5277. hupolimpanó
Lexical Summary
hupolimpanó: To leave behind, to bequeath

Original Word: ὑπολιμπανω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hupolimpanó
Pronunciation: hoo-pol-im-PAH-no
Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-ol-im-pan'-o)
KJV: leave
NASB: leaving
Word Origin: [a prolonged form for G5275 (ὑπολείπω - To leave behind)]

1. to leave behind, i.e. bequeath

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
leave.

A prolonged form for hupoleipo; to leave behind, i.e. Bequeath -- leave.

see GREEK hupoleipo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a collateral form of hupoleipó
Definition
to leave behind
NASB Translation
leaving (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5277: ὑπολιμπάνω

ὑπολιμπάνω; (λιμπάνω, less common form of the verb λείπω); to leave, leave behind: 1 Peter 2:21. (Themistius; ecclesiastical and Byzantine writings; to fail, Dionysius Halicarnassus 1, 23.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Strong’s Greek 5277 (ὑπολιμπάνω) denotes the intentional act of “leaving behind” something for the benefit of those who come later. In the New Testament it appears once, at 1 Peter 2:21, where Peter affirms that Jesus Christ consciously left behind an “example” to shape the life and conduct of His redeemed people. Though rare in Scripture, the term concentrates rich themes of legacy, imitation, and persevering discipleship.

Scriptural Occurrence: 1 Peter 2:21

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps.” (Berean Standard Bible)

Peter addresses believers enduring unjust treatment. By the Spirit he anchors their endurance not in mere resolve, but in the cruciform pattern Christ “left behind.” The verb is aorist active participle, highlighting a definitive, completed action: at Calvary the pattern was decisively set for all time.

Christ’s Deliberate Legacy of Suffering

1. Voluntary: Jesus did not merely happen to suffer; He “left” His sufferings as an instructional legacy.
2. Representative: His footsteps trace the route every disciple must expect in a hostile world (Matthew 16:24; John 15:18-20).
3. Redemptive: While His atoning death is unique and unrepeatable (Hebrews 10:10-14), the manner in which He bore suffering—without sin, deceit, or retaliation (1 Peter 2:22-23)—is reproducible in His followers through the Spirit.

Call to Imitation and Discipleship

The imagery of footprints evokes the rabbinic picture of a disciple walking so closely behind the master that dust from the teacher’s sandals covers him. Peter therefore connects ὑπολιμπάνω with:
• “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
• “Have this mind among yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)
• “Walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” (Ephesians 5:2)

Relation to Other ‘Example’ Vocabulary

While ὑπολιμπάνω focuses on the act of depositing the pattern, ὑπόδειγμα (hypodeigma, “example,” Hebrews 8:5) and τύπος (typos, “pattern,” Titus 2:7) describe the pattern itself. Together they form a biblical theology of imitation: Christ leaves (5277), the pattern is displayed (5262), and believers conform to it (5179).

Old Testament Echoes

The righteous sufferer motif—Job, Jeremiah, the Servant of Isaiah—anticipates the Messiah who leaves behind a model of fidelity amid oppression (Isaiah 53; Psalm 22). Peter weaves these strands into the Christian vocation: “But if you suffer for doing good and endure, this is commendable before God.” (1 Peter 2:20)

Historical and Patristic Reflection

Early church fathers seized on 1 Peter 2:21 to encourage martyrdom fidelity. Ignatius exhorted Roman believers, “Let me imitate the passion of my God.” Polycarp, at the stake, prayed to follow “in the footsteps of the Lord.” Later, Athanasius argued that imitation of Christ’s humility and endurance was the surest evidence of genuine faith, grounding ascetic practice in the exemplar Christ left.

Pastoral and Practical Applications

1. Perseverance under Unjust Suffering: Believers see their trials as participation in Christ’s path, not as divine abandonment (Romans 8:17).
2. Ethical Witness: Responding with blessing rather than retaliation mirrors the footprint pattern and silences ignorance (1 Peter 2:12; 3:15-16).
3. Mentoring and Legacy: Every Christian leaves behind an imprint; parents, elders, and teachers model faith that outlives them (2 Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 13:7).
4. Worship and Sacraments: The Lord’s Supper rehearses the pattern left by Christ, reinforcing communal commitment to walk likewise (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Contemporary Ministry Significance

In an era that prizes autonomy, ὑπολιμπάνω challenges the church to cherish and transmit a received pattern rather than invent new norms. Suffering borne according to Christ’s example remains a potent apologetic. Church leaders cultivate holiness not by innovation but by faithfully stepping where Christ stepped and beckoning others to follow (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7).

Summary

Strong’s 5277 spotlights Jesus Christ as the supreme Pattern-Giver. His purposeful bequest of an example through suffering binds together theology and ethics, doctrine and discipleship. Treasuring that legacy and tracing those footprints, the church advances in holiness, endurance, and witness until faith becomes sight.

Forms and Transliterations
υπελύετο υπελύσατο υπολιμπανων ὑπολιμπάνων υπόλοιπον υπολυθέντος υπόλυσαι υπολύσει υπόλυσις hypolimpanon hypolimpanōn hypolimpánon hypolimpánōn upolimpanon upolimpanōn
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Peter 2:21 V-PPA-NMS
GRK: ὑμῶν ὑμῖν ὑπολιμπάνων ὑπογραμμὸν ἵνα
NAS: suffered for you, leaving you an example
KJV: for us, leaving us an example,
INT: you you leaving a model that

Strong's Greek 5277
1 Occurrence


ὑπολιμπάνων — 1 Occ.

5276
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