The Greek adjective arrōstos (from a- privative + rhōnnumi, to be strong/healthy) means 'without strength,' 'infirm,' or 'sick.' It describes those who are physically unwell — the ill who need healing. The word appears several times in the Gospels in the context of Jesus's healing ministry.
The presence of arrōstos — the sick and infirm — throughout the Gospel narratives marks the terrain of Jesus's compassion. He healed the sick freely, demonstrating the nature of the kingdom of God as a realm where human weakness meets divine power. In 1 Corinthians 11:30, Paul uses the word with sobering gravity to note that some Corinthians were 'weak and sick' as a consequence of receiving the Lord's Supper unworthily. This suggests that physical infirmity can sometimes reflect spiritual disorder — though Scripture is careful not to make this a universal principle (John 9:3). The Great Physician heals both body and soul.