'Cannot' in the Bible

Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die;

Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.

Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good.

But they said, “We cannot, until all the flocks are gathered, and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.”

She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’”

They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us.

But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’”

But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

‘But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

“Behold, I have received a command to bless;When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water.

then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn.

and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give it to the girl’s father, because he publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days.

then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days.

“The Lord will smite you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.

The Lord will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils, from which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.

Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.

Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, “There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.”

But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.

When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”

But we cannot give them wives of our daughters.” For the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”

The closest relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, because I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it.”

David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them off.

Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; thinking, “David cannot enter here.”

For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him.

“But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,Because they cannot be taken in hand;

Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!

He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.

So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again.

and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’”

But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?

“But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.

So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

If it pleases the king, let a royal edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is more worthy than she.

“He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,So that their hands cannot attain success.

“Is there injustice on my tongue?Cannot my palate discern calamities?

“Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt;He imprisons a man, and there can be no release.

“Since his days are determined,The number of his months is with You;And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.

“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass,And He has put darkness on my paths.

“He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him;Even like a vision of the night he is chased away.

“He returns what he has attainedAnd cannot swallow it;As to the riches of his trading,He cannot even enjoy them.

Or darkness, so that you cannot see,And an abundance of water covers you.

‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;And He walks on the vault of heaven.’

“Behold, I go forward but He is not there,And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;

When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;He turns on the right, I cannot see Him.

“Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it,Nor can silver be weighed as its price.

“It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,In precious onyx, or sapphire.

“Gold or glass cannot equal it,Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.

“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

“I am seething within and cannot relax;Days of affliction confront me.

“God thunders with His voice wondrously,Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.

“Teach us what we shall say to Him;We cannot arrange our case because of darkness.

“The Almighty—we cannot find Him;He is exalted in powerAnd He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.

“They are joined one to another;They clasp each other and cannot be separated.

“The sword that reaches him cannot avail,Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.

“The arrow cannot make him flee;Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.

All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

There the doers of iniquity have fallen;They have been thrust down and cannot rise.

May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,And make their loins shake continually.

You have held my eyelids open;I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

You have removed my acquaintances far from me;You have made me an object of loathing to them;I am shut up and cannot go out.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak;They have eyes, but they cannot see;

They have ears, but they cannot hear;They have noses, but they cannot smell;

They have hands, but they cannot feel;They have feet, but they cannot walk;They cannot make a sound with their throat.

A Song of Ascents.Those who trust in the LordAre as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

“May burning coals fall upon them;May they be cast into the fire,Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

Under three things the earth quakes,And under four, it cannot bear up:

What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.

“Many waters cannot quench love,Nor will rivers overflow it;If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,It would be utterly despised.”

“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,Incense is an abomination to Me.New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.

For this reason my loins are full of anguish;Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor.I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.

The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.”

“Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”

The oracle concerning the beasts of the Negev.Through a land of distress and anguish,From where come lioness and lion, viper and flying serpent,They carry their riches on the backs of young donkeysAnd their treasures on camels’ humps,To a people who cannot profit them;

Your tackle hangs slack;It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,Nor spread out the sail.Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;The lame will take the plunder.

“For Sheol cannot thank You,Death cannot praise You;Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

“Gather yourselves and come;Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations;They have no knowledge,Who carry about their wooden idolAnd pray to a god who cannot save.

“They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it;They set it in its place and it stands there.It does not move from its place.Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer;It cannot deliver him from his distress.

“But evil will come on youWhich you will not know how to charm away;And disaster will fall on youFor which you cannot atone;And destruction about which you do not knowWill come on you suddenly.

“Behold, they have become like stubble,Fire burns them;They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame;There will be no coal to warm byNor a fire to sit before!

“Why was there no man when I came?When I called, why was there none to answer?Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom?Or have I no power to deliver?Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke,I make the rivers a wilderness;Their fish stink for lack of waterAnd die of thirst.

But the wicked are like the tossing sea,For it cannot be quiet,And its waters toss up refuse and mud.

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so shortThat it cannot save;Nor is His ear so dullThat it cannot hear.

Justice is turned back,And righteousness stands far away;For truth has stumbled in the street,And uprightness cannot enter.

My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!My heart is pounding in me;I cannot be silent,Because you have heard, O my soul,The sound of the trumpet,The alarm of war.

‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.‘Do you not tremble in My presence?For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.