be able
ya.khol marks whether someone can or cannot carry out an act, and in contest contexts whether they can prevail.
The verb most often marks whether a person or group has the capacity to perform a stated action, with inability arising from weakness, circumstance, limitation, or a stated restriction. In a smaller set of contest and outcome clauses, it concerns succeeding against an opponent or prevailing in a struggle.
Senses in use
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Having capacity for a stated action · dominant
In 1 Kings 3:9, the Qal imperfect asks who has the capacity to judge the great people; in Deuteronomy 14:24 it concerns carrying something over a long distance. The same verbal use marks inability to see in 1 Kings 14:4, to stand and minister before the cloud in 1 Kings 8:11, or to return and travel in 1 Kings 13:16. In legal statements, the inability construction frames a restriction: in Deuteronomy 22:19 the APB renders that the man "shall not be able to send her away all his days."
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Prevailing or succeeding in a contest · occasional
In Genesis 30:8, the first-person perfect occurs in Rachel's statement that she has "prevailed" in her struggle with her sister. In 2 Kings 16:5, the plural perfect describes besieging forces who were unable to overcome Ahaz, while 1 Samuel 17:9 places the verb in the proposed fight between two opponents. In 1 Samuel 26:25, the infinitive-absolute construction stands in Saul's wish that David will act and succeed.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the verb through "able," "unable," or "could not," and in outcome contexts uses "prevailed," "overcome," and "succeed." Because the APB translates whole verses rather than aligning each word, those renderings show the clauses' overall presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent.