'cannot'

Clwinbery at aol.com Clwinbery at aol.com
Wed Nov 21 08:38:09 EST 2001



In a message dated 11/21/01 5:11:44 AM, TimFrancis at excite.com writes:

>I have very little Greek, but can read it with the help of a parallel
>text.  I am trying to decipher 'dinatai' for 'cannot'.  (This is where
>Jesus says to his listeners that unless a man be born again, he 'cannot'
>enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  What does the 'cannot' mean.  As far as I
>can tell from parallel texts and dictionaries, 'dinatai' means cannot in
>the sense of 'have not the power', 'not strong enough'.  Is this right?
> I
>need some clarification for a PhD thesis I am writing which involves
>analysis of Luther's translation.

Louw & Nida has an entry for DUNAMAI as follows

74.5 DUNAMAI; DUNATEW: (derivatives of DUNAMIS "ability," (74.) to be able to 
do or to experience something -- "can, to be able to."
DUNAMAI: OUDEIS DUNATAI DUSI KURIOIS DOULEUEIN "no one can serve two masters" 
Mt. 6:24.
This is also one of the verbs that occurs only in the middle, probably 
meaning something like, "is not able (of himself) to enter the Kingdom."

Carlton Winbery
Louisana College



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