Original Word: ἀδύνατος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: adunatos
Pronunciation: ah-DOO-nah-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (ad-oo'-nat-os)
Definition: Impossible, unable, powerless
Meaning: of persons: incapable; of things: impossible; either the inability, or that which is impossible.

Word Origin: From the Greek prefix ἀ- (a-, "not") and δυνατός (dunatos, "able, powerful")

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often used in similar contexts is אִי אֶפְשָׁר (i efshar), meaning "impossible" or "not possible," though there is no direct one-to-one correspondence in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary.

Usage: The Greek word ἀδύνατος (adunatos) is used to describe something that is impossible or beyond human capability. It often conveys the idea of powerlessness or inability to achieve a certain outcome. In the New Testament, it is frequently used to highlight the limitations of human effort in contrast to the omnipotence of God.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, the concept of power and ability was highly valued, often associated with divine favor or personal virtue. The use of ἀδύνατος in the New Testament reflects a counter-cultural message that emphasizes human limitations and the necessity of divine intervention. This aligns with the broader biblical theme that true power and possibility reside with God, not in human strength or wisdom.

Word Origin
from alpha (as a neg. prefix) and dunatos
Definition
unable, powerless
NASB Translation
impossible (6), no strength (1), things that are impossible (1), could not do (1), without strength (1).

STRONGS NT 102: ἀδύνατος

ἀδύνατος, (δύναμαι) (from Herodotus down);

1. without strength, impotent: τοῖς ποσί, Acts 14:8; figuratively, of Christians whose faith is not yet quite firm, Romans 15:1 (opposed to δυνατός).

2. impossible (in contrast with δυνατόν): παρά τίνι, for (with) anyone, Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27; τό ἀδύνατος τοῦ νόμου 'what the law could not do' (this God effected by, etc.; (others take τό ἀδύνατος here as nominative absolutely, cf. Buttmann, 381 (326); Winer's Grammar, 574 (534); Meyer or Gifford at the passage)), Romans 8:3; followed by the accusative with an infinitive, Hebrews 6:4, 18; Hebrews 10:4; by an infinitive, Hebrews 11:6.

impossible, impotent, weak.

From a (as a negative particle) and dunatos; unable, i.e. Weak (literally or figuratively); passively, impossible -- could not do, impossible, impotent, not possible, weak.

see GREEK a

see GREEK dunatos

αδυνατα αδύνατα αδύνατά ἀδύνατα αδύνατοι αδυνατον αδύνατον αδύνατόν ἀδύνατον ἀδύνατόν αδυνατος αδύνατος ἀδύνατος αδυνάτους αδυνάτω αδυνατων αδυνάτων ἀδυνάτων adunata adunaton adunatōn adunatos adynata adýnata adynaton adynatōn adynáton adynátōn adýnaton adýnatón adynatos adýnatosInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts