The Greek verb anorthoo (ἀνορθόω) means to set upright again, to restore, to strengthen, combining ana (again, up) and orthoo (to make straight/upright). It appears three times in the New Testament: Luke 13:13 (the bent woman healed), Acts 15:16 (rebuilding David's tent), and Hebrews 12:12 (strengthening feeble hands).
Each occurrence of anorthoo illuminates the gospel's restorative power. In Luke 13, Jesus touches the bent woman and "immediately she stood up straight" — after 18 years bent double. The ruler of the synagogue objected to Sabbath healing; Jesus rebuked him: this is God's work — setting people upright is exactly what the Sabbath is for. In Hebrews 12:12, believers are commanded to "strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" — a call to active restoration of the discouraged community. The word pictures in anorthoo are deeply pastoral: God does not leave the bent, the weak, or the ruined in their state. He sets upright.