Word study
Ability
4 Hebrew and 3 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “ability”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “ability” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- תָּבוּן tâbûnintelligence, argument, capricetranslated this way 3 times of its 42 uses · Strong’s H8394Noun · Translated: understanding 28, insight 4, ability 3Full study and all 42 verses →
Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,
Exodus 35:31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,
- כֹּחַ kôachstrength, powertranslated this way 2 times of its 118 uses · Strong’s H3581Noun · Translated: strength 54, power 35, produce 2, powerless 2Full study and all 114 verses →
1 Chronicles 29:2 Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God — gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble — all in abundance.
Ezra 2:69 According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.
- יָרָה yârâhthrow, shoottranslated this way 1 time of its 78 uses · Strong’s H3384Verb · Translated: teach 20, shoot 9, instruct 6, shot 5Full study and all 72 verses →
Exodus 35:34 And the LORD has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.
- פְּשַׁר pesharinterprettranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s H6590Verb · Translated: ability to interpret 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Daniel 5:12 did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”
Greek words (New Testament)
- δύναμις dýnamismight, power, marvelous workstranslated this way 3 times of its 116 uses · Strong’s G1411Noun · Translated: power 77, miracles 18, powers 6, miraculous powers 3Full study and all 113 verses →
Matthew 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent — each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.
2 Corinthians 1:8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
- εὐπορέω euporéōI have means, am prosperoustranslated this way 1 time of its 1 use · Strong’s G2141Verb · Translated: ability 1Full study and its 1 verse →
Acts 11:29 So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
- ἀναγινώσκω anaginṓskōI readtranslated this way 1 time of its 32 uses · Strong’s G314Verb · Translated: read 18, reading 5, never read 4, reader 2Full study and all 29 verses →
2 Corinthians 1:13 For we do not write you anything that is beyond your ability to read and understand. And I hope that you will understand us completely,
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.