### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **anápēros**, represented by `{{G376}}`, means crippled or **maimed**. According to its base definition, it is derived from ἀνά (in the sense of intensity) and another word for maimed. It is a specific term that appears **2 times** across **2 unique verses** in the Bible.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The word `{{G376}}` appears exclusively in the book of Luke, within a single parable. In this context, Jesus instructs that when giving a feast, one should call "the poor, the **maimed**, the lame, the blind" [[Luke 14:13]]. This instruction is repeated when a master, angered by his original guests' refusals, commands his servant to go into the city's streets and bring in "the poor, and the **maimed**, and the halt, and the blind" [[Luke 14:21]]. In both instances, it identifies a class of people considered socially outcast or afflicted who are to receive a special invitation.
### Related Words & Concepts
The word **anápēros** is consistently used alongside several other key terms describing physical and social conditions:
* `{{G4434}}` **ptōchós** (a beggar...pauper...poor): This word denotes absolute poverty. It is used for those who are "poor in spirit" [[Matthew 5:3]] and are the intended recipients of the gospel message [[Luke 4:18]].
* `{{G5185}}` **typhlós** (opaque...blind): This term refers to being physically or mentally **blind**. It is frequently used in accounts of Jesus's ministry, where the **blind** receive their sight [[Matthew 11:5]] and also describes a state of spiritual unawareness [[Revelation 3:17]].
* `{{G5560}}` **chōlós** ("halt", i.e. limping): This word describes someone who is lame or crippled. The healing of the **lame** is cited as a sign of Jesus's work [[Luke 7:22]], and the term is used in parallel with **maimed** to describe those invited to the great feast [[Luke 14:21]].
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of `{{G376}}` is found in its specific context within the theme of divine invitation.
* **Invitation to the Marginalized:** The primary use of **maimed** is in a list of people who are explicitly invited to a great feast, representing the kingdom of God. This highlights God's inclusion of those who are typically overlooked or excluded by society [[Luke 14:21]].
* **A Sign of the Kingdom:** While `{{G376}}` itself is not used in healing accounts, its associated terms are. The healing of the **lame** `{{G5560}}` and the **blind** `{{G5185}}`, along with preaching to the **poor** `{{G4434}}`, are presented as evidence of the kingdom's arrival [[Matthew 11:5]].
* **Figurative Condition:** The grouping of **maimed** with terms like **poor** and **blind**, which are used elsewhere to describe spiritual states ([[Matthew 5:3]], [[Revelation 3:17]]), suggests that these physical afflictions point to the types of spiritual need that God seeks to address.
### Summary
In summary, `{{G376}}` is a precise term for being **maimed** or crippled. Though used only twice, its context is powerful. It appears in a specific list of invitees—the **poor**, the **maimed**, the **lame**, and the **blind**—to a great feast ([[Luke 14:13]], [[Luke 14:21]]). This places the word at the center of a key biblical principle: God's deliberate and gracious invitation to those who are physically afflicted and socially marginalized, extending to them a place of honor in His kingdom.
TRV