An ulcer, in a biblical context, refers to a sore or lesion that can cause significant pain and discomfort. While the term "ulcer" as understood in modern medical terminology is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the concept of painful sores and skin afflictions is present throughout the Scriptures. These ailments are often seen as manifestations of divine judgment or as trials that test the faith of individuals.

Biblical References and Context

1. Job's Afflictions: One of the most notable instances of painful sores in the Bible is found in the Book of Job. Job, a man described as "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1), is afflicted with "painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head" (Job 2:7). These sores are part of a series of trials allowed by God to test Job's faithfulness. Job's suffering is profound, and he uses a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself while sitting among the ashes (Job 2:8). This vivid imagery highlights the severity of his condition and the depth of his suffering.

2. The Plagues of Egypt: In the narrative of the Exodus, one of the plagues that God sends upon Egypt is the plague of boils. Exodus 9:10 describes how "festering boils broke out on men and animals." This plague serves as a demonstration of God's power and a judgment against Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their refusal to release the Israelites from bondage.

3. Hezekiah's Illness: King Hezekiah's illness, described in 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38, is another instance where a skin affliction plays a significant role. Although the specific nature of Hezekiah's ailment is not detailed as an ulcer, it is described as a life-threatening condition. Hezekiah prays to the Lord, and God grants him healing, adding fifteen years to his life. This account underscores the belief in divine intervention and healing.

4. The Rich Man and Lazarus: In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16:19-31, Lazarus is described as a beggar "covered with sores" (Luke 16:20). This imagery serves to contrast the earthly suffering of Lazarus with the opulence of the rich man, ultimately highlighting themes of justice and recompense in the afterlife.

Theological Implications

In the biblical narrative, physical afflictions such as ulcers and sores often carry deeper theological significance. They can be seen as instruments of divine testing, judgment, or as opportunities for demonstrating faith and reliance on God. The accounts of Job and Hezekiah, in particular, illustrate the belief that God is sovereign over both health and illness, and that He can use such circumstances to reveal His power and purpose.

Furthermore, the healing of physical ailments is frequently associated with spiritual restoration and divine mercy. The Bible presents God as a healer who is compassionate and responsive to the cries of His people, as seen in the healing of Hezekiah and the ultimate comfort and reward given to Lazarus.

Cultural and Historical Context

In ancient times, skin diseases and ulcers were often viewed with fear and stigma. They could render individuals ceremonially unclean, as seen in the Levitical laws concerning leprosy and other skin conditions (Leviticus 13-14). This cultural context adds another layer of meaning to the biblical accounts, as those afflicted were not only suffering physically but also faced social and religious isolation.

Overall, while the Bible does not provide a detailed medical description of ulcers as understood today, the references to painful sores and skin afflictions serve as powerful symbols of human suffering, divine judgment, and the hope of redemption and healing through faith in God.1. (n.) A solution of continuity in any of the soft parts of the body, discharging purulent matter, found on a surface, especially one of the natural surfaces of the body, and originating generally in a constitutional disorder; a sore discharging pus. It is distinguished from an abscess, which has its beginning, at least, in the depth of the tissues.

2. (n.) Fig.: Anything that festers and corrupts like an open sore; a vice in character.

3. (v. t.) To ulcerate.

1668. helkos -- a wound, a sore, an ulcer
... a wound, a sore, an ulcer. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: helkos
Phonetic Spelling: (hel'-kos) Short Definition: a festering sore Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1668.htm - 6k

1044. gaggraina -- a gangrene, an eating sore
... canker. From graino (to gnaw); an ulcer ("gangrene") -- canker. (gangraina) -- 1
Occurrence. 1043, 1044. gaggraina. 1045 . Strong's Numbers.
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1044.htm - 6k

7822. shechin -- a boil, eruption
... boil, botch. From an unused root probably meaning to burn; inflammation, ie An ulcer;
--boil, botch. 7821b, 7822. shechin. 7823 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7822.htm - 6k

2914. techor -- tumors (a result of dysentery)
... emerod. From an unused root meaning to burn; a boil or ulcer (from the inflammation),
especially a tumor in the anus or pudenda (the piles) -- emerod. ...
/hebrew/2914.htm - 6k

That Maximian, Brought Low by a Fistulous Ulcer with Worms, Issued ...
... Book I. Chapter LVII."That Maximian, brought Low by a Fistulous Ulcer
with Worms, issued an Edict in Favor of the Christians. ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter lvii that maximian brought low.htm

Grace and Truth Coupled.
... If that isn't done, they are simply as a lovely bit of pink-coloured
court-plaster skilfully adjusted over an ugly incurable ulcer. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/grace and truth coupled.htm

Chap. xxxiii. And Now, when Galerius was in the Eighteenth Year of ...
... an incurable plague. A malignant ulcer formed itself low down in his secret
parts, and spread by degrees. The physicians attempted ...
/.../of the manner in which the persecutors died/chap xxxiii and now when.htm

All the Miracles of Richard:
... Boy of 4: bad ulcer in the child's mouth prevented his feeding. By wise
counsel a denarius is laid upon his head, and the ulcer ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/all the miracles of richard .htm

Canon Cii. It Behoves those who have Received from God the Power ...
... And if he does not resist the physician, and if the ulcer of the soul is increased
by the application of the imposed medicaments, then let him mete out mercy ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon cii it behoves those.htm

1 Cor. xiv. 34
... For so a physician wishing to remove an ulcer doth not consider how he may keep
his hands clean, but how he may rid the patient of the ulcer; and he who would ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxxvii 1 cor xiv.htm

The Stony Heart Removed
... If the heart were a putrid ulcer, if the very vitals of the man were rotten, what
human surgery, what marvellous medicine could touch a defect so radical as ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/the stony heart removed.htm

The Power of this Twofold Patience, the Spiritual and the Bodily ...
... 9172] how was the evil one cut asunder, [9173] while Job with mighty equanimity
kept scraping off [9174] the unclean overflow of his own ulcer, while he ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/of patience/chapter xiv the power of this.htm

The First vial.
... EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE. The First Vial. "And the first went away, and poured
out his bowl on the earth; and there came an evil and sore ulcer on the men ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the first vial.htm

Of the Seven Phials; with the Beast and Babylon declining to their ...
... v.2, which sends the plague of an ulcer "on the men who had the mark of the beast,
and on those who adore his image;" from the fifth, which is poured "on the ...
/.../mede/a key to the apocalypse/synchronism vii of the seven.htm

Ulcer (8 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Ulcer (8 Occurrences). Leviticus 13:18 And when flesh
hath in it, in its skin, an ulcer, and it hath been healed, (YLT). ...
/u/ulcer.htm - 9k

Ulcerous (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (a.) Having the nature or character of an ulcer; discharging purulent or other
matter. 2. (a.) Affected with an ulcer or ulcers; ulcerated. ...
/u/ulcerous.htm - 6k

Probe (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To examine, to search through; to explore;
as a wound or ulcer, with a probe. 2. (vt) Fig.: to ...
/p/probe.htm - 8k

Canker (4 Occurrences)
... In James 5:3 "cankered" means "rusted" (RV) or tarnished. Noah Webster's
Dictionary. 1. (n.) A corroding or sloughing ulcer; esp. ...
/c/canker.htm - 9k

Scar (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A mark in the skin or flesh of an animal, made by a wound or ulcer, and
remaining after the wound or ulcer is healed; a cicatrix; a mark left by a ...
/s/scar.htm - 8k

Pronounced (63 Occurrences)
... is' lower than the skin, and its hair hath turned white, and the priest hath pronounced
him unclean; it 'is' a plague of leprosy -- in an ulcer it hath broken ...
/p/pronounced.htm - 26k

Ulam (4 Occurrences)

/u/ulam.htm - 8k

Gangrene (1 Occurrence)
... gan'-gren (gaggraina, pronounced gan-graina; the King James Version canker): The
name was used by the old Greek physicians for an eating ulcer which corrodes ...
/g/gangrene.htm - 8k

Wolf (4 Occurrences)
... from the door. 4. (n.) A white worm, or maggot, which infests granaries.
5. (n.) An eating ulcer or sore. Cf. Lupus. 6. (n.) The ...
/w/wolf.htm - 13k

Issue (59 Occurrences)
... 7. (n.) An artificial ulcer, usually made in the fleshy part of the arm or leg,
to produce the secretion and discharge of pus for the relief of some affected ...
/i/issue.htm - 29k

Ulcer: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus