### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **gâhâh**, represented by `{{H1455}}`, is a primitive root defined as to **remove** (a bandage from a wound, i.e. heal it); **cure**. It is an exceedingly rare term, appearing only **1 time** across **1 unique verse** in the entire Bible, making its single usage highly significant.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole appearance of `{{H1455}}` is in [[Hosea 5:13]]. In this verse, the prophet describes how Ephraim and Judah, seeing their own "sickness" and "wound," turn to a human power, the Assyrian king, for a solution. The passage states, "yet could he not heal you, nor **cure** you of your wound." The use of `{{H1455}}` here powerfully emphasizes the failure and inability of human intervention to remedy a problem that is fundamentally spiritual in nature.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words provide a deeper context for the concepts of sickness and healing:
* `{{H2483}}` **chŏlîy** (malady, anxiety, calamity; disease, grief, (is) sick(-ness)): This word describes the state of Ephraim in the primary verse [[Hosea 5:13]]. It is also used metaphorically for sorrow, as when the suffering servant is said to have borne our "griefs" [[Isaiah 53:4]].
* `{{H4205}}` **mâzôwr** (a bandage, i.e. remedy; hence, a sore (as needing a compress); bound up, wound): This term describes Judah's injury in [[Hosea 5:13]]. It carries the sense of something needing a remedy, as seen in [[Jeremiah 30:13]], which laments that there is no one "that thou mayest be **bound up**."
* `{{H7495}}` **râphâʼ** (to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure; cure, (cause to) heal, physician): Used in parallel with `{{H1455}}` in [[Hosea 5:13]], this is the common term for healing. It is almost always associated with God's power, as in the declaration, "for I am the LORD that **healeth** thee" [[Exodus 15:26]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1455}}` is found in its specific, singular context, which highlights a critical theme.
* **Futility of Human Solutions:** The word is used exclusively to describe a failure. By turning to the Assyrian king instead of God, Ephraim and Judah sought a political solution for a spiritual malady, but the king could not provide a **cure** [[Hosea 5:13]].
* **Spiritual Sickness:** The "sickness" `{{H2483}}` and "wound" `{{H4205}}` that `{{H1455}}` fails to cure are representative of national sin and decline. This is reinforced elsewhere, where a sick head and faint heart symbolize a nation in revolt against God [[Isaiah 1:5]].
* **Contrast with Divine Healing:** The failure of the human attempt to **cure** `{{H1455}}` stands in stark contrast to the repeated promises of God's ability to **heal** `{{H7495}}`. While the Assyrian king fails, God is the one who "healeth the broken in heart" [[Psalms 147:3]] and heals his people's land [[2 Chronicles 7:14]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1455}}` is a unique and pointedly used word. Its only appearance in scripture is to underscore the inability of human power to **cure** the deep wounds caused by sin and rebellion. By being placed in direct contrast with the concept of divine healing found in related terms, **gâhâh** serves as a powerful reminder that true restoration and wholeness are found not in worldly powers, but in God alone.
TRV