Might (Noun), Mighty, Mightily, Mightier
Might (Noun), Mighty, Mightily, Mightier
“power,” (a) used relatively, denotes “inherent ability, capability, ability to perform anything,” e.g., Mat 25:15, “ability;” Act 3:12, “power;” 2Th 1:7, RV, “(angels) of His power” (AV, “mighty”); Heb 11:11, RV, “power” (AV, “strength”); see ABILITY; (b) used absolutely, denotes (1) “power to work, to carry something into effect,” e.g., Luk 24:49; (2) “power in action,” e.g., Rom 1:16; 1Co 1:18; it is translated “might” in the AV of Eph 1:21 (RV, “power”); so Eph 3:16; Col 1:11 (1st clause); 2Pe 2:11; in Rom 15:19, AV, this noun is rendered “mighty;” RV, “(in the) power of signs.” The RV consistently avoids the rendering “might” for dunamis; the usual rendering is “power.” Under this heading comes the rendering “mighty works,” e.g., Mat 7:22, RV (AV, “wonderful works”); 11:20-23; singular number in Mar 6:5; in Mat 14:2; Mar 6:14 the RV has “powers;” in 2Co 12:12, RV, “mighty works” (AV, “mighty deeds”). See MIRACLE, especially POWER.
Note: Dunamis, “power,” is to be distinguished from exousia, “the right to exercise power.” See DOMINION, Note.
denotes “might, strength, power,” (a) inherent and in action as used of God, Eph 1:19, RV, “(the strength, kratos, of His) might” AV, “(His mighty) power,” i.e., power (over external things) exercised by strength; Eph 6:10, “of His might;” 2Th 1:9, RV, “(from the glory) of His might” (AV “power”); Rev 5:12, RV, “might” (AV, “strength”); Rev 7:12, “might;” (b) as an endowment, said (1) of angles, 2Pe 2:11; here the order is No. 2 and No. 1, RV, “might and power,” which better expresses the distinction than the AV, “power and might;” in some mss. in Rev 18:2 it is said of the voice of an angle [see E, (c)]; the most authentic mss. have the adjective ischuros, “mighty;” (2) of men, Mar 12:30, Mar 12:33; Luk 10:27 (RV and AV, “strength,” in all three verses); 1Pe 4:11, RV, “strength” (AV, “ability:” this belongs rather to No. 1). Either “strength” or “might” expresses the true significance of ischus. See ABILITY, POWER, STRENGTH.
Notes: (1) In Luk 9:43, AV, megaleiotes, “greatness, majesty,” is translated “mighty power” (RV, “majesty”). (2) Cp. kratos (see POWER).
“powerful, mighty” (akin to A, No. 1), is used, with that significance, (1) of God, Luk 1:49, “mighty;” Rom 9:22, “power” (here the neuter of the adjective is used with the article, as a noun, equivalent to dunamis); frequently with the meaning “able” (see ABLE, C, No. 1); (2) of Christ, regarded as a prophet, Luk 24:19 (“in deed and word”); (3) of men: Moses, Act 7:22 (“in his words and works”); Apollos, Act 18:24, “in the Scriptures;” of those possessed of natural power, 1Co 1:26; of those possessed of spiritual power, 2Co 10:4. For the shades of meaning in the translation “strong,” see Rom 15:1; 2Co 12:10; 2Co 13:9. For Rev 6:15, see No. 2, below; see STRONG. See also POSSIBLE.
“strong, mighty” (akin to A, No. 2, and with corresponding adjectival significance), is usually translated “strong;” “mighty” in Luk 15:14 (of a famine); Rev 19:6 (of thunders); Rev 19:18 (of men): in the following, where the AV has “mighty,” the RV substitutes “strong,” 1Co 1:27; Rev 6:15 (AV, “might men”); Rev 18:10, Rev 18:21; Heb 11:34, RV, “(waxed) mighty” (AV, “valiant”). See BOISTEROUS, POWERFUL, STRONG (where the word is analyzed).
“stronger, mightier,” the comparative degree of No. 2, is translated “mightier” in Mat 3:11; Mar 1:7; Luk 3:16; “stronger” in Luk 11:22; 1Co 1:25; 1Co 10:22. See STRONG.
“violent” (from bia, “force, violence, strength,” found in Act 5:26; Act 21:35; Act 24:7; Act 27:41), occurs in Act 2:2, of wind.
“strong, mighty” (akin to kratos, “strength,” relative and manifested power: see MIGHTILY, below), is found in 1Pe 5:6, of the “mighty” hand of God.
is rendered “mighty” in Act 2:11, RV See WONDERFUL, Note (2).
Notes: (1) In Luk 1:52, AV, dunastes, “a potentate, prince,” is translated “mighty” (RV, “princes”). (2) In Rev 6:13, AV, megas, “great,” is translated “mighty” (RV, “great”), of a wind. (3) In Rev 16:18, AV, telikoutos, “so great” (when said of things), is translated “so mighty” (RV, “so great”), of an earthquake.
“to be powerful” (akin to A, No. 1 and B, No. 1), is found in the most authentic mss. in Rom 14:4 (some have dunatos, B, No. 1), RV “(the Lord) hath power,” AV, “(God) is able;” similarly, as regard mss., in 2Co 9:8, where the RV and AV have “(God) is able;” in 2Co 13:3, AV, “is mighty,” RV, “is powerful” (according to the general significance of dunamis).
Note: In Gal 2:8, AV, energeo, “to work, work in” (en, “in,” ergon, “work”), is first translated “wrought effectually,” then “was mighty in” (RV, “wrought for,” in both places; the probable meaning is “in me”). See EFFECTUAL, WORK.
“vigorously, vehemently” (eu, “well,” teino, “to stetch”), is translated “mightily” in Act 18:28, AV, of the power of Apollos in “confuting” the Jews (RV, “powerfully”); in Luk 23:10 it is rendered “vehemently.” See POWERFUL, VEHEMENTLY. In the Sept., Jos 6:7, “(let them sound) loudly.”
* The following phrases signify “mightily:” (a) en dunamei, Col 1:29, of the inward power of God’s working, lit., “in power,” as RV marg. (en, “in,” and A, No. 1); (b) kata kratos, Act 19:20, of the increase of the word of the Lord in a place, lit, “according to might;” (c) in Rev 18:2 some mss. have en ischui, lit., “in strength” (en, “in,” and A, No. 2), of the voice of an angel.