ἀδῠνᾰτ-έω G0101
will be impossible, future tense of being unable or impossible
This verb in future tense declares that something will be impossible—incapable of occurring. Jesus uses it twice in similar contexts: in Matthew 17:20, declaring that nothing will be impossible for those with faith like a mustard seed; in Luke 1:37, the angel announces to Mary that nothing will be impossible with God (or 'no word from God will be impossible'). The verb emphasizes categorical impossibility that nevertheless can be overturned—by faith in Matthew, by God's power in Luke. It names the impossible precisely to declare that God transcends such limits.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Cross-linguistic glosses consistently render as future impossible—Spanish 'será imposible' (will be impossible), French 'être impossible' (to be impossible), German preserving the Greek future form. Matthew 17:20 makes faith the key to impossibility's reversal; Luke 1:37 makes God's power the guarantee. Both contexts use impossibility language to set up divine possibility. The multilingual evidence supports this as future categorical impossibility—but impossibility named precisely to be transcended by faith or divine power. It's the limit God erases. 2×
AR["يَسْتَحِيلُ", "يَعْجِزُ"]·ben["অসম্ভব-হবে", "অসম্ভব-হবেনা"]·DE["ἀδυνατήσει"]·EN["will-be-impossible"]·FR["être-impossible"]·heb["יִבָּצֵר", "יִפָּלֵא"]·HI["असंभव-होगा", "असमभव-होग"]·ID["mustahil"]·IT["adunatesei"]·jav["mokal"]·KO["불가능하지-않을-것이다"]·PT["será-impossível"]·RU["не-будет-невозможным", "невозможно"]·ES["será-imposible"]·SW["haliwezekani", "kitakachoshindikana"]·TR["imkânsız-olacak", "imkânsız-olmayacak"]·urd["نا-ممکن-ہے", "ناممکن-ہو-گا"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀδῠνᾰτ-έω, of persons, to be ἀδύνατος, lack strength, Refs 5th c.BC+: with infinitive, to be unable to do, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II of things, to be impossible, LXX+1st c.BC+