גָּהָה (ga.hah)
ga.hah
to cure
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb gaḥah appears only once in the Old Testament, in Hosea 5:13. Its core meaning is "to depart," but it is used metaphorically to describe a wound or injury leaving the body. In this specific context, it means to be cured or healed as the damage moves away from the person.
This usage highlights a vivid image of healing not as an addition of new strength, but as the removal of harm. The prophet uses it to describe Israel’s futile attempt to seek help from Assyria when their political and spiritual wounds were too deep for foreign alliances to fix. The word suggests that true restoration requires the source of the injury to depart completely.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word gaḥah paints a vivid picture of healing as the departure of harm rather than the arrival of new strength. In Hosea 5:13, Israel tries to fix deep spiritual wounds by seeking help from Assyria, but the prophet shows that foreign alliances cannot remove the damage caused by their own choices. True restoration requires the source of injury to leave completely.
This reminds us that some struggles cannot be solved by human strategies or political maneuvering. When we face sickness or brokenness in our lives, it is natural to look for external fixes. Yet this word invites us to recognize that lasting peace comes when the root of our pain is fully removed, something only God can accomplish.
May you find comfort in knowing that He alone deals with the deepest wounds of the heart. His healing is complete, not partial. Rest in His power to remove what harms you and restore what was lost.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- it will depart1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יִגְהֶ֥ה1×
Key Verses
-
Hosea 5:13
“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to King Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.
This verse uses gaḥah to show that Assyria could not cure Israel's wound because the injury required a removal of harm that foreign powers could not provide.