Greek · G5281 · unreviewed

ὑπομονή

Cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy

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ὑπομονή G5281

Pronunciation hypomonḗ

What does ὑπομονή (hypomonḗ) mean in the Bible?

ὑπομονή (hypomonḗ) is a Greek word meaning "cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy". ὑπο-μονή, -ῆς, ἡ (ὑπομένω) [in LXX for מִקְוֶה and cogn. Describes steadfast perseverance under trial. This term runs through the canonical themes of Faith.

Full entry for ὑπομονή (G5281) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy

Extended definition

Patient endurance that perseveres through hardship; active steadfastness rather than passive resignation or mere tolerance.

(ὑπομένω) [in LXX for מִקְוֶה and cogn. forms; frequently in 4Mac ;]

1a remaining behind (Arist.).

2patient enduring, endurance: Luk.8:15 21:19, Rom.5:3-4 15:4-5, 2Co.6:4 12:12, Col.1:11, 2Th.1:4, 1Ti.6:11, 2Ti.3:10, Tit.2:2, Heb.10:36, Jas.1:3-4 5:11, 2Pe.1:6, Rev.2:2-3, 19 13:10 14:12; δι᾽ ὑπομονῆς, Rom.8:25, Heb.12:1; with genitive of person(s), 2Th.3:5 (ICC, in l), Rev.3:10; with genitive of thing(s), Rom.2:7, 2Co.1:6, 1Th.1:3; before ἐν, Rev.1:9.

Synonymssee: μακροθυμία, and cf. Hort on Jas.1:3

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

Describes steadfast perseverance under trial. 2 Timothy 3:10-13

Marks genuine fruit-bearing faith. Hebrews 10:32-39

Describes sustained faithfulness under pressure, central to Christian maturity. James 1:2–4

Defines persevering faith under pressure. Luke 21:12–19

Endurance reflects sustained faithfulness through hardship and opposition. Luke 8:4–15

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Feminine Rom 5:4 · Jas 1:4 · Rev 13:10 · Rev 14:12 4×

Genitive · Singular · Feminine Rom 8:25 · Rom 15:4 · Rom 15:5 · 1 Thess 1:3 · 2 Thess 1:4 · Heb 10:36 · Heb 12:1 · Rev 3:10 8×

Dative · Singular · Feminine Luke 8:15 · Luke 21:19 · 2 Cor 1:6 · 2 Cor 6:4 · 2 Cor 12:12 · 2 Tim 3:10 · Titus 2:2 · 2 Pet 1:6 · Rev 1:9 9×

Accusative · Singular · Feminine Rom 2:7 · Rom 5:3 · Col 1:11 · 2 Thess 3:5 · 1 Tim 6:11 · Jas 1:3 · Jas 5:11 · 2 Pet 1:6 · Rev 2:2 · Rev 2:3 · Rev 2:19 11×

Canonical Themes

Faith

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses

2 Timothy 3:10-13 Endurance hypomonḗ Dative · Singular · Feminine

steadfast endurance under trial

Hebrews 10:32-39 ὑπομονή hypomonḗ Genitive · Singular · Feminine

endurance

James 1:2–4 ὑπομονή hypomonḗ Nominative · Singular · Feminine

steadfast endurance

Luke 21:12–19 ὑπομονή hypomonḗ Dative · Singular · Feminine

endurance

Luke 8:4–15 ὑπομονή hypomonḗ Dative · Singular · Feminine

perseverance

Additional Occurrences

James 1:2–4 ὑπομονή hypomonḗ

perseverance, steadfast endurance

Luke 8:4–15 ὑπομονή hypomonḗ

Perseverance

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Luke 21 — The Widow’s Gift, Jerusalem’s Fall, and Watchfulness before the Son of Man Luke 8 — The Word Heard, the Kingdom Revealed, and the Lord’s Authority Displayed Romans 15 — Bearing with the Weak, Welcoming One Another, and Paul’s Priestly Mission to the Gentiles Romans 5 — Peace with God, Rejoicing in Grace, and Life Through the One Man Jesus Christ

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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