ὑπόστασις, ὑποστάσεως, ἡ (ὑφίστημι), a word very common in Greek authors, especially from Aristotle onward, in widely different senses, of which only those will be noticed which serve to illustrate N. T. usage;

1. a setting or placing under; thing put under, substructure, foundation: Psa 68:3 (); τοῦ οἴκου, Eze 43:11; τοῦ τάφου, Diodorus 1, 66.

2. that which has foundation, is firm; hence,

a. that which has actual existence; a substance, real being: τῶν ἐν ἀερι φαντασμάτων τά μέν ἐστι κατ’ ἐμφασιν, τά δέ καθ’ ὑπόστασιν, Aristotle, de mundo, 4, 19, p. 395{a}, 30; φαντασίαν μέν ἔχειν πλούτου, ὑπόστασιν δέ μή, Artemidorus Daldianus, oneir. 3, 14; (ἡ αὐγή) ὑπόστασιν ἰδίαν οὐκ ἔχει, γεννᾶται δέ ἐκ φλογός, Philo de incorruptibil. mundi § 18; similarly in other writings (cf. Sophocles Lexicon, under the word, 5; Liddell and Scott, under the word, III. 2).

b. the substantial quality, nature, of any person or thing: τοῦ Θεοῦ (R. V. substance), Heb 1:3 (Wis 16:21; ἴδε ... τίνος ὑποστάσεως ἤ τίνος εἴδους τυγχάνουσιν οὕς ἐρεῖτε καί νομιζετε Θεούς, Epist. ad’ Diogn. 2, 1 [ET]; (cf. Suicer, Thesaurus, under the word)).

c. steadiness of mind, firmness, courage resolution (οἱ δέ Ῥόδιοι θεωροῦντες τήν τόν Βυζαντινων ὑπόστασιν, Polybius 4, 50, 10; οὐχ οὕτω τήν δύναμιν, ὡς τήν ὑπόστασιν αὐτοῦ καί τολμᾶν καταπεπληγμενων τῶν ἐναντίων, id. 6, 55, 2; add, Diodorus 16, 32f; Josephus, Antiquities 18, 1, 6); confidence, firm trust, assurance: 2Co 9:4; 2Co 11:17; Heb 3:14; Heb 11:1 (for úÄÌ÷ÀåÈä, Rth 1:12; Eze 19:5; for úÌåçÆìÆú, Psa 38:8 ()). Cf. Bleek, Br. an d. Hebrew ii. 1, pp. 60ff, 462ff; Schlatter, Glaube im N. T., p. 581.