Short answer: We are healed by Jesus’ wounds
by His suffering and death paying the penalty for our sins,
removing the barrier between us and God and restoring us
spiritually. The “healing” in
Isaiah 53:4,5 and 1 Peter 2:24 refers to spiritual
healing—the forgiveness of sin and the restoration of
righteousness—though physical healing ultimately flows from
His atonement and will be fully realized in the resurrection. This
is one of the most important Old Testament → New Testament
connections in the entire Bible.
Should we expect from Jesus' crucifixion a
miraculous body healing by miracle working preachers?
There is nothing in the prophetic text that requires an expectation
of a connection to a miracle worker. It is acknowledged, however,
that Christians are commanded to call for elders to pray for the
sick in James 5:14. And the evangelist Philip performed what was
referred to as miraculous healing for signs
before the public. “The
crowds…heard and saw the signs which he did. For unclean
spirits…came out… and many who were paralyzed or lame
were healed.” —Acts
8:6–7 . And the apostles healed to confirm the message;
Mark 16.20, “And
they went forth, and preached every where, the
Lord working with
them,
and confirming the word with
signs following.”
A.
What the language “healed
by His wounds”
actually means.
Hebrew
and Greek words
behind the phrase “by
His
wounds we are healed.”
These words are rich, precise, and deeply theological. The
word “healed” (Hebrew rapha,
Greek iaomai)
can
mean either physical or spiritual healing.
But the
context
determines the
meaning. In
both
Isaiah
and Peter's
passages, the
context is:
a. sin
b. righteousness
c. atonement
d. reconciliation with God
In
1 Peter 2:24, Peter
quotes Isaiah but uses Greek words of the LXX that sharpen the meaning.
“Wounds”
Hebrew— חַבּוּרָה
(chabburáh)**. More
than just the crucifixion on the cross then. His beatings also.
A stripe,
bruise, welt, or wound caused by blows. Often used for the marks
left by whipping. Jesus was subjected to this.
The
sense then in Isaiah: The Servant is beaten so severely and His
bruises become the means of our healing.
Related Hebrew uses:
This
is physical, violent injury—not metaphorical.
3. “Wounds” Greek— μώλωπι
(mólōpi)** -- 1
Peter 2:24 - the exact Greek words the LXX uses
**μώλωψ (mólōps)
— “bruise, welt, stripe”
The
Jewish LXX translators chose a word that emphasizes violent
traumatic physical injury.
Meaning:
“A
bruise, welt, stripe”; a raised bruise
caused by blows
Specifically
the mark left by a whip or rod.
Important:
This is the same word used in Greek medical writings for
traumatic
injury.
Therefore, the prediction is speaking of the traumatic beatings
of Jesus.
Peter is
saying: “The
literal bruises on Jesus’ body are the means of our
healing.” And Jesus suffered terrific beatings from
Pilate before His crucifixion.
4.
“Healed” in Hebrew— רָפָא
(rapha)**
Meaning:
-
To heal,
restore, make whole
Used for
both physical
and spiritual
healing
Key nuance:
In Isaiah 53, the context is sin,
not sickness.
So rapha
here means spiritual
restoration—the
healing of our relationship with God.
Examples of rapha
used spiritually:
5. “Healed” in
Greek
—
ἰάθημεν (iáthēmen)**
— “we were healed”**
Aorist passive
of ἰάομαι
Means “to heal, cure, restore”
Used for physical and
spiritual healing
The LXX keeps the same
dual-meaning flexibility as the Hebrew rapha.
Meaning:
But
in 1 Peter 2:24:
The context is sin,
not physical sickness:
“He
bore our sins…”
“That
we might live to righteousness…”
“By
His wounds you were healed…”So
iaomai
here means: You
were spiritually healed — forgiven, restored, made righteous.
6.
A simple
way to say it
Hebrew:
chabburáh
= His bruises
rapha
= healed/restored
Greek:
mólōpi
= His stripes
iaomai
= healed/made whole
Meaning:
His
physical wounds bring our spiritual healing.
7.
Why Peter quotes the LXX almost word-for-word
1 Peter 2:24
says:
τοῦ οποίου
τῷ μώλωπι ἰάθητε
“By whose bruise you were healed.”
Peter:
keeps μώλωψ
(bruise/stripe)
keeps ἰάομαι
(heal)
keeps the aorist (completed
action)
applies it directly to Christ’s
crucifixion
Peter is
intentionally saying:
“The
Servant of Isaiah 53 is Jesus, and His literal wounds are the means
of your spiritual healing.”
B. The
primary application then is our
spiritual
healing—the
healing of our relationship with God.
1. The context of these passages is sin.
Both Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24 explicitly connect Jesus’
wounds to our transgressions, iniquities, and sins.
Peter says: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the
tree… by His wounds you have been healed.” —
1 Peter 2:24
The
healing is tied to sin-bearing, not physical
disease-bearing.
2. Jesus’ physical wounds are the means of atonement
Isaiah says:
He was pierced
for our transgressions
He was crushed for our iniquities
His punishment brings us peace
By His wounds we are healed
This is sacrificial,
substitutionary language. Jesus’ wounds are the instrument
by which sin is judged and removed.
3. Spiritual healing now, physical healing ultimately
The atonement could include physical
healing—but not in any immediate sense.
Spiritual
healing is guaranteed now (forgiveness, new birth,
righteousness).
Physical healing is promised
ultimately in the resurrection, when all sickness
and death are destroyed.
This aligns with the New Testament’s teaching that Christ’s
work restores the whole person, but in stages.
4. His wounds spiritually satisfy God’s
justice
Sin demands judgment.
Jesus takes that judgment in His body.
5. His wounds remove sin’s penalty
We are no longer condemned.
6. His wounds break sin’s power
Peter says the result is that we “die
to sin and live
to righteousness.”
7. His wounds restore us to God
This is the deepest healing—reconciliation.
C. SUMMARY.
**Both Isaiah and Peter use words
that can mean physical healing,
but the
context makes the meaning
unmistakably
spiritual.**
Physical healing is included in the ultimate
effects of the eternal atonement, but not the primary meaning
of these verses.
We are spiritually healed by His wounds because His
suffering paid for our sins and restored us to God. The LXX version
of Isaiah 53 intensifies the physical suffering of the Servant and
makes the healing effect of His wounds even more explicit. Peter
quotes this version because it perfectly expresses the atoning work
of Christ: His literal bruises bring our spiritual healing.
