Greek word · G418
ἀνένδεκτος
anendektos
impossible
'Inadmissible, not possible, out of the question.' It is built from the verb ἐνδέχεται, 'it is admissible, it is possible', with the negating prefix ἀν-. Here it means 'it cannot be otherwise'.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
'Inadmissible, not possible, out of the question.' It is built from the verb ἐνδέχεται, 'it is admissible, it is possible', with the negating prefix ἀν-. Here it means 'it cannot be otherwise'.
- Against the English
BSB and NASB 'inevitable', NIV 'bound to', ESV 'sure to' all smooth the Greek double negative into a positive. KJV 'impossible but that' and YLT 'impossible … not to come' keep the Greek's shape: there is no possible world in this age where snares do not appear.
- Used elsewhere in the period
It is used only here in the New Testament and is rare elsewhere, mostly in later technical prose such as Diogenes Laertius 7.50. Luke uses the positive form with a negative in Luke 13:33: 'it is not admissible [οὐκ ἐνδέχεται] that a prophet perish outside Jerusalem'. In both places he is speaking of what the divine order of things will and will not allow. In the parallel, Matt 18:7 says ἀνάγκη, 'it is necessary'.
Where it appears
Luke · 1
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Luke 17:1 ἀνένδεκτόν Impossible
Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
Here: Literally 'not admissible, not able to be otherwise'. It appears only here in the New Testament. Jesus states as a fixed fact about the present age that snares will appear. This is not permission or approval.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.