--- title: יָכֹל — be able · The Tanakh dictionary description: יָכֹל (3201), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 193 times: be able. BDB 1906: vb. Hoph. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3201.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [י](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1497-3.md)‎ / יָכֹל‎ # יָכֹל «יָכֹל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be able** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 193 times · **Key:** 3201 · **BDB:** יָכֹל ### Glosses they.were.able (26); you.will.be.able (20); I.am.able (17) ### Meaning (OSHB) be able [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3201/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. Hoph. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3201/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. be able, have power, prevail, endure (NH id.; Aramaic יְכִיל; Assyrian akâlu, Hpt in KAT2Gloss i,)— Pf. יָכֹל Gn 32:26 + 8 times; יָכוֹל 1 S 4:15 + 2 times; 3 fs. יָֽכְלָה Gn 36:7 Ex 2:3; 2 ms. וְיָכָלְתָּ֫ Ex 18:23; 1 s. יָכֹלְתִּי Gn 30:8 + 2 times; sf. יְכָלְתִּיו ψ 13:5; 3 pl. יָֽכְלוּ Gn 13:6 + 27 times + Jos 15:63 Qr; יָכֹ֑לוּ Ex 8:14 + 2 times; Impf. 3 ms. יוּכַל Gn 13:16 + 34 times; יוּכָ֑ל Jb 4:2 + 4 times; וַיֻּכָ֑ל Ho 12:5; 3 fs. תּוּכַל Am 7:10 + 2 times; 2 ms. תּוּכַל Gn 15:5 + 16 times; 1 s. אוּכַל Gn 19:19 + 30 times, etc. (on these Impf. forms as irreg. Qal, v. Ges§ 69, 2, R. 3 Köi. 407 WSG 237; others Hoph.); Inf. cstr. יְכֹ֫לֶת Nu 14:16 Dt 9:28; Inf. abs. יָכוֹל Nu 13:20 2 Ch 32:13; יָכֹל Nu 22:38 1 S 26:25; P 8 times (not Lv), Ez 3 times; often JED Je Is 2, not seld. SK Ch;— be able, to do a thing, whether ability be physical, moral, constitutional, or dependent on external authority; usually of man Gn 13:16 (J) +, but also of gods 2 Ch 32:13, 15, and of י׳ Nu 14:16 (JE), Dt 9:28 Je 44:22; occasionally of inanimate things Am 7:10 Gn 36:7 (P), Ct 8:7 Ec 1:15(×2), etc.: usually sq. inf. c. לְ (122 times), Gn 31:35 I am not able to rise up; 45:1 Joseph was not able to restrain himself, v 3 48:10; Ex 7:21, 24 were not able to drink, 12:39 Jos 24:19 (all E); Gn 13:16 if a man can number the dust, 19:19, 22; 43:32; 44:22, 26(×2) Ex 10:5; 19:23 (all J), Gn 15:5 Ex 15:23 Nu 11:14 (all JE) + 10 times JE; Dt 7:17 + 10 times D; Gn 13:6 they could not dwell together, 34:14; 36:7 Ex 9:11; 40:35 Nu 9:6 Jos 9:19 (all P); 1 S 3:2; 6:20 1 K 9:21 (on ‖ 2 Ch 8:8 and text of Ju 1:19 v. BuRS 8), Am 7:10 Ho 5:13 Zp 1:18 Je 6:10; 11:11; 13:23; 18:6; 19:11 +. sq. inf. without לְ (27 times; not P): Gn 37:4 Ex 2:3; 18:18, 23 (all E), Gn 24:50; 44:1 (J), Nu 22:37, 38 (JE), Dt 1:9; 7:22; 14:24; 22:29 Ju 8:3 Je 49:10, 23 Hb 1:13 Is 46:2; 47:11, 12; 57:20 La 1:14 ψ 18:39; 36:13; 78:20 Pr 30:21 Jb 4:2; 33:5. c. inf. implic., always neg., Gn 29:8 go and feed them; and they said, We are not able, cannot (J), Ex 8:14 (P), Is 29;11 Je 20:9 ψ 21:12 Jon 1:13. c. neg. = may not (of moral inability): Gn 43:32 (J) the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; Ju 21:18 we may not give them wives; especially D, Dt 7:22; 12:17; 14:24; 16:5; 17:15; 22:3; 28:27, 35. be able, sq. impf.: אוּלַי אוּכַל נַכֶּה Nu 22:6 (JE) perchance I am able (so that) we smite (v. Di; read perhaps נוּכַל for אוּכַל Ges§ 120, 1 b); לֹא יוּכְלוּ יִגְּעוּ La 4:14 they are unable, they touch = are unable to touch (Dr§ 163, Obs.) be able, sq. pf. consec., only very late, אוּכַל וְרָאִיתִי Est 8:6(×2), lit. how shall I be able and see?—Also in various combinations where English idiom would make it an auxiliary to another verb: able to gain, accomplish: sq. acc. לֹא יוּכְלוּ נִקָּיוֹן Ho 8:5 how long will they be unable (to gain) innocence? יָדַעְתִּ֯ כִּי־כֹל תּוּכָ֑ל Jb 42:2 I know that thou art able (to do) all things; אֵין הַמֶּלֶךְ יוּכַל אֶתְכֶם דָּבָר Je 38:5 the king is not (one who is) able (to do) anything with (אֶתְכם for אִתְּכֶם v. Gf, i.e. against) you. able to endure: לֹא אוּכַל אָוֶן וַעֲצָרָה Is 1:13 I cannot endure iniquity and (with) a solemn assembly, ψ 101:5. able to reach, sq. לְ, ψ 139:6 it is high, לֹא אוּכַל לָהּ I cannot (reach) to it. prevail: abs. prevail, overcome, be victor Gn 30:8 (E), 32:29 (J), Ho 12:5 1 S 26:25 1 K 22:22 = 2 Ch 18:21 Je 20:7, 11; of waves 5:22; succeed Is 16:12, Je 3:5 (VB hast had thy way). sq. לְ pers., prevail against, over Gn 32:26 (J), Nu 13:30 (JE), Ju 16:5 1 S 17:19 Je 1:19; 15:20; 20:10; 38:22 Ob 7 ψ 129:2 Est 6:13. once c. sf., יְכָלְתִּיו ψ 13:5 I have prevailed over him, + Zc 9:15 (where read וְיָֽכְלוּם for וְאָֽכְלוּ with 𝔊 𝔗 KloThLZ 1879. 564 StaZAW 1881, 18). abs. have ability, strength, only neg. מִשְּׂאֵתוֹ לֹא אוּכָ֑ל Jb 31:23 because of his loftiness I have no ability, am inadequate (to anything). Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 117 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (11 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (6 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «יָכֹל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1497/3201/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Psalms 21:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.21.12/) כִּי־נָט֣וּ עָלֶ֣יךָ רָעָ֑ה חָֽשְׁב֥וּ מְ֝זִמָּ֗ה בַּל־יוּכָֽלוּ׃ *Word for word:* (dm) they.have.extended on you harm they.have.planned a.scheme not they.will.succeed *JPS 1917:* For they intended evil against thee, they imagined a device, wherewith they shall not prevail. [Psalms 36:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.36.13/) שָׁ֣ם נָ֭פְלוּ פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן דֹּ֝ח֗וּ וְלֹא־יָ֥כְלוּ קֽוּם׃ *Word for word:* there they.have.fallen \[those.who\].do (of).wickedness they.were.pushed.down and not they.were.able to.rise *JPS 1917:* There are the workers of iniquity fallen; they are thrust down, and are not able to rise. - ← previous: [יָכִינִי](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3200.md) - next →: [יְכָלְיָהוּ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3203.md) - ↑ back to [י](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1497-3.md)