5287. hupostasis
Lexical Summary
hupostasis: Substance, assurance, confidence, essence, reality

Original Word: ὑπόστασις
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: hupostasis
Pronunciation: hoo-pos'-tas-is
Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-os'-tas-is)
KJV: confidence, confident, person, substance
NASB: assurance, confidence, nature
Word Origin: [from a compound of G5259 (ὑπό - under) and G2476 (ἵστημι - standing)]

1. a setting under (support)
2. (figuratively) concretely, essence, or abstractly, assurance (objectively or subjectively)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
confidence, substance.

From a compound of hupo and histemi; a setting under (support), i.e. (figuratively) concretely, essence, or abstractly, assurance (objectively or subjectively) -- confidence, confident, person, substance.

see GREEK hupo

see GREEK histemi

HELPS Word-studies

5287 hypóstasis(from 5259 /hypó, "under" and 2476 /hístēmi, "to stand") – properly, (to possess) standing under a guaranteed agreement ("title-deed"); (figuratively) "title" to a promise or property, i.e. a legitimate claim (because it literally is, "under a legal-standing") – entitling someone to what is guaranteed under the particular agreement.

For the believer, 5287 /hypóstasis ("title of possession") is the Lord's guarantee to fulfill the faith He inbirths (cf. Heb 11:1 with Heb 11:6). Indeed we are only entitled to what God grants faith for (Ro 14:23).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from hupo and histémi
Definition
a support, substance, steadiness, hence assurance
NASB Translation
assurance (2), confidence (2), nature (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5287: ὑπόστασις

ὑπόστασις, ὑποστάσεως, (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: Psalm 68:3 (); τοῦ οἴκου, Ezekiel 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; ( 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), Hebrews 1:3 (Wis. 16:21; ἴδε ... τίνος ὑποστάσεως 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: 2 Corinthians 9:4; 2 Corinthians 11:17; Hebrews 3:14; Hebrews 11:1 (for תִּקְוָה, Ruth 1:12; Ezekiel 19:5; for תּוחֶלֶת, Psalm 38:8 ()). Cf. Bleek, Br. an d. Hebrew ii. 1, pp. 60ff, 462ff; Schlatter, Glaube im N. T., p. 581.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Theological Scope

Strong’s Greek 5287, ὑπόστασις (hypostasis), denotes the underlying reality that gives something its concrete existence. In Scripture the term reaches beyond philosophical abstraction and speaks to what is solid, reliable, and enduring—whether the very being of God or the settled confidence of believers.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. 2 Corinthians 9:4 – Paul fears that failure to complete the Jerusalem offering would expose both himself and the Corinthians to shame “in this confident boasting”, where hypostasis conveys the tangible basis of his previous commendation.
2. 2 Corinthians 11:17 – In ironic self-defense Paul again speaks of “confident boasting,” highlighting how genuine apostolic credibility differs from empty self-promotion.
3. Hebrews 1:3 – The Son is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature.” Here hypostasis identifies the Son with the very essence of the Father, grounding the full deity of Christ while maintaining personal distinction.
4. Hebrews 3:14 – Perseverance proves authentic conversion: “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.” Hypostasis refers to the believer’s settled, objective confidence that endures.
5. Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” Faith is pictured not as wishful thinking but as the present possession of future realities.

Relation to Old Testament Thought

Although ὑπόστασις itself is rare in the Septuagint, its concept aligns with Hebrew ideas of firmness (’āmēn) and substance (ʿeṣem). The prophets frequently contrast fleeting human assurances with the steadfast character of God (for example, Isaiah 40:6-8). Hypostasis in Hebrews builds on this trajectory, presenting Christ and saving faith as the solid ground beneath all covenant promises.

Christological Significance

Hebrews 1:3 is foundational for Trinitarian theology. By calling the Son the “exact representation” (charaktēr) of the Father’s hypostasis, the writer affirms two truths:
• Ontological unity – the Son shares the same divine essence.
• Personal distinction – the hypostasis of the Father is made manifest without being conflated with the Person of the Son.

Fourth-century theologians adopted hypostasis to speak of the three divine Persons, while retaining homoousios to confess their shared essence. The biblical usage thus undergirds both the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity.

Implications for Faith and Assurance

Hebrews 3:14 and 11:1 show that saving faith possesses a substantive character. Believers do not merely cling to ideas; they participate in a present reality that will culminate in sight. The call to “hold firmly” underscores personal responsibility, yet the object of faith—Christ Himself—remains the unchanging foundation.

Pastoral and Ministerial Applications

• Giving and Stewardship (2 Corinthians 9:4) – Christian generosity demonstrates the genuineness (hypostasis) of professed love.
• Authentic Leadership (2 Corinthians 11:17) – Spiritual authority rests on the reality of God’s work, not on self-assurance or rhetorical prowess.
• Perseverance Counseling (Hebrews 3:14) – Counselors may appeal to the believer’s original hypostasis (“assurance”) as evidence of new birth and motivation to endure.
• Faith Formation (Hebrews 11:1) – Teaching on faith should stress its objective grounding in God’s promises rather than subjective sentiment.

Historical Development in Christian Doctrine

From the Cappadocian Fathers onward, hypostasis became pivotal in articulating orthodox Trinitarian and Christological formulations. By distinguishing one ousia (essence) and three hypostaseis (Persons), the Church preserved both monotheism and the full divinity of the Son and Spirit. The biblical texts—especially Hebrews 1:3—provided the vocabulary and conceptual framework that protected the faith from both modalism and Arianism.

Summary

Ὑπόστασις in the New Testament testifies to a God who is substantial, steadfast, and self-revealing. Whether describing the eternal nature of the Son or the durable confidence of the saints, the term calls believers to rest on realities that cannot be shaken and to live out a faith that possesses the substance of the life to come.

Forms and Transliterations
υποστασει υποστάσει ὑποστάσει υποστασεως υποστάσεως ὑποστάσεως υπόστασιν υποστασις υπόστασις υπόστασίς ὑπόστασις hypostasei hypostásei hypostaseos hypostaseōs hypostáseos hypostáseōs hypostasis hypóstasis upostasei upostaseos upostaseōs upostasis
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Englishman's Concordance
2 Corinthians 9:4 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει ταύτῃ
NAS: by this confidence.
KJV: in this same confident boasting.
INT: in the confidence this

2 Corinthians 11:17 N-DFS
GRK: ταύτῃ τῇ ὑποστάσει τῆς καυχήσεως
NAS: in this confidence of boasting.
KJV: in this confidence of boasting.
INT: this the confidence of boasting

Hebrews 1:3 N-GFS
GRK: χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ φέρων
NAS: and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds
KJV: of his person, and
INT: [the] exact expression of the substance of him upholding

Hebrews 3:14 N-GFS
GRK: ἀρχὴν τῆς ὑποστάσεως μέχρι τέλους
NAS: the beginning of our assurance firm
KJV: the beginning of our confidence stedfast
INT: beginning of the assurance unto [the] end

Hebrews 11:1 N-NFS
GRK: πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος
NAS: faith is the assurance of [things] hoped
KJV: is the substance of things hoped for,
INT: faith of [things] hoped for [the] assurance of things [the] conviction

Strong's Greek 5287
5 Occurrences


ὑποστάσει — 2 Occ.
ὑποστάσεως — 2 Occ.
ὑπόστασις — 1 Occ.

5286
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