δύνᾰμις G1411
Power, might, miraculous deed, cosmic force, ability, or meaning — from God's inherent strength to specific miracles, spiritual beings, and the force of an utterance
Dynamis is the New Testament's premier power word, giving English its 'dynamic' and 'dynamite.' Yet its range extends far beyond brute force. In the singular it names the raw, inherent power of God or his Spirit (Luke 1:35; Acts 1:8), while in the plural it splits into two strikingly different directions: concrete miraculous deeds ('mighty works' that Jesus performed) and cosmic spiritual beings ('powers' that cannot separate us from God's love). Paul even deploys it once for the 'meaning' of a spoken sound (1 Cor 14:11), and the parable of the talents uses it for practical 'ability' proportioned to each servant. French puissance, German Kraft, and Spanish poder all collapse these distinctions, but the multilingual evidence from Arabic and Korean confirms that native speakers consistently differentiate raw power from miracle from cosmic entity.
5. meaning, significance — Meaning, significance, force of an utterance (1x): what a spoken sound signifies or conveys. Spanish significado confirms the semantic shift from physical power to communicative force. In 1 Cor 14:11, Paul writes 'if I do not know the meaning (dynamin) of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker.' This unique extension treats dynamis as the semantic 'power' a word carries — its capacity to communicate, a natural metaphorical stretch from 'force' to 'import.' 1×
AR["مَعنى"]·ben["শক্তি"]·DE["Kraft"]·EN["meaning"]·FR["puissance"]·heb["מַשְׁמָעוּת"]·HI["शक्ति"]·ID["makna"]·IT["potenza"]·jav["teges"]·KO["능력을"]·PT["poder"]·RU["силу"]·ES["significado"]·SW["maana"]·TR["o-"]·urd["طاقت-کو"]
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. power, might, force — Inherent power, might, or strength (90x): the abstract capacity or force itself, whether divine, spiritual, or human. Spanish poder, French puissance, and German Kraft all converge on this core meaning. Covers the power of God (Matt 22:29 'you do not know the power of God'), the power of the Spirit (Luke 1:35; 4:14; Acts 1:8), eschatological power (Matt 24:30 'coming with power and great glory'), and the power at work in believers (Eph 1:19; 3:20). Mark 5:30 captures the concreteness: Jesus perceives that 'power had gone out from him' — dynamis as almost a tangible substance. 90×
AR["قُدرَةَ","قُدْرَةِ","قُوَّةً","قُوَّةٍ","قُوَّةَ","قُوَّةُ","قُوَّةِ"]·ben["পরাক্রম","শক্তি","শক্তিতে","শক্তির"]·DE["Kraft"]·EN["power"]·FR["puissance"]·heb["אֶת-","גְּבוּרַת","גְּבוּרָה","כֹּחַ"]·HI["निकली-है","शक्ति","सामर्थ्य","सामर्थ्य-को","सामर्थ्य-में","सामर्थ्य-से","हमने"]·ID["itu","kekuatan","kuasa","kuasa,"]·IT["potenza"]·jav["daya","kakiyatan","kakiyatan,","kuwasa","panguwaos","panguwasa","pangwaos","pangwasa"]·KO["능력","능력-에","능력-으로","능력-을","능력-이","능력과","능력으로","능력을","능력의","능력이","받을-것이다","혹은"]·PT["poder"]·RU["сила","силе","силой","силою","силу","силу,","силы"]·ES["poder"]·SW["Mungu","na","nguvu","uwezo"]·TR["gücü","gücümüzle","gücün","gücünde","gücünü","gücünün","güç","güçle"]·urd["-سے","اور","قدرت","قدرت-سے","قوت"]
Matt 6:13, Matt 22:29, Matt 24:30, Mark 5:30, Mark 9:1, Mark 12:24, Mark 13:26, Luke 1:17, Luke 1:35, Luke 4:14, Luke 4:36, Luke 5:17 (+38 more)
2. miraculous deeds, mighty works — Miraculous deeds, mighty works (plural, 16x): specific acts of supernatural power performed by God or his agents. Spanish milagros and English mighty-works distinguish these from abstract power. Jesus upbraids cities where 'most of his mighty works had been done' (Matt 11:20-23), the people of Nazareth ask 'what mighty works are done by his hands?' (Matt 13:54; Mark 6:2), and Paul lists 'miracles' as a spiritual gift (1 Cor 12:10, 28-29). The plural form is the key grammatical signal separating this sense from sense 1. 16×
AR["القُوّاتُ","عَجائِبِ","قُوَاتٍ","قُوَاتُ","قُوَّاتٌ","قُوَّاتٍ","قُوَّاتِ","قُوّاتٍ","قُوّاتُ","قُوّاتِهِ","قِوىً"]·ben["পরাক্রম","পরাক্রমগুলি","পরাক্রমের","পরাক্রমের-কাজগুলি","শক্তি","শক্তিকার্য","শক্তিগুলি","শক্তিগুলিতে।","শক্তিশালী-কাজ","শক্তিশালী-কাজগুলি"]·DE["Kraft"]·EN["mighty-works","miracles","powers"]·FR["puissance"]·heb["גְּבוּרוֹת","גְּבוּרוֹת-","נִפְלָאוֹת"]·HI["शक्तियन","शक्तियों","शक्तिशाली-कार्य","सअमरथय-के-कअरय","सामर्थ्य","सामर्थ्य-के-काम","सामर्थ्यों"]·ID["Kuasa","kuasa","kuasa-kuasa","mukjizat"]·IT["potenza"]·jav["Kuasa","kasekten","kasekten?","kaélokan-kaélokan","kaélokan-kaélokan,","mujijat,","mujizat","mukjijat","mukjijat-mukjijat","pangwaos"]·KO["능력들-을","능력들-이","능력들로","능력들을","능력들의","능력들이","능력들이,","능력을"]·PT["Poderes","milagres","obras-poderosas","poderes"]·RU["Силы","сил","силами","силы","чудеса"]·ES["Milagros","milagros","obras-poderosas","poderes","poderes?"]·SW["Nguvu","mingi","miujiza","nguvu","nguvu."]·TR["Güçlü-işler","güçler","güçleri","güçlerini","güçlü-işler","mucizeler"]·urd["قدرتوں","قدرتیں","معجزوں","معجزے"]
Matt 7:22, Matt 11:20, Matt 11:21, Matt 11:23, Matt 13:54, Matt 13:58, Matt 14:2, Mark 6:2, Mark 6:14, Luke 10:13, Luke 19:37, Acts 8:13 (+4 more)
3. supernatural powers, cosmic forces — Supernatural powers, cosmic forces (plural, 10x): spiritual or angelic beings understood as personified powers operating in the heavens. Spanish poderes and English powers in cosmic contexts mark this as an entity rather than an attribute. The 'powers of the heavens' will be shaken at the eschaton (Matt 24:29; Mark 13:25; Luke 21:26), and Paul declares that neither 'powers' nor any other cosmic force can separate believers from God's love (Rom 8:38). Distinct from sense 2 because these are beings, not acts — a usage that bridges Jewish angelology and Hellenistic cosmology. 10×
AR["بِقُوَّاتٍ","قُوَّاتٌ","قُوَّاتٍ","قُوَّاتُ","قُوّاتٌ","قُوّاتٍ","قُوّاتُ"]·ben["পরাক্রমে","শক্তি","শক্তিগণ","শক্তিগুলি","শক্তিগুলো","শক্তিতে","শক্তির;","শক্তিসমূহ","শক্তিসমূহ;","শক্তিসমূহ?"]·DE["Kraft"]·EN["by-powers","of-powers","powers"]·FR["puissance"]·heb["גְּבוּרוֹת","כֹּחוֹת"]·HI["चिह्नों-से","शक्तियाँ","शक्तियां","शक्तियों-के","सामर्थ्य","सामर्थ्यों"]·ID["dengan-kuasa-kuasa","kekuatan-kekuatan","kuasa","kuasa-kuasa","kuasa-kuasa,","kuasa-kuasa?"]·IT["potenza"]·jav["kakiyatan","kanthi-kakiyatan","mujizat;","mujizat?","panguwasa.","pangwaos","pangwaos-pangwaos","pangwasa"]·KO["능력들","능력들-의","능력들과","능력들도","능력들을","능력들이","능력들이냐"]·PT["com-milagres","de-poderes;","maravilhas","poderes","poderes,","poderes.","poderes;","poderes?","potências"]·RU["-силы","сил.","сил;","силами","силы","силы;","силы?"]·ES["con-poderes","de-poderes","poderes","potencias","potestades"]·SW["kwa-nguvu","mbingu","miujiza","miujiza?","nguvu","za-nguvu"]·TR["güçler","güçleri","güçlerin","güçlerle","mucizeler","mucizelerin","mucizelerle"]·urd["طاقتیں","قدرت-کے-کاموں","قدرتوں-سے","قدرتوں-کے","قدرتیں","قدرتیں۔","قوتیں"]
4. miraculous deed, mighty work — A specific miraculous deed, mighty work (singular, 2x): an individual act of supernatural power viewed as a discrete event rather than a category. Spanish milagro (singular) and English a-miracle mark the countable, singular nature. In Mark 6:5 Jesus 'could do no mighty work there,' and in Mark 9:39 he says 'no one who does a mighty work in my name can soon afterward speak evil of me.' The singular distinguishes a particular wonder from the collective 'mighty works' of sense 2. 2×
AR["قُوَّةً","قُوَّةٍ"]·ben["পরাক্রম"]·DE["Kraft"]·EN["a-miracle","mighty-work"]·FR["puissance"]·heb["גְּבוּרָה"]·HI["शक्तिशाली-कार्य","सामर्थ्य"]·ID["mujizat","mukjizat"]·IT["potenza"]·jav["kaélokan,","mukjijat"]·KO["능력-을","능력을,"]·PT["milagre"]·RU["силы","чудо"]·ES["milagro"]·SW["muujiza"]·TR["mucize"]·urd["معجزہ"]
6. ability, capacity — Ability, practical capacity (1x): personal capability to accomplish something, emphasizing practical talent rather than raw force. Spanish capacidad and English ability mark the pragmatic, individual dimension. In the parable of the talents (Matt 25:15), the master distributes resources 'to each according to his own ability (dynamin).' Here dynamis is neither divine power nor miracle but measured human competence — the practical means a person possesses. 1×
AR["قُدْرَتِهِ"]·ben["সামর্থ্য"]·DE["Kraft"]·EN["ability"]·FR["puissance"]·heb["שֶׁלּוֹ"]·HI["सामर्थ्य"]·ID["kemampuan"]·IT["potenza"]·jav["kasagedan"]·KO["능력"]·PT["capacidade"]·RU["силе"]·ES["capacidad"]·SW["uwezo"]·TR["gücü"]·urd["قابلیت"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
δύνᾰμις [ῠ], ἡ, genitive εως, Ionic dialect ιος, Ionic dialect dative δυνάμι: (δύναμαι):— power, might, in Refs 8th c.BC+, especially of bodily strength, εἴ μοι δ. γε παρείη Refs 8th c.BC+: generally, strength, power, ability to do anything, πὰρ δύναμιν beyond one's strength, Refs 8th c.BC+; opposed to κατὰ δ. as far as lies in one, Refs 8th c.BC+ __2 outward power, influence, authority, Refs 5th…