ἀδύνατος (adunatos)
adunatos
unable
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 10 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek adjective adunatos describes a state of being without strength or power. It applies to people who are physically weak or morally incapable, and to situations that are simply impossible to achieve. In the New Testament, it often highlights human limitation in the face of divine action.
This word appears in key moments where natural ability fails. Jesus uses it to explain that salvation is beyond human reach but possible for God (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). Paul employs it to show how the law was powerless against sin, necessitating God’s intervention through Christ (Romans 8:3).
Its root combines a negative prefix with the word for "strength" or "power." This etymology reinforces its meaning: not just a lack of effort, but an inherent inability. The sources note its use in Hebrews to describe things that are inherently impossible under the old covenant (Hebrews 10:4), emphasizing that some boundaries cannot be crossed by human means alone.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When we face situations that feel completely out of reach, this word reminds us that our inability is not the final word. It describes a state where human strength simply runs out, whether in physical weakness or moral limitation. The New Testament uses this term to highlight the boundary between what we can achieve and what only God can do.
Jesus used this concept to comfort his disciples when they wondered about the difficulty of salvation. He pointed out that while such things are impossible for people, they remain possible for God. This offers a profound shift in perspective: our limitations become the space where divine power is most clearly displayed.
This understanding invites us to stop striving in our own strength and instead rest in the reality that God can accomplish what we cannot. It is an invitation to trust that when we reach the end of our resources, His power begins. We are encouraged to look beyond our own capacity to the one who holds all things together.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 10 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [it is] impossible3×
- impossible2×
- weak1×
- powerless [being]1×
- crippled1×
- [It is] impossible1×
- Impossible [it is]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀδύνατον6×
- ἀδύνατόν1×
- ἀδύνατος1×
- ἀδύνατα1×
- ἀδυνάτων1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 19:26
Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus uses this term to contrast human limitation with divine capability, showing that salvation exceeds natural ability.
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Romans 8:3
For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
Paul describes the law as powerless against sin due to human weakness, necessitating God's intervention through Christ.
-
Hebrews 10:4
For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
This verse highlights that animal sacrifices were inherently unable to remove sins, pointing to the need for a better solution.
-
Hebrews 6:18
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.
The text states it is impossible for God to lie, using this absolute inability to highlight His trustworthiness.