δύναμις

δύναμις — dýnamis

δύναμις, δυνάμεως, ἡ; (from Homer down); the Sept. for חַיִל, גְּבוּרָה, עֹז, כֹּחַ, צָבָא (an army, a host); strength, ability, power;

a. universally, "inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth": Luk 1:17; Act 4:7; 1Co 4:20; 2Co 4:7; 2Co 12:9 (ἡ δύναμις ἐν ἀσθένεια τελεῖται (R G τελειοῦται));; 1Th 1:5; Heb 7:16; Heb 11:34; Rev 1:16; Rev 17:13; ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει, Act 3:12; μεγάλη δυνάμει, Act 4:33; ἑκάστῳ κατά τήν ἰδίαν δύναμιν, Mat 25:15; ὑπέρ δύναμιν, beyond our power, 2Co 1:8; ἐν δυνάμει namely, ὤν, endued with power, Luk 4:36; 1Co 15:43; so in the phrase ἔρχεσθαι ἐν δυνάμει, Mar 9:1; powerfully, Col 1:29; 2Th 1:11; contextually, equivalent to evidently, Rom 1:4; ἐν δυνάμει σημείων καί τεράτων, through the power which I exerted upon their souls by performing miracles, Rom 15:19; δύναμις εἰς τί, Heb 11:11; δύναμις ἐπί τά δαιμόνια καί νόσους θεραπεύειν, Luk 9:1; ἡ δύναμις τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ νόμος, sin exercises its power (upon the soul) through the law, i. e. through the abuse of the law, 1Co 15:56; τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the power which the resurrection of Christ has, for instructing, reforming, elevating, tranquilizing, the soul, Php 3:10; τῆς εὐσεβείας, inhering in godliness and operating upon souls, 2Ti 3:5; δυνάμεις μέλλοντος αἰῶνος (see αἰών, 3), Heb 6:5; τό πνεῦμα τῆς δυνάμεως (see πνεῦμα, 5), 1Pe 4:14 Lachmann; 2Ti 1:7; δύναμις is used of the power of angels: Eph 1:21 (cf. Meyer at the passage]) 2Pe 2:11; of the power of the devil and evil spirits, 1Co 15:24; τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, i. e. of the devil, Luk 10:19; τοῦ δράκοντος, Rev 13:2; angels, as excelling in power, are called δυνάμεις (cf. (Philo de mutat. nora. § 8 δυνάμεις ἀσωματοι) Meyer as above; Lightfoot on Col 1:16; see ἄγγελος): Rom 8:38; 1Pe 3:22. ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ, universally, the power of God: Mat 22:29; Mar 12:24; Luk 22:69; Act 8:10; Rom 1:20; Rom 9:17; 1Co 6:14; δύναμις ὑψίστου, Luk 1:35; ἡ δύναμις, especially in doxologies, the kingly power of God, Mat 6:13 Rec.; Rev 4:11; Rev 7:12; Rev 11:17; Rev 12:10; Rev 15:8; Rev 19:1; and the abstract for the concrete (as הַגְּבוּרָה in Jewish writings; cf. Buxtorf Lex. talm. col. 385 (p. 201f, Fischer edition)) equivalent to ὁ δυνατός, Mat 26:64; Mar 14:62; δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ is used of the divine power considered as acting upon the minds of men, 1Co 2:5; 2Co 6:7; Eph 3:7; Eph 3:20; (2Ti 1:8; 1Pe 1:5); εἰς τινα, 2Co 13:4 (but WH in brackets); Eph 1:19; ἐνδύεσθαι δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψους, Luk 24:49; by metonymy, things or persons in which God's saving power shows its efficacy are called δυνάμεις Θεοῦ: thus, ὁ Χριστός, 1Co 1:24; ὁ λόγος τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1Co 1:18; τό εὐαγγέλιον, with the addition εἰς σωτηρίαν παντί, etc. Rom 1:16 (cf. Winer's Grammar, § 36, 3 b.). δύναμις is ascribed to Christ, now in one sense and now in another: a power to heal disease proceeds from him, Mar 5:30; Luk 5:17; Luk 6:19; Luk 8:46 the kingly power of the Messiah is his, Mat 24:30; (Mar 13:26); Luk 21:27; 2Pe 1:16; Rev 5:12; ἄγγελοι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ (see ἄγγελος, 2), ministering to his power, 2Th 1:7 (Winer's Grammar, § 34, 3 b. note); metaphysical (or essential) power, viz. that which belongs to him as ὁ θεῖος λόγος, in the expression τό ῤῆμα τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, the word uttered by his power, equivalent to his most powerful will and energy, Heb 1:3; moral power, operating on the soul, 2Co 12:9 R G; and called ἡ θεία αὐτοῦ δύναμις in 2Pe 1:3; ἡ δύναμις τοῦ κυρίου, the power of Christ invisibly present and operative in Christian church formally assembled, 1Co 5:4. δύναμις τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος: Act 1:8 (Winer's Grammar, 125 (119)); πνεῦμα ἅγιον καί δύναμις, Act 10:38; ἀπόδειξις πνεύματος καί δυνάμεως (see ἀπόδειξις, b.), 1Co 2:4; ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, under or full of the power of the Holy Spirit, Luk 4:14; ἐν δυνάμει πνεύματος ἁγίου, by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, Rom 15:13; by the power which, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, I exerted upon their souls, Rom 15:19.

b. specifically, the power of performing miracles: Act 6:8; πᾶσα δύναμις, every kind of power of working miracles (with the addition of καί σημείοις καί τέρασι), 2Th 2:9; plural: (Mat 13:54; Mat 14:2; Mar 6:14); 1Co 12:28; Gal 3:5; ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, 1Co 12:10; by metonymy, of the cause for the effect, a mighty work (cf. Winers Grammar, 32; Trench, § xci.): δύναμιν ποιεῖν, Mar 6:5; Mar 9:39; so in the plural, Mar 6:2 Luk 19:37; joined with σημεῖα, Act 8:13; with σημεῖα καί τέρατα, Act 2:22; 2Co 12:12; Heb 2:4 (?); ποιεῖν δυνάμεις, Mat 7:22;; Act 19:11; γίνονται δυνάμεις, Matthew 11:20f, 23; Luk 10:13.

c. moral power and excellence of soul: 1Co 4:19; 2Co 4:7; Eph 3:16; Col 1:11.

d. the power and influence which belong to riches; (pecuniary ability), wealth: τοῦ στρήνους, 'riches ministering to luxury' (Grotius), Rev 18:3; κατά δύναμιν καί ὑπέρ (others, δύναμιν, according to their means, yea, beyond their means, 2Co 8:3; (in this sense, for חַיִל, the Sept. Deu 8:17; Rth 4:11; not infrequent Greek writings, as Xenophon, Cyril 8, 4, 34; an. 7, 7, 21 (36)).

e. power and resources arising from numbers: Rev 3:8.

f. power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts, (so, both in singular and in plural, often in Greek writings from Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, on; in the Sept. and in Apocrypha); hence, δυνάμεις τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, the host of heaven, Hebraistically the stars: Mat 24:29; Luk 21:26; and δυνάμεις ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, Mar 13:25; equivalent to הַשָּׁמַיִם צְבָא, 2Ki 17:16; 2Ki 23:4; Isa 34:4; Jer 8:2; Dan 8:10, etc. (cf. σαβαώθ).

g. Like the Latinvis andpotestas, equivalent to the (force i. e.) meaning of a word or expression: 1Co 14:11; (Plato, Crat., p. 394 h.; Polybius 20, 9, 11; Dionysius Halicarnassus 1, 68; Dio Cuss. 55, 3; others). [SYNONYMS: βία, δύναμις, ἐνέργεια, ἐξουσία, ἰσχύς, κράτος βία, force, effective, often oppressive power, exhibiting itself in single deeds of violence; δύναμις, power, natural ability, general and inherent; ἐνέργεια, working, power in exercise, operative power; ἐξουσία, primarily liberty of action; then, authority — either as delegated power, or as unrestrained, arbitrary power; ἰσχύς, strength, power (especially physical) as an endowment κράτος, might, relative and manifested power — in the N. T. chiefly of God; τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος, Eph 6:10, τήν ἐνέργειαν τῆς δυναμμεως, Eph 3:7, τήν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ κράτους τῆς ἰσχύος, Eph 1:19. Cf. Schmidt, chapter 148; Lightfoot on Col 1:16; Meyer on Eph 1:19.]