Chapter 1 functions as introduction that sets the stage for the study as a whole. In this chapter, I discuss cases of royal illness in the Bible, cuneiform writings and early Jewish literature. I also lay out my methodological framework. The introduction of the book scrutinizes the categories of disease, illness, and disability and then reviews how they have been treated in academic discussions of physical disorders. This chapter also involves a short review of the different theoretical frameworks that have been applied to the study of illness in the ancient world which is followed by the introduction of my own approach of illness as frame or the framing of illness. Finally, I outline the organization of the book by giving an overview of the key passages that will be examined in the course of the study