ὑπέρ (cf. English up, over, etc.), Latin super, over, a preposition, which stands before either the genitive or the accusative according as it is used to express the idea of state and rest or of motion over and beyond a place.

I. with the genitive; cf. Winer’s Grammar, 382f (358f).

1. properly, of place, i. e. of position, situation, extension: over, above, beyond, across. In this sense it does not occur in the N. T.; but there it always, though joined to other classes of words, has a tropical signification derived from its original meaning.

2. equivalent to Latinpro, for, i. e. for one’s safety, for one’s advantage or benefit (one who does a thing for another, is conceived of as standing or bending ’over’ the one whom he would shield or defend (cf. Winer’s Grammar, as above)): προσεύχεσθε ὑπέρ τῶν ..., Mat 5:44; Luk 6:28 (T Tr marginal reading WH περί (see 6 below)); Col 1:3 L Tr WH marginal reading (see 6 below); (Jas 5:16 L Tr marginal reading WH text), 9; εὔχομαι, Jas 5:16 (R G T Tr text WH marginal reading); after δέομαι, Act 8:24; and nouns denoting prayer, as δέησις, Rom 10:1; 2Co 1:11; 2Co 9:14; Php 1:4; Eph 6:19; προσευχή, Act 12:5 (here L T Tr WH περί (see 6 below)); Rom 15:30; 1Ti 2:1-2; εἶναι ὑπέρ τίνος (opposed to κατά τίνος), to be for one i. e. to be on one’s side, to favor and further one’s cause, Mar 9:40; Luk 9:50; Rom 8:31, cf. 2Co 13:8; τό ὑπέρ τίνος that which is for one’s advantage, Php 4:10 (but see ἀναθάλλω and φρονέω, at the end); ἐντυγχάνω and ὑπερεντυγχάνω, Rom 8:26 R G, 27,34; Heb 7:25, cf. Heb 9:24; λέγω, Act 26:1 R WH text (see 6 below); μερίμνω, 1Co 12:25; ἀγρύπνω, Heb 13:17; ἀγωνίζομαι ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς, Col 4:12, cf. Rom 15:30; πρεσβεύω, Eph 6:20; 2Co 5:20; with a substantive: ζῆλος, 2Co 7:7; (Col 4:13 Rec.); πόνος, Col 4:13 (G L T Tr WH); σπουδή, 2Co 7:12; 2Co 8:16; διάκονος, Col 1:7; to offer offerings for, Act 21:26; to enter the heavenly sanctuary for (used of Christ), Heb 6:20; ἀρχειρεα καθίστασθαι, Heb 5:1; after the ideas of suffering, dying, giving up life, etc.: Rom 9:3; Rom 16:4; 2Co 12:15; after τήν ψυχήν τιθέναι (ὑπέρ τίνος), in order to avert ruin, death, etc., from one, Joh 10:11; Joh 13:37 f; of Christ dying to procure salvation for his own, Joh 10:15; Joh 15:13; 1Jn 3:16; Christ is said τό αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκχύνειν, passive, Mar 14:24 L T Tr WH (see 6 below); Luk 22:20 (WH reject the passage); ἀπολέσθαι, Joh 18:14 Rec.; ἀποθνῄσκειν, Joh 11:50 ff; ( L T Tr WH); Act 21:13; Rom 5:7; of Christ undergoing death for man’s salvation, Rom 5:6; Rom 5:8; Rom 14:15; 1Th 5:10 (here T Tr WH text περί (see 6 below); 1Pe 3:18 L T Tr WH text); γεύεσθαι θανάτου, Heb 2:9; σταυρωθῆναι, 1Co 1:13 (here L text Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading περί (see 6 below)); (of God giving up his Son, Rom 8:32); παραδιδόναι τινα ἑαυτόν, Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2; Eph 5:25; διδόναι ἑαυτόν, Tit 2:14; with a predicate accusative added, ἀντίλυτρον, 1Ti 2:6; τό σῶμα αὐτοῦ διδόναι, passive, Luk 22:19 (WH reject the passage), cf. 1Co 11:24; τυθῆναι (θυθῆναι, see θύω, at the beginning), 1Co 5:7; παθεῖν, 1Pe 2:21; 1Pe 3:18 (R G WH marginal reading; 4:1 R G); ἁγιάζειν ἑαυτόν, Joh 17:19. Since what is done for one’s advantage frequently cannot be done without acting in his stead (just as the apostles teach that the death of Christ inures to our salvation because it has the force of an expiatory sacrifice and was suffered in our stead), we easily understand how ὑπέρ, like the Latinpro and our for, comes to signify

3. in the place of, instead of (which is more precisely expressed by ἀντί; hence, the two prepositions are interchanged by Irenaeus, adv. haer. 5, 1, τῷ ἰδίῳ αἵματι λυτρωσαμένου ἡμᾶς τοῦ κυρίου καί δόντος τήν ψυχήν ὑπέρ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν καί τήν σάρκα τήν ἑαυτοῦ ἀντί τῶν ἡμετέρων σαρκῶν): ἵνα ὑπέρ σου μοι διακονῇ, Phm 1:13; ὑπέρ τῶν νεκρῶν βαπτίζεσθαι (see βαπτίζω, at the end), 1Co 15:29; (add, Col 1:7 L text Tr text WH text); in expressions concerning the death of Christ: εἷς ὑπέρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν (for the inference is drawn ἄρα οἱ πάντες ἀπέθανον, i. e. all are reckoned as dead), 2Co 5:14(15),15; add, 21; Gal 3:13. (On this debated sense of ὑπέρ, see Meyer and Van Hengel on Rom 5:6; Ellicott on Galatians and Philemon, the passages cited; Wieseler on Gal 1:4; Trench, Synonyms, § lxxxii.; Winer’s Grammar, 383 (358) note.) Since anything, whether of an active or passive character which is undertaken on behalf of a person or thing, is undertaken ’on account of’ that person or thing, ὑπέρ is used

4. of the impelling or moving cause; on account of, for the sake of, any person or thing: ὑπέρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζοης, to procure (true) life for mankind, Joh 6:51; to do or suffer anything ὑπέρ τοῦ ὀνόματος Θεοῦ, Ἰησοῦ, τοῦ κυρίου: Act 5:41; Act 9:16; Act 15:26; Act 21:13; Rom 1:5; 3Jn 1:7; πάσχειν ὑπέρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Php 1:29; ὑπέρ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, 2Th 1:5; στενοχωριαι ὑπέρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, 2Co 12:10 (it is better to connect ὑπέρ etc. here with εὐδοκῶ); ἀποθνῄσκειν ὑπέρ Θεοῦ, Ignatius ad Rom 4:1-25 [ET]. examples with a genitive of the thing are, Joh 11:4; Rom 15:8; 2Co 1:6; 2Co 12:19; ὑπέρ τῆς εὐδοκίας, to satisfy (his) good-pleasure, Php 2:13; with a genitive of the person, 2Co 1:6; Eph 3:1; Eph 3:13; Col 1:24; δοξάζειν, εὐχαριστεῖν ὑπέρ τίνος (genitive of the thing), Rom 15:9; 1Co 10:30; ὑπέρ πάντων, for all favors, Eph 5:20; ἐυηξαρίστειν ὑπέρ with a genitive of the person, Rom 1:8 (here L T Tr WH περί (see 6 below)); 2Co 1:11; Eph 1:16; ἀγῶνα ἔχειν ὑπέρ with a genitive of the person Col 2:1 L T Tr WH (see 6 below); ὑπέρ (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν (or ἀγνοημάτων), to offer sacrifices, Heb 5:1; Heb 5:3 (here L T Tr WH περί (see 6 below)); ; ἀποθανεῖν, of Christ, 1Co 15:3; ἑαυτόν δοῦναι, Gal 1:4 R WH text (see 6 below).

5. Like the Latinsuper (cf. Klotz, HWB, d. Latin Spr. ii, p. 1497b; (Harpers’ Latin Dict. under the word, II. B. 2 b.)), it frequently refers to the object under consideration, concerning, of, as respects, with regard to ((cf. Buttmann, § 147, 21); examples from secular authors are given in Winer’s Grammar, 383 (358f)); so after καυχᾶσθαι, καύχημα, καύχησις (R. V. on behalf of): 2Co 5:12; 2Co 7:4; 2Co 7:14; 2Co 8:24; 2Co 9:2; 2Co 12:5; 2Th 1:4 (here L T Tr WH εγ( (or εν() καυχᾶσθαι); φυσιουσθαι, 1Co 4:6 (others refer this to 4 above; see Meyer edition Heinrici (cf. φυσιόω, 2 at the end)); ἐλπίς, 2Co 1:7 (6); ἀγνοεῖν, 8 (here L T Tr WH marginal reading περί (see 6 below)); φρονεῖν, Php 1:7 (2Ma 14:8); ἐρωτᾶν, 2Th 2:1; κράζειν, to proclaim concerning, Rom 9:27; (παρακαλεῖν, 1Th 3:2 G L T Tr WH (see 6 below)); after εἰπεῖν, Joh 1:30 L T Tr WH (see 6 below); (so after verbs of saying, writing, etc., 2Sa 18:5; 2Ch 31:9; Joe 1:3; Jdt 15:4; 1Es 4:49; 2Ma 11:35); εἴτε ὑπέρ Τίτου, whether inquiry be made about Titus, 2Co 8:23; ὑπέρ τούτου, concerning this, 2Co 12:8.

6. In the N. T. manuscripts, as in those of secular authors also, the prepositions ὑπέρ and περί are confounded (cf. Winers Grammar, 383 (358) note; § 50, 3; Buttmann, § 147, 21; Kühner, § 435, I. 2 e.; Meisterhans, § 49, 12; also Wieseler or Ellicott on Galatians, as below; Meyer on 1Co 15:3 (see περί, the passage cited δ.)); this occurs in the following passages: Mar 14:24; (Luk 6:28); Joh 1:30; Act 12:5; Act 26:1; Rom 1:8; 1Co 1:13; 2Co 1:8; Gal 1:4; Col 1:3; Col 2:1; (1Th 3:2; 1Th 5:10); Heb 5:3. (For ὑπέρ ἐκ περισσοῦ or ὑπέρ ἐκπερισσοῦ, see ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ.)

II. with the accusative (cf. Winers Grammar, § 49, e.); over, beyond, away over; more than;

1. properly, of the place ’over’ or ’beyond’ which, as in the Greek writings from Homer down; not thus used in the N. T., where it is always

2. metaphorically, of the measure or degree exceeded (cf. Buttmann, § 147, 21);

a. universally: εἶναι ὑπέρ τινα, to be above i. e. superior to one, Mat 10:24; Luk 6:40; τό ὄνομα τό ὑπέρ πᾶν ὄνομα namely, ὄν, the name superior to every (other) name, Php 2:9; κεφαλήν ὑπέρ πάντα namely, οὖσαν, the supreme head or lord (A. V. head over all things), Eph 1:22; ὑπέρ δοῦλον ὄντα, more than a servant, Phm 1:16; more than (R. V. beyond), Phm 1:21; ὑπέρ πάντα, above (i. e. more and greater than) all, Eph 3:20 a; ὑπέρ τήν λαμπρότητα τοῦ ἡλίου, above (i. e. surpassing) the brightness of the sun, Act 26:13; more (to a greater degree) than, φιλεῖν τινα ὑπέρ τινα, Mat 10:37 (examples from secular authors are given by Fritzsche at the passage); beyond, 1Co 4:6; 2Co 12:6; ὑπέρ ὁ δύνασθε, beyond what ye are able, beyond your strength, 1Co 10:13 (cf. Winer’s Grammar, 590 (549)); also ὑπέρ δύναμιν, 2Co 1:8; opposed to κατά δύναμιν (as in Homer, Iliad 3, 59 κατ’ Αισαν, ὀυδ’ ὑπέρ Αισαν, cf. 6, 487; 17, 321. 327), 2Co 8:3 (where L T Tr WH παρά δύναμιν).

b. with words implying comparison: προκόπτειν, Gal 1:14; of the measure beyond which one is reduced, ή῾ττασθαι, 2Co 12:13 (Winer’s Grammar, § 49 e.), (πλεονάζω, 1Es 8:72; περισσεύω, 1Ma 3:30; ὑπερβάλω, Sir 25:11); after comparatives equivalent to than, Luk 16:8; Heb 4:12 (Jdg 11:25; 1Ki 19:4; Sir 30:17); cf. Winers Grammar, § 35, 2; (Buttmann, § 147, 21).

c. ὑπέρ is used adverbially; as, ὑπέρ ἐγώ (L ὑπερεγώ (cf. Winers Grammar, 46 (45)), WH ὑπέρ ἐγώ (cf. Winer’s Grammar, § 14, 2 Note)), much more (or in a much greater degree) I, 2Co 11:23; cf. Kypke at the passage; Winer’s Grammar, 423 (394). (For ὑπέρ λίαν see ὑπερλίαν.)

III. In Composition ὑπέρ denotes

1. over, above, beyond: ὑπεράνω, ὑπερέκεινα, ὑπερεκτείνω.

2. excess of measure, more than: ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ, ὑπερνικάω.

3. aid, for; in defense of: ὑπερεντυγχάνω. Cf. Viger. edition Hermann, p. 668; Fritzsche on Romans, vol. i., p. 351; (Ellicott on Eph 3:20).