He is Able ΑΥΤΟΣ ΔΥΝΑΤΑΙ
Greek Text English Text Textfile Scripture Chreia Pedagogy Idioms Vocabulary Rating
This song is one of several songs which go by the name "He is Able". This song is the 1988 Title: He is Able,
Words and Music by Rory Noland and Greg Ferguson. Searching for it on the internet, it is good to add the tag "Maranatha" as Maranatha Music currently holds the copyright. I have also included a verse of the traditional "He is Able, He is able, I know He is able...." on a separate web page.
This song is a slow, melodius chorus. There are no verses. As to Greek, it is a great song to learn infinitives, impersonal verbs and those middle forms. I have created a number of interchangeable lines as Greek has so many ways to say the same thing. I do not yet have a "favorite". A number of suggestions are given for making alternative lines and phrases in the Chreia section below.
ΑΥΤΟΣ ΔΥΝΑΤΕΙ |
| Instrumental Audio Vocal acapella |
Chorus 1 Chorus 2 Chorus 3 Chorus 4 |
Songwriters: Rory Noland / Greg Ferguson
Album:
Greek Text: Louis Sorenson 2009
The Greek text is still in the process of being fully matched to meter, along with adding optional lines, etc. Many resources I hope to link to are not yet listed. If you have any comments, suggestions, send me a note at louis <at> letsreadgreek <dot> com.
English Text
- English Lyrics
| He is Able |
He is able, more than able Lyrics from HigherPraise.com |
- Links
This song is from 1988. It has not been in the top 25 songs anytime recently. We sing it in my church all the time where we also sing many other top 25 songs.
Song Information:
Scripture Song Database: http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/NTSONG/1351
Christian Copyright Licensing International: http://www.ccli.com/LicenseHolder/Search/SongSearch.aspx?s=115420
Lyrics:
Lyrics:http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics1/He_is_Able.htm
Video:I have been unable to find video of this song being sung either by an artist, group, amateur or church. Let me know if you find one.
Mp3:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Maranatha-Singers-Praise-12-He-Is-Able-MP3-Download/11073547.html
http://www.emusic.com/samples/m3u/song/11073547/15666823.m3u (sample)
Scriptural References
This song is taken from Ephesians 3:
Some of the alternative versions pull in words and structures from other biblical and non-biblical references.
Acts 9:22 Σαῦλος δὲ μᾶλλον ἐνεδυναμοῦτοPhilippians 1:6 πεποιθὼς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἐν ὑμῖν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτελέσει ἄχρι ἡμέρας Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ·
Pseudo-Justinius Martyr Quastiones et responsiones ad orthodoxos, Morel page 466, Sectin B, Line 4πολὺ μᾶλλον αὐτὸς δύναται ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου
Clemens Romanus et Clementina Theol., Homiliae [Sp.]
Homily 19, chapter 5, section 4, line 3εἰ δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς δύναται, κρείττων ὁ πρὸς
τῷ ἀδυνατεῖν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμᾶς εὐεργετεῖν οὐκ ὀκνῶν.Origenes Theol., Commentarii in evangelium Joannis (lib. 19, 20, 28, 32)
Book 32, chapter 28, section 351, line 3χρῶμαι δὲ τούτοις τοῖς ὀνόμασιν, οὐχ
ὡς κυρίως ἂν λεχθησομένοις ἐπὶ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀπορῶν τῶν, ἵν'
οὕτως ὀνομάσω, ἀρρήτων ῥημάτων, ἃ μόνος αὐτὸς δύναται, καὶ
μετ' αὐτὸν ὁ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ ἐν κυριολεξίᾳ λέγειν ἢ φρονεῖν
περὶ αὐτοῦ. ἐγεῖραι τοὺς νεκρούς.Joannes Chrysostomus Scr. Eccl., In Matthaeum (homiliae 1-90)
Vol 58, pg 506, ln 4Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐπίστευσεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς δύναται περιπατεῖν
ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἑτέρους ἐνάγειν
καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖ ταχέως ἐγγὺς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι.
Koine Greek Adaptation and Literal Translation
- Koine Text (Many variations of the first stanza are given here, with a few notes below).
| ΑΥΤΟΣ ΔΥΝΑΤΑΙ | HE IS ABLE | ||
|
Chorus 1
|
He is able, he is even more able, to do what things for me are necessary. He is able, he is even more able, To control all things which would be of concern to me. He is able, he is certainly even more able, To do many more things than suffice me He is able, he is even more able, To complete the things which he began in me. |
|
9 |
Chorus 2 αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται πληροῦν πάντα ὧν ὑστεροῦμαι αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται κρατεῖν πάντα ὧν μεριμνῶμαι αὐτὸς δύναται, δὴ μᾶλλον δύναται διδοῦν πόλλα μᾶλλον ἢ ὧν αἰτοῦμαι αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται ἐντελεῖν ἂ ἐν μοι ἐνάρχεται. |
|
|
17 |
Chorus 3 αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται πληροῦν πάντα ὧν δὴ χρῄζω αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται ἐπαρκεῖν πάντα ἃ μοι ἂν ἀρκεῖ αὐτὸς δύναται, δὴ μᾶλλον δύναται διδοῦν πόλλα μᾶλλον ἢ καὶ αἰτοῦμαι αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται ἐντελεῖν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἂ ἐνάρχεται. |
He is able, he is even more able, To fulfill everything of which I need, He is able, he is even more able, To supply everything which would suffice me. He is able, he is certainly even more able, To give much more than I even ask. He is able, he is even more able, To complete in me the things which He began. |
|
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 |
Chorus 4 αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται τελεῖν ἃ τινά μοι δὴ δεῖ αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται κρατεῖν πάντα ἅ μέλει μοι αὐτὸς δύναται, δὴ μᾶλλον δύναται ποιεῖν ἃ τινά δὴ χρή μοι αὐτὸς δύναται, μᾶλλον δύναται τραπεῖν ἐμὲ εἰς οἷον ἂν θέλοι. |
He is able, he is even more able, To complete the things which are certainly necessary for me. He is able, he is even more able, To control all things which concern me. He is able, he is certainly even more able, To do what things are absolutely necessary for me. He is able, he is even more able, To change me into the sort (of person) he would wish. |
|
| *Hyphens indicate to hold a syllable longer when singing. |
Progress of Translation
- Living Koine Audio forthcoming
- Progress: 6 of 10 (I still question some of the 3rd person impersonal constructions).
- Rating of Koine Text: 6 (0=incomplete | 3=rough translation | 8=meter matched | 10=elegant)
- Text with Sheet Music (melody only) forthcoming
- Parallel Koine Greek / English (given above)
Chreia Adaptations and Variations
- αὐτός δύνατος ἐστιν = αὐτὸς δύναται
- Ι have included four different versions. More could easily be created by searching the NT for complementary infinitive constructs.
Use in Greek Pedagogy
This song focuses on the 3rd person singular "he is able" and 3rd person impersonals such as χρή, δεῖ, ἀρκεῖ, μέλει, κτλ. Not all such verbs are impersonal in this song. I have added several verses which use the middle forms.
Notes on the Idioms and Word Choices.
- Some verbs are regulary impersonal, meaning 'it is...' Verbs in this song which could be impersonal are δεῖ 'it is necessary', μέλει it is a concern, ἀρκεῖ it suffices, χρή it is necessary.'
2. Relative clause structures introduced by:
- πάντα ἃ 'everything which'
- ἃ τινὰ 'all things which'
3. Τhe word δύναται takes a complementary infinitve
- δύναται ποιεῖν πάντα ἃ 'he is able to do all things which'
- δύναται πράσσειν ἃ τινὰ he is able to perform/do anything which'
4. εἰς οἷον ἂν θέλοι. The verb θέλοι is an optative in concert with ἂν 'into what he would wish.
5. μᾶλλον. This word means 'more'. It is simiilar to the Attic μάλα; μάλα is not used in the NT. It is used in several constructions in the NT:
- πολλῳ μᾶλλον 'much more'
- πόσῳ μᾶλλον 'how much more'
- μᾶλλον + verb: 'more ____'
- μᾶλλον ἢ: 'more than'
- πόλλα μᾶλλον ἢ 'much more than'
Vocabulary
Forthcoming.
