Lexical Summary huperballontós: exceedingly, beyond measure, surpassingly Original Word: ὑπερβαλλόντως Strong's Exhaustive Concordance beyond measure. Adverb from present participle active of huperballo; excessively -- beyond measure. see GREEK huperballo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originadverb from pres. active participle of huperballó Definition above measure NASB Translation times without number (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 5234: ὑπερβαλλόντωςὑπερβαλλόντως (from the participle of the verb ὑπερβάλλω, as ὄντως from ὤν), above measure: 2 Corinthians 11:23. (Job 15:11; Xenophon, Plato, Polybius, others.) Topical Lexicon Biblical Usage Strong’s Greek 5234 appears once in the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 11:23, as the adverb ὑπερβαλλόντως. It intensifies Paul’s description of his sufferings, conveying an idea of “beyond all ordinary measure” or “excessively.” Contextual Significance in 2 Corinthians 11:23 Paul is exposing the emptiness of the self-promoting “super-apostles” (2 Corinthians 11:5). To unmask their boasting, he lays out his own résumé of hardship and service: “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more: in greater labors, in more imprisonments, in far worse beatings, and often near death.” (2 Corinthians 11:23) Ὑπερβαλλόντως modifies “beatings,” stressing that the scourging he endured was not merely frequent but surpassingly severe. The adverb’s force reinforces Paul’s larger argument: genuine apostolic authority is authenticated, not by self-promotion, but by sacrificial suffering for Christ and His Church. Literary and Historical Background The compound combines a preposition meaning “beyond” with a verb meaning “to throw.” Classical writers used related forms for athletes who “throw beyond” the mark or soldiers who “hurl over” a wall. Paul employs that rhetorical energy, “throwing” the reader past normal limits to convey the extremity of his afflictions. Thematic Connections 1. Surpassing Suffering and Surpassing Power Doctrinal Reflection 1. Suffering as Participation in Christ Ministry Implications • Discernment: Evaluate leaders by Christ-like endurance, not charisma. Practical Application for the Church Today 1. Testimonies of Overcoming Summary Ὑπερβαλλόντως, though occurring only once, captures Paul’s conviction that his apostleship is authenticated by sufferings that go far beyond the ordinary. The word magnifies both the cost of faithful ministry and the surpassing grace that sustains it, encouraging every generation of Christians to embrace affliction with the certainty that God’s power will prove abundantly sufficient. Forms and Transliterations υπερβαλλοντως υπερβαλλόντως ὑπερβαλλόντως hyperballontos hyperballontōs hyperballóntos hyperballóntōs uperballontos uperballontōsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
    |