It also happened on another Sabbath that he entered into the synagogue and taught. There was a man there, and his right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand in the middle.” He arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” He looked around at them all, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored as sound as the other.
Severely atrophied muscles and tendons can regenerate to full strength within seconds.
Medicine
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The cited passage
What current science says
Muscle regeneration is real but slow. When muscle fibers are damaged, satellite cells activate, divide, and fuse to repair or replace them — a process that takes weeks minimum. For severe atrophy, you're essentially rebuilding tissue from scratch: new blood vessel networks, new connective tissue, recalibrated nerve connections. Physical therapy for severe hand atrophy typically takes 3-6 months of daily exercises. Your body synthesizes new protein at about 1-2 grams per day for muscle repair — it's a construction project, not a light switch.
What the text says
This comes from Luke 6:6-10. A man with a withered right hand is told to stretch it out, and 'his hand was restored whole as the other' — full muscular and skeletal restoration in the time it takes to extend an arm.
Three honest ways to read this passage
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As history
The text records how its authors understood the world with the knowledge they had. Read this way, a difference from modern science is a window into the ancient mind, not a failure.
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As accommodation
The text speaks to its first audience in their own terms, to make a point that isn't mainly about physics or biology. Read this way, the scientific detail is the vehicle, not the cargo.
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As contradiction
The text makes a claim about the physical world that modern findings dispute. Read this way, the difference is a genuine factual disagreement worth naming.
GEBible doesn't pick one of these for you. Each entry shows the passage, what it says, and what current science says — nothing more.