe the hand being restored to its original, functional state, emphasizing physical wholeness.
-
Titus 2:8
and soundness of speech that can’t be condemned, that he who opposes you may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us.
Here the term shifts from physical health to doctrinal stability, showing that sound teaching must be intact and without error.
-
Acts 4:10
may it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands here before you whole in him.
Peter declares the healed man stands before them "whole" in Jesus, linking the physical miracle directly to the power of Christ's name.