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BOWELS*, Disease of
Term used 37 times in Scripture (KJB) but only once in connection with a disease (2 Chr 21:15-19). The evil King Jehoram was punished with an incurable chronic disease of the bowels, which resulted in his painful death two years later. The disease caused prolapse of the intestines (v 19). Either an inflammatory bowel disease or cancer of the colon or rectum could have accounted for these symptoms.
The only fatal intestinal disease recorded in the NT also occurred in a king (Acts 12:21-23). Josephus the historian records that King Herod, aged 54, suffered with severe pains in his abdomen, which lasted until he died five days later. An acute intestinal obstruction, possibly due to roundworm infestation, could account for these symptoms. Roundworms may have been expelled during the illness, or maggots could have been seen on necrotic skin resulting in the observation by Luke that Herod was “eaten of worms and died.”
See also Disease; Medicine and Medical Practice.