δῠνᾰτ-ός G1415
Possible (impersonal: 'it is possible'); powerful, mighty (of persons/deeds); able, capable (with infinitive).
The Greek adjective dunatos belongs to the dunamis word family of power, ability, and possibility. Most frequently it appears impersonally — dunaton estin, 'it is possible' — anchoring Jesus' declaration 'with God all things are possible' (Matt 19:26; Mark 10:27). As a personal adjective it describes the 'mighty': Moses was dunatos in word and deed (Acts 7:22), and the Magnificat praises 'the Mighty One' (Luke 1:49). Spanish poderoso/posible, French puissant/possible, and German maechtig/moeglich reflect how most languages split what Greek holds in one form.
Senses
1. possible — The impersonal neuter sense 'possible,' typically in the construction dunaton (estin), meaning 'it is possible' or 'it is not possible.' With 13 occurrences, this is the most frequent NT use, appearing in Jesus' Gethsemane prayer 'if it is possible, let this cup pass from me' (Matt 26:39; Mark 14:35-36), the warning about deception 'so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect' (Matt 24:24; Mark 13:22), and the pivotal salvation saying 'with God all things are possible' (Matt 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27). Spanish posible, French possible, and German moeglich all converge cleanly here. Romans 12:18 extends the sense ethically: 'if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.' 13×
AR["أَمكَنَ", "أَمْكَنَ", "مُمكِنٌ", "مُمْكِنًا", "مُمْكِنٌ"]·ben["সম্ভব", "সম্ভব,"]·DE["maechtig", "mächtig"]·EN["are-possible", "possible"]·FR["puissant"]·heb["אֶפְשָׁר", "אֶפְשָׁרִי"]·HI["संभव", "समभव", "समभव-होत,", "सम्भव", "सम्भव-है", "सम्भव-हो"]·ID["mungkin"]·IT["possibile", "potente"]·jav["saged", "saged,", "saged-kalampahan"]·KO["가능하다", "가능하다면", "가능하면", "가능한-것이다", "가능합니다", "가능했다면,", "죽였다"]·PT["possíveis", "possível", "é-possível."]·RU["возможно", "возможно."]·ES["es-posible", "fuera-posible", "posible", "posibles"]·SW["Ndipo", "hata", "inawezekana", "ingewezekana", "yanawezekana"]·TR["mümkün", "mümkün-olsa", "mümkündür", "mümkünse", "tutulması"]·urd["ممکن", "ممکن-ہو", "ممکن-ہوتا", "ممکن-ہے"]
Matt 19:26, Matt 24:24, Matt 26:39, Mark 9:23, Mark 10:27, Mark 13:22, Mark 14:35, Mark 14:36, Luke 18:27, Acts 2:24, Acts 20:16, Rom 12:18 (+1 more)
2. powerful, mighty, strong — A personal adjective meaning 'powerful, mighty, strong' — describing persons or deeds that possess inherent force, authority, or effectiveness. With 11 occurrences, this sense includes Mary's praise of ho Dunatos, 'the Mighty One' who has done great things (Luke 1:49), the characterization of Jesus as 'a prophet mighty in deed and word' (Luke 24:19), Moses described as 'mighty in his words and deeds' (Acts 7:22), Apollos who was 'mighty in the Scriptures' (Acts 18:24), and Paul's letters which are 'weighty and powerful' (2 Cor 10:10). Spanish poderoso, French puissant, German maechtig, and Arabic قَدِير all deploy personal-power vocabulary here, distinct from the abstract 'possible' of sense 1. The Lukan occurrences are especially striking: dunatos becomes virtually a divine title in the Magnificat. 11×
AR["-أَقْوِيَاءُ", "أَقْوياءُ", "أَقْوِياءُ", "القَادِرُونَ", "الْقَدِيرُ", "قَدِيرًا", "قَدِيرٌ", "قَوِيًّا", "قَوِيٌّ", "قَوِيَّةٌ", "قُدْرَتِ-هِ"]·ben["শক্তিমান", "শক্তিশালী", "শক্তিশালী,", "শক্তিশালীরা,", "সমর্থ", "সমর্থেরা", "সামর্থ্য"]·DE["maechtig", "mächtig"]·EN["Mighty-One", "power", "powerful", "strong"]·FR["puissant"]·heb["גְּבוּרָתוֹ", "גִּבּוֹר", "הַיְכוֹלִים", "חֲזָקִים", "חָזָק", "עֲצוּמִים", "עַצְמִים"]·HI["शक्तिशाली", "समर्थ", "सामर्थी", "सामर्थी-ने"]·ID["Yang-Mahakuasa", "berkuasa", "kuasa", "kuat", "kuat,", "yang-berkuasa"]·IT["possibile", "potente"]·jav["ageng,", "ingkang-kuwasa", "kang-kuwasa,", "kiyat", "kiyat,", "kwasa", "kwénéng", "panguwaosipun"]·KO["가능한-것을", "강력한", "강한-자들-이", "강한-자들이면", "강한-자이다", "능력-있는-자들", "능력-있는-자들이", "능력있는", "능하신-분", "능한"]·PT["Poderoso", "forte", "fortes", "fortes,", "poder", "poderosas", "poderoso", "poderosos"]·RU["-немощи", "Сильный", "в-", "сильные", "сильный"]·ES["Poderoso", "capaces", "fuertes", "poderosas", "poderoso", "poderosos"]·SW["Mwenye-Nguvu", "hodari", "mwenye-nguvu", "nguvu", "vyenye-nguvu", "wenye-nguvu", "wenye-nguvu,", "wenye-uwezo"]·TR["Güçlü-Olan", "gücünü", "güçlü", "güçlüler", "soylu", "yetkili-olanlar"]·urd["طاقتور", "قادر", "قادر-نے", "قدرت"]
3. able, capable — A predicate adjective meaning 'able, capable' with an infinitive or implied infinitive, describing a subject — typically God — who has the capacity to accomplish something specific. With 8 occurrences, this sense appears in constructions like 'God is able to raise up children from these stones' (implied in Luke 14:31), 'God was able to do what he had promised' (Rom 4:21), 'God is able to graft them in again' (Rom 11:23), and 'I am persuaded that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him' (2 Tim 1:12). Spanish capaz/poderoso, French capable/puissant, and German imstande/faehig distinguish this 'ability with respect to a task' from general might. The theological weight falls on divine capacity: five of the eight instances predicate ability of God, making this a vocabulary of faith and confidence in divine competence. 8×
AR["قادِراً", "قادِرٌ", "قَادِر", "قَادِرٌ"]·ben["সক্ষম", "সমর্থ"]·DE["maechtig", "mächtig"]·EN["able"]·FR["puissant"]·heb["יָכֹל", "יָכוֹל"]·HI["समरथ", "समर्थ"]·ID["berkuasa", "mampu", "sanggup"]·IT["possibile", "potente"]·jav["kuwaos", "saged"]·KO["가능하시기", "능력이-있는-자라", "능한", "능한지", "능히", "할-수-있다고"]·PT["capaz", "poderoso"]·RU["-", "силен", "сильным", "силён", "способный"]·ES["capaz", "poderoso"]·SW["ana-uwezo", "anaweza", "aweza", "awezaye", "aweze", "mwenye-uwezo"]·TR["gücü-olan", "güçlü", "kadirdir", "kudretli", "muktedir"]·urd["قابل", "قادر"]
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
δῠνᾰτ-ός, ή, όν, also ός, όν Refs 5th c.BC+:— strong, mighty, in body or mind, ὅ τι ἦν αὐτῶν δυνατώτατον the ablest-bodied men, Refs 5th c.BC+; sound in limb, opposed to ἀδύνατος, Refs 5th c.BC+; of ships, fit for service, Refs 5th c.BC+; of things, δυνατώτερον ἀδικία δικαιοσύνης Refs 5th c.BC+; λόγος a powerful argument, Refs 4th c.BC+ __2 with infinitive, able to do, Refs 5th c.BC+; δ. λῦσαι…