all consulting of and treatment by physicians. Paul called the faithful Christian Luke “the beloved physician.”—Col. 4:14.

QUARANTINE

According to the Law, a person who had or was suspected of having a communicable disease was quarantined, that is, kept away from others or isolated for a time. Seven-day periods of quarantine were imposed in tests for leprosy in the case of persons, garments and other items, or houses. (Lev. 13:1-59; 14:38, 46) Also, a person was rendered unclean for seven days as a result of touching a human corpse. (Num. 19:11-13) Though the Scriptures do not say that the latter regulation was given for health reasons, some protection was thus afforded other individuals if the corpse was that of a person who had died of an infectious disease.

Dr. Short states: “Our word ‘quarantine’ has an interesting connexion with the Hebrew sanitary code. It was noticed in Italy in the fourteenth century that Jews escaped lightly when others died in epidemics of plague, and it was rightly concluded that this might be due to their laws of uncleanness after touching dead bodies. So the Jewish code was made compulsory on the whole community, and at a later date, a period of forty days of isolation, taken from that mentioned in the law of Moses (Lev. 12:1-4) became recognized as the proper time. The Italian for forty is quaranta, hence our word quarantine.” (The Bible and Modern Medicine, p. 44) Present-day arrangements for quarantining the sick vary from place to place, but God’s law given to the Israelites through Moses provided for their protection in this respect many centuries ago.

FIGURATIVE APPLICATION

Judah and Jerusalem became spiritually sick because of their sinfulness. (Isa. 1:1, 4-6) Jerusalem’s religious leaders tried vainly to heal the breakdown of the people, falsely saying there was peace (Jer. 6:13, 14), but they were unable to avert the city’s destruction in 607 B.C.E. But Jehovah promised to effect the recuperation of Zion or Jerusalem (Jer. 30:12-17; 33:6-9), a healing realized with the return of the Jewish remnant to their homeland in 537 B.C.E.

Jesus Christ recognized the spiritually sick state of sinners and sought to turn them to Jehovah for spiritual healing. Hence, when criticized for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus said: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but those who are ailing do. I have come to call, not righteous persons, but sinners to repentance.”—Luke 5:29-32.

Treatment of spiritual sickness experienced by a member of the Christian congregation is considered at James 5:13-20. The context, which contrasts being sick with being in good spirits, shows that James was dealing, not with physical illness, but with spiritual sickness. Concerning remedial steps and their effectiveness, James wrote: “Is there anyone [spiritually] sick among you? Let him call the older men of the congregation [mature Christian men, such as the overseer and ministerial servants] to him, and let them pray over him [so he can hear the prayer and show he agrees by saying “Amen”], greasing him with oil [stimulating him with comforting, soothing instruction from God’s Word, to restore him to unity with the congregation (Ps. 133:1, 2; 141:5)] in the name of Jehovah [with faithfulness to God and according to His purpose]. And the prayer of faith [offered by the older men on behalf of the spiritually ailing person] will make the indisposed one [spiritually] well, and Jehovah will raise him up [as out of despondency and a feeling of being abandoned by God, Jehovah strengthening him to go in the way of truth and righteousness (Phil. 4:13)]. Also, if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him [by Jehovah (Ps. 32:5; 103:10-14), if the individual responds favorably to the prayers and the reproof, correction and exhortation from Jehovah’s Word given to him by the older men, he repentantly turning around and going in the right way (Ps. 119:9-16)].”

COPING WITH ILLNESS

Sickness is a calamity that may befall a person even if he is materially rich. (Eccl. 5:16, 17; compare Matthew 16:26.) Some individuals have delicious food in abundance but are unable to enjoy it because of some stomach or bowel disorder. (Eccl. 6:1, 2) Jesus Christ’s spiritual brothers were also spoken of as being physically sick at times. (Matt. 25:39, 40) Physical sickness was experienced by such Christians as Epaphroditus, Timothy and Trophimus (Phil. 2:25-30; 1 Tim. 5:23; 2 Tim. 4:20), but the Bible reports no miraculous apostolic healing of these Christian men.

However, when one of God’s servants is physically ill, it is proper for him to pray to Jehovah for the fortitude needed to bear his malady, and for spiritual strength to maintain integrity during this period of weakness in the flesh. “Jehovah himself will sustain [such a person] upon a divan of illness.”—Ps. 41:1-3; see also 1 Kings 8:37-40.

Jehovah can remove sicknesses. (Ex. 15:26; 23:25; Deut. 7:15) Isaiah wrote of a time when “no resident will say: ‘I am sick’” (Isa. 33:24), and about spiritual healing of the blind, deaf, lame and speechless, these prophecies also giving promise of physical cure. (Isa. 35:5, 6) Jesus Christ, when on earth, accomplished both physical and spiritual healing of ailing ones by fulfilling the Messianic prophecy, “He himself took our sicknesses and carried our diseases,” (Matt. 8:14-17; Isa. 53:4) The basis for these cures was the sacrifice of his human life, which would be the climax of the course he had been following ever since God’s spirit came upon him at the Jordan River in 29 C.E. Christians thus have a basis for hope and abundant proof that through the resurrected Jesus Christ and by means of God’s kingdom obedient mankind will receive, not merely temporary treatment of disease, but permanent release from sin, disease and death traceable to Adam. For this all praise is due Jehovah, identified by David as the One “who is healing all your maladies.”—Ps. 103:1-3; Rev. 21:1-5.

DISFELLOWSHIPING

See EXPELLING.

DISGUSTING THING; LOATHSOME THING

The Hebrew terms sha·qatsʹ (verb), sheʹqets and shiq·qutsʹ (nouns) are commonly rendered by such words as “abominate,” “abominable” or “abomination” in many translations. This has resulted in the well-known expression “abomination of desolation.” (Dan 11:31; 12:11, AV) However, since these English words are falling out of popular usage in modern speech, more specific and more current terms bring greater clarity. The Gospel writers Matthew and Mark used the Greek bdeʹlyg·ma to translate the Hebrew shiq·qutsʹ (plural, shiq·qu·tsimʹ). (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14) Since this Greek term basically implies disgust, there is sound reason for translating the above-mentioned Hebrew terms into English by such words as “to loathe,” “loathsome,” “disgusting,” or “disgusting thing,” as is done in the New World Translation. Disgust differs somewhat from detestation in that it involves not only an intense dislike but also a sense of repugnance comparable to nausea.—See DETESTABLE THING.

The Mosaic law prohibited the eating of certain creatures, declaring them “unclean” for that purpose (as well as for sacrificing). Therefore, in these respects such a creature was to be viewed as a “loathsome thing” and any person eating one (or using it for sacrifice) would make himself “loathsome,” since he would thereby be showing contempt for God’s commands. (Lev. 7:21; 11:10-13, 20-23, 41, 42; 20:25; Isa. 66:17) That the proscribed animals were not to be loathed in a general way, however, can be seen by other texts. For example, though “unclean”