Discovering the Power of Luke's Gospel: A Greek Word Study without Greek...Continued from page 2

Now that we have determined how Luke uses the term in general, we can return to Luke 8:46 to reassess the meaning of dunamis (δυ?ναμις) in light of our entire investigation.

The use of "dunamis" in Luke:

-God (1:35; 4:14)
-Jesus' heavenly authority (21:27; 22:69) 
-Jesus' miracles (10:13; 19:37) 
-Jesus' healing ministry (5:17; 6:19; 8:46)

Step 4: Revisit the Passage to Find the Meaning of the Word in Context

Judging from the usage of the term in various contexts (and specifically in Luke's Gospel), it seems fair to conclude that this occurrence of dunamis (δυ?ναμις) refers to the divine power contained and originated in the person of Jesus.

The purpose of Luke 8:46 is to highlight the connection between Jesus' divinity and the actions performed in his healing ministry. Numerous times throughout Jesus' healing ministry, divine "power" finds its source in him (Luke 5:17; 6:19; 8:46). Dunamis (δυ?ναμις) in Luke 8:46 subtly expresses that the presence and effect of "power" in Jesus' earthly ministry indicates his divine identity.

To review: The Greek writers used dunamis (δυ?ναμις) to describe spiritual and universal "powers". The translators of the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) used the word to describe something that originated from, and was distributed by, God. Among other usages, Luke primarily used "power" to describe something God the Father and Jesus possessed.

Notes: 
*A lexicon is an in-depth dictionary about a specific corpus of writings. Because of this, lexicons can contain more lengthy and detailed entries than dictionaries.

Koine (Common) Greek

The New Testament was written in Koine Greek (Κοινη? Ελληνικη?). Koine Greek, or Common Greek, was a dialect that began during the reign of Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) and continued to be spoken until about 500 CE. Unlike many of the philosophical works before it (written in Attic Greek), the New Testament was addressed to a popular and diverse audience, comprised primarily of lower class individuals. Thus, it was written in the dialect of the people.

Article courtesy of Bible Study Magazine published by Logos Bible Software. Each issue of Bible Study Magazine provides tools and methods for Bible study as well as insights from people like John Piper, Kay Arthur, Mark Driscoll, Randy Alcorn, John MacArthur, Barry Black, and more. More information is available at http://www.biblestudymagazine.com. Originally published in print: Copyright Bible Study Magazine (Nov-Dec 2008): pg. 37-38.