ὑπέρ G5228
Preposition/adverb: on behalf of, for the sake of; above, beyond, more than; concerning; exceedingly
One of the most theologically loaded prepositions in the New Testament, hyper carries a primary sense of acting on behalf of or for the benefit of another — central to Paul's atonement language ("Christ died hyper us"). With the genitive it expresses representation or substitution; with the accusative it means above or beyond, yielding a comparative force ("more than"). In compounds it intensifies verbs to express superabundance, as in Ephesians 3:20 where God does hyperekperissou — exceedingly beyond all we ask. Spanish 'por' and French 'pour' consistently capture the benefactive core, while German 'über' mirrors the spatial-comparative range.
5. exceedingly, superabundantly — Adverbial intensifier expressing extreme degree, often in Pauline compounds: hyperekperissou (exceedingly beyond, Eph 3:20), hyperlian (super-apostles, 2 Cor 11:5), hyperballontos (surpassingly, 2 Cor 11:23). Spanish captures this vividly with 'muchísimo más abundantemente' and 'sobreabundantemente.' These compound formations are distinctively Pauline and express a theology of divine superabundance — God's power and grace exceeding every human measure (1 Thess 3:10, praying hyperekperissou to see their face). 6×
AR["أَكثَرَ-بِكَثيرٍ-جِدًّا","أَكْثَرُ","الفائِقينَ","بِفائِقِ-الإلْحاحِ"]·ben["অতিমাত্রায়","অতিশ্রেষ্ঠ","অত্যধিকপ্রচুরভাবে","অধিক"]·DE["fuer"]·EN["exceedingly-beyond","more","super","superabundantly"]·FR["fuer-","pour"]·heb["בְּיִתְרוֹן-יֶתֶר","הַ-נַעֲלִים-מְאוֹד","יוֹתֵר-","לְמַעְלָה-מְאֹד","לְמַעְלָה-מִמַּה-שֶׁנְּבַקֵּשׁ"]·HI["अत्यन्त","बहुत-अधिक","महान-से-महान","से-अधिक"]·ID["jauh-lebih-berlimpah","lebih-dari","sangat","super"]·IT["per","per-"]·jav["ingkang-langkung-inggil","kalangkung-kathah","langkung","langkung-saking-langkung"]·KO["가장-큰","넓고-넓은-것을","넘치도록","더욱"]·PT["abundantemente","muito-mais","superabundantemente","supérsumos"]·RU["более","высших","несравненно-более","преизобильно"]·ES["muchísimo-más-abundantemente","más","sobreabundantemente","sumos","super"]·SW["kupita-kiasi","wakubwa-sana","zaidi"]·TR["aşırı-derecede","cokca-ustu","daha-çok-","en-üstün"]·urd["بہت-بڑے","بہت-زیادہ","زیادہ"]
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. on behalf of, for — The dominant benefactive and substitutionary sense: acting for the sake of, in the interest of, or in place of someone. This is the preposition of atonement theology — 'the bread which I will give hyper the life of the world' (John 6:51), 'this is my blood poured out hyper you' (Luke 22:20). Spanish 'por', French 'pour', and German 'für' all converge on this agency-for-another meaning. With 120 occurrences it accounts for the vast majority of NT uses, spanning intercession (Rom 8:34), self-sacrifice (Gal 2:20), and general advocacy (Mark 9:40). 120×
AR["عَنِ","لأَجلِ","لِأَجْلِ","لِـ-أَجْلِ","مِن-أَجلِ","مِنْ-أَجْلِ"]·ben["-জন্য","জন্য","জন্যে","পক্ষে"]·DE["fuer-","für"]·EN["for","for-","on-behalf-of-"]·FR["pour-"]·heb["בְּעַד","בַּעֲבוּר","לְ-","לְמַעַן"]·HI["-के-लिए","के-लिए","के-लिये","लिए"]·ID["bagi","demi","untuk"]·IT["per","per-"]·jav["kangge","kanggé","membiyantu"]·KO["-을-위하여","-을-위해","~을-위하여","위하여"]·PT["pelas","pelo","pelos-","por","por-amor-de"]·RU["за","за-","ради","ради-"]·ES["por"]·SW["kwa-ajili-ya","kwa-ajili-yako","kwa-ajili-yangu","kwa-ajili-yao","upande-wetu"]·TR["-için","-uğruna","için","tarafında","uğruna"]·urd["خاطر","لیے","لیے-","کی-خاطر","کے-لیے","کے-لیے-"]
Mark 9:40, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:19, Luke 22:20, John 6:51, John 10:11, John 10:15, John 11:4, John 11:50, John 11:51, John 11:52, John 13:37 (+38 more)
2. beyond, more than — Comparative excess or surpassing: indicating something that goes beyond a standard or limit. The accusative case triggers this spatial-to-comparative shift — a light 'beyond' the brightness of the sun (Acts 26:13), not to think 'beyond' what is written (1 Cor 4:6). Spanish 'más allá de' and 'más de' capture the exceeding quality. This sense appears in warnings about exceeding proper limits (1 Cor 10:13, temptation not 'beyond' what you can bear) and in the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:8), where worldly people are wiser 'hyper' the children of light. 11×
AR["أَكْثَرَ-مِنْ","عَنْ","فَوقَ","فَوْقَ","مِنْ"]·ben["-অধিক","-অপেক্ষা","-চেয়ে","অতিরিক্তভাবে-","অধিক","উপরে","চেয়ে","থেকে","বেশি"]·DE["fuer-","für"]·EN["above","beyond","compared-to","than","than-"]·FR["pour-"]·heb["יוֹתֵר-מִ","מִ-","מֵ-עַל","מֵעֵבֶר-לְ-","מֵעַל"]·HI["-से-परे","अधिक","से","से-अधिक","से-ज़यद","से-परे","से-बढ़कर","से-बधकर"]·ID["daripada","dibandingkan-dengan","lebih-dari","melampaui","melebihi","melebihi,"]·IT["per","per-"]·jav["langkung","langkung-saking","langkung-saking,","nglangkungi","ngluwihi","ngungkuli","saking"]·KO["-보다","너머에","넘어","넘어서","넘어서는","보다","보다-","위에"]·PT["acima-de","acima-de,","acima-de-","além","além-de","além-do","do-que","mais-que","que","às"]·RU["более","более-","паче-","пред-","сверх","сверх-","сильнее-","чем"]·ES["a","más-allá-de","más-de","más-que","que","sobre","sobre-"]·SW["juu-ya","kuliko","kuliko-","zaidi-ya"]·TR["-dan","-den-fazla","-den-üstün","ezildik","yazılanın","ötesinde","ötesinde-","üzerinde-","üzerine"]·urd["-سے","-سے-زیادہ","زیادہ","سے","سے-بڑھ-کر","سے-زیادہ","سے-زیادہ-"]
3. concerning, about — Topical reference: concerning, about, with regard to a subject matter. John the Baptist speaks hyper Jesus — 'concerning' him (John 1:30); Paul writes hyper Titus — 'about' his partner (2 Cor 8:23). This usage overlaps with peri but carries a slightly more invested, advocating tone, as if the speaker has a stake in the topic. French 'pour' handles this naturally, while Spanish shifts to 'acerca de' to mark the topical rather than benefactive reading. 10×
AR["عَنْ","مِنْ-أَجْلِ"]·ben["-জন্য","-বিষয়ে","জন্যে-","বিষয়ে-","সম্বন্ধে"]·DE["fuer-"]·EN["concerning","on-behalf-of"]·FR["pour-"]·heb["בְּנוֹגֵעַ-לְ-","בְּעַד","בַּעַד-","עַל"]·HI["के-विषय","के-विषय-में","विषय-में"]·ID["Tentang","mengenai","tentang"]·IT["per","per-"]·jav["bab","kanggé"]·KO["-에-대하여","~에-관하여","대하여","을-위하여","을-위한"]·PT["acerca","acerca-de","por","por-","sobre"]·RU["за-","о-"]·ES["Acerca-de","Por","acerca-de","por","sobre"]·SW["kuhusu","kuhusu-","kwa-ajili-ya"]·TR["-hakkında","bizim","hakkında-","için-","üzerine-"]·urd["بارے-میں","واسطے","کے-بارے-میں","کے-لیے"]
4. above, over — Spatial or hierarchical superiority: above, over. A disciple is not 'hyper' his teacher (Matt 10:24); one who loves father or mother 'hyper' Jesus is not worthy of him (Matt 10:37). Luke 6:40 extends this to the fully trained student becoming 'like' his teacher — not rising above. Spanish 'sobre' and the underlying Greek spatial sense connect this to the original locative meaning preserved in Homer, where hyper described physical position overhead. This is the etymological core from which all metaphorical extensions flow. 8×
AR["أَكثَرَ-مِن","فَوقَ","فَوْقَ"]·ben["-উপরে","উপরে","থেকে-বড়","থেকে-বেশি"]·DE["fuer-","für"]·EN["above","over"]·FR["pour-"]·heb["לְמֵעַל","מֵ-עַל","מֵעֵבֶר-לְ","מֵעַל","עַל-"]·HI["से-उउपर","से-बड़कर","से-बढ़कर","से-बधकर"]·ID["atas","di atas","lebih-dari","lebih-tinggi-dari"]·IT["per"]·jav["inggil-saking","langkung","langkung-saking","ngungkuli"]·KO["-위에","~위에","위-에"]·PT["acima","acima-de","mais-do-que","sobre"]·RU["более-","выше","выше-","над-","превыше-"]·ES["sobre"]·SW["juu-ya","juu-ya-","kuliko","zaidi-ya","zaidi-ya-"]·TR["-den-çok","-den-üstün","ustunde","üstünde"]·urd["-سے-اوپر","-سے-بڑھ-کر","-سے-زیادہ","اُستاد","سے-بڑھ-کر","پر"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ὑπέρ [ῠ], Epic dialect also ὑπείρ, used by Refs 8th c.BC+ ὁπέρ (which see): in Aeolic dialect replaced by περί (see. περί Refs 4th c.BC+ also dative (Cf. Sanskrit upaári 'above', Gothic ufar, ORefs 5th c.BC+ ofer 'over':—from it are formed the comparative and superlative ὑπέρτερος, -τατος, also adverb ὕπερθεν, and Nouns ὑπέρα, ὕπερος.) __A WITH GENIT., __A.I of Place, over; __A.I.1 in a state of…