And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and she was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up.
- BSB and a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight.
- ESV And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.
- NKJV And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
- NASB And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all.
- NLT he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A woman bound for eighteen years by a disabling spirit cannot stand upright. Her long, helpless suffering sets up Jesus' compassionate deliverance.
Overview
Luke attributes her condition to 'a spirit of infirmity,' linking physical disability with the bondage Satan brings into a fallen world. Eighteen years emphasizes the hopelessness of her case apart from Christ. Her inability to straighten herself pictures humanity's helplessness under sin's curse, which only the Lord can lift.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Luke 8:2And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
- Luke 8:27And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
- Luke 13:16And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
- Luke 8:43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
- Mark 9:21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
- Acts 4:22For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.
- Ps 6:2Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
- Matt 9:32–33As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
- John 5:5–6And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
- Ps 42:5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
- Ps 38:6I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
- Ps 146:8The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
- John 9:19–21And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
- Job 2:7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
- Acts 3:2And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
- Acts 14:8–10And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:
- Ps 145:14The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 13:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.