A1. Weak, Weakened, Weaker, Weakness [Adjective] asthenes lit.

, "strengthless" (see IMPOTENT), is

translated "weak,"
(a) of physical "weakness," Matt 26:41; Mark 14:38; 1 Cor 1:27; 1 Cor 4:10; 1 Cor 11:30 (a judgment
upon spiritual laxity in a church); 2 Cor 10:10; 1 Pet 3:7 (comparative degree);
(b) in the spiritual sense, said of the rudiments of Jewish religion, in their inability to justify anyone, Gal
4:9; of the Law, Heb 7:18; in Rom 5:6, RV, "weak" (AV, "without strength"), of the inability of man to
accomplish his salvation;
(c) morally or ethically, 1 Cor 8:7,10; 1 Cor 9:22;
(d) rhetorically, of God's actions according to the human estimate, 1 Cor 1:25, "weakness," lit., "the
weak things of God." See FEEBLE, SICK.

Infirmity astheneia lit., "want of strength" (a, negative, sthenos, "strength"), "weakness," indicating
inability to produce results, is most frequently translated "infirmity," or "infirmities;" in Rom 8:26, the
RV has "infirmity" (AV, "infirmities"); in 2 Cor 12:5,9,10, "weaknesses" and in 2 Cor 11:30, "weakness"
(AV, "infirmities"); in Luke 13:11 the phrase "a spirit of infirmity" attributes her curvature directly to
satanic agency. The connected phraseology is indicative of trained medical knowledge on the part of the
writer.

Strong's #769: astheneia (pronounced as-then'-i-ah)

from 772; feebleness (of mind or body); by implication, malady; morally, frailty:--disease, infirmity,
sickness, weakness.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon:

̓́

astheneia
1) want of strength, weakness, infirmity

1a) of the body

1a1) its native weakness and frailty

1a2) feebleness of health or sickness

1b) of the soul

1b1) want of strength and capacity requisite

1b1a) to understand a thing

1b1b) to do things great and glorious

1b1c) to restrain corrupt desires

1b1d) to bear trials and troubles

Part of Speech: noun feminine

Relation: from G772

Citing in TDNT: 1:490, 83

Usage:

This word is used 24 times:

Matthew 8:17: "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."

Luke 5:15: "by him of their infirmities."

Luke 8:2: "evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of"

Luke 13:11: "a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years,"

Luke 13:12: "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity."

John 5:5: "there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years."

John 11:4: "heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death,"

Acts 28:9: "others also, which had diseases in the island, came,"

Romans 6:19: "after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as"

Romans 8:26: "also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what"

1 Corinthians 2:3: "with you in weakness, and in fear, and"

1 Corinthians 15:43: "glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:"

2 Corinthians 11:30: "I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities."

2 Corinthians 12:5: "but in mine infirmities."

2 Corinthians 12:9: "strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory"

2 Corinthians 12:9: "glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ"

2 Corinthians 12:10: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities,"

2 Corinthians 13:4: "though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by"

Galatians 4:13: "know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you"

1 Timothy 5:23: "for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."

Hebrews 4:15: "which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points"

Hebrews 5:2: "he himself also is compassed with infirmity."

Hebrews 7:28: "men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the"

Hebrews 11:34: "the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in"

Original Word: ἀσθενής, ές

Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: asthenés
Phonetic Spelling: (as-then-ace')
Short Definition: weak, infirm, sick
Definition: (lit: not strong), (a) weak (physically, or morally), (b) infirm, sick.

HELPS Word-studies

772 asthenḗs (an adjective, derived from 1 /A "without" and sthenos, "vigor, strength") – properly,
without vigor, living in a state of weakness(depletion). 722 (arotrióō) refers to a lack of necessary
resources ("insufficient") – literally, "without adequate strength" and hence "frail, feeble (sickly)."

a. universally: Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; 1 Peter 3:7; τό ἀσθενέςτοῦ Θεοῦ, the act of God in which
weakness seems to appear, viz. that the suffering of the cross should be borne by the Messiah, 1
Corinthians 1:25.

b. specifically: contextually, unable to achieve anything great, 1 Corinthians 4:10; destitute of power
among men, 1 Corinthians 1:27(Lachmann brackets); weaker and inferior, μέλος, 1 Corinthians 12:22;
sluggish in doing right, Romans 5:6; lacking in manliness and dignity, 2 Corinthians 10:10; used of the
religious systems anterior to Christ, as having no power to promote piety and salvation, Galatians
4:9; Hebrews 7:18; lacking in decision about things lawful and unlawful (seeἀσθενέω), 1 Corinthians 8:7,
9 L T Tr WH, ; ; 1 Thessalonians 5:14.
c. of the body, feeble, sick: Matthew 25:39 R G L marginal reading, 43f; Luke 9:2 L Tr brackets; ; Acts
4:9; Acts 5:15; 1 Corinthians 11:30.

Cognate: 769 asthéneia – properly, without strength (negating the root sthenos, "strength"). See
772 (asthenēs).

769 /asthéneia ("weakness, sickness") refers to an ailment that deprives someone of enjoying or
accomplishing what they would like to do. 769(asthéneia) focuses on the handicaps that go with the
weakness.

[769 (asthéneia) expresses the weakening influences of the illness or a particular problem, especially as
someone becomes wrongly (overly) dependent.]

a. of Body; α. its native weakness and frailty: 1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 13:4. β. feebleness of
health; sickness: John 5:5; John 11:4; Luke 13:11, 12; Galatians 4:13 (ἀσθένεια τῆς σαρκός); Hebrews
11:34; in plural: Matthew 8:17; Luke 5:15; Luke 8:2; Acts 28:9; 1 Timothy 5:23.

b. of Soul; want of the strength and capacity requisite α. to understand a thing: Romans
6:19 (where ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκός denotes the weakness of human nature). β. to do things great and
glorious, as want of human wisdom, of skill in speaking, in the management of men: 1 Corinthians 2:3. γ.
to restrain corrupt desires; proclivity to sin: Hebrews 5:2; Hebrews 7:28; plural the various kinds of this
proclivity, Hebrews 4:15. δ. to bear trials and troubles: Romans 8:26 (where
read τῇἀσθένεια for Rec. ταῖς ἀσθενείαις); 2 Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 12:9; plural the mental (?)
states in which this weakness manifests itself: 2 Corinthians 12:5, 9f.

Weaknesses (769) (astheneia [word study] from a = without + sthénos = strength, bodily vigor) means
without strength and figuratively describes a state of incapacity to do or experience something.

Weaknesses (769) (astheneia from a = without + sthénos = strength, bodily vigor) means literally
without strength or bodily vigor = want of strength = lacking strength. Literally astheneia refers to bodily
diseases or ailments (Lk 5:15, 13:11, 12, Jn 5:5, 11:4, 28:9). Another meaning of astheneia is incapacity
to do or experience something, an inability to produce results, a state of weakness or limitation (1Co
15:43; 2Co 11:30; 12:5, 9, 10, 13:4; Ro 8:27; Heb 4:15; 5:2; 7:28; 11:34) Paul's use in 1Co 2:3 conveys the
sense of weakness in terms of courage.

Infirmities, What does it mean?

The American Heritage dictionary defines infirmity as lacking power, disability, bodily disability, frailty,
or moral weakness. The word “infirmities” is found 12 times in the Bible and all are in the New
Testament. The word “infirmity” in the singular form is found 10 times in the Bible, 7 times in the New
Testament and 3 times in the Old Testament. So there are just 22 references in all with the words
infirmity and infirmities found in the King James version of the Bible. And they are as follow:

Notice here is Galatians 4:13 the phrase “at the first” meaning that Paul when he FIRST became a
Christian he did not have an eloquent speaking ability as perhaps he thought that he needed to have,
yet Paul still had confidence to boldly speak the gospel even though he felt weak in his speaking ability.
Now perhaps this verse can be INTERPRETED either as having a WEAKNESS in his speaking, or as having
some sort of sickness or disease AT THE FIRST when he first began to preach the gospel. Either way this
verse does NOT prove that God places sickness or disease upon his children to teach them something
nor to keep them humble as some teach. Yes it is true that at the brightness of the vision that Paul was
blinded, but Jesus sent Paul to Ananias to be HEALED of his blindness and when Paul OBEYED the Lord
he was HEALED immediately. Please read Acts 9:1-18 which tells us the conversion of Saul from being a
sinner who persecuted the church to become a Christian who was named Paul and he served the Lord
all the days of his life.

So you see my dear brothers and sister in the Lord, Paul at the first was WEAK, in that, Paul had an
infirmity in speaking before people. He was bold or powerful in his letters, but being present his speech
was infirm or weak.
Now this does not prove that Paul was NEVER sick, but it is CERTAIN that Galatians 4:13 does NOT
mean that Paul suffered from incurable eye disease as some FALSELY teach, because this verse PLAINLY
states AT THE FIRST, which means that later on WHATEVER this INFIRMITY was Paul no longer had it.

Now from some verses of scripture it is clear that AT TIMES infirmity or infirmities may mean sickness in
body, but at other times infirmity and infirmities definitely mean moral weakness in the flesh. So the
meaning of these words may go either way, but for the most part the words infirmity and infirmities
refer to the moral spiritual weakness of mankind.And in every other instance where these words do
refer to sickness and disease we see that it was ALWAYS the WILL of Almighty God to HEAL these people
from the oppression of the enemy, Satan, the devil.

So don't let the enemy DECEIVE you into accepting an infirmity in your body just because you may find a
few verses of scripture that say that someone in the Bible had an infirmity therefore it is not God's will
to heal you. This is a lie from the devil you is SEEKING to devour you, and if you do NOT resist him then
he will overcome you.

You see, even though there are a few instances in the Bible where it states that someone was sick or left
sick does not mean that it was God's WILL for this person to ever be sick or remain sick. We all know
that it is God's WILL to save all of mankind, but we also know that this is not going to happen just
because it is God's WILL. If requires the FAITH of EACH and every individual to BELIEVE for themselves in
order to be saved. The SAME is ALSO true of RECEIVING healing from sickness or disease. YOU must
BELIEVE unto the end, UNTIL healing is manifested in your body.