Greek word · G5278

ὑπομένω

hypomenō

to remain/endure

Literally "remain under" or "stay behind". Hence: stand one's ground, hold out, bear up under trial, and also wait expectantly (as in the Greek of Daniel 12:12). It is active steadfastness, the soldier who does not break ranks.

Appears 17 times in 16 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ὑπο-μένω

[in LXX chiefly for קָוָה, also for יָחַל hi., etc. ;]

1. in-trans., to stay behind: before ἐν, Luke 2:43; ἐκεῖ, Acts 17:14.

2. Trans.,

(a) with accusative, to await, wait for: Romans 8:24 (Hom., Hdt., Xen., al.);

(b) of things, to bear patiently, endure: absol., Matthew 10:22 24:13, Mark 13:13, 2 Timothy 2:12, James 5:11, 1 Peter 2:20; τ. θλίψει (dative of circumstance), Romans 12:12; before εἰς, Hebrews 12:7; with accusative of thing(s), 1 Corinthians 13:7, 2 Timothy 2:10, Hebrews 10:32 12:2-3, James 1:12.†

SYN.: μακροθυμέω (see: ὑπομονή) (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 10:22

Range of meaning

Literally "remain under" or "stay behind". Hence: stand one's ground, hold out, bear up under trial, and also wait expectantly (as in the Greek of Daniel 12:12). It is active steadfastness, the soldier who does not break ranks.

Against the English

"Endure" (KJV, WEB, ESV), "perseveres" (BSB) and "stands firm" (NIV) are all sound. "Stands firm" brings out the staying-put image best. "Persevere" comes through the Latin Vulgate's perseveraverit and can sound like a theological technical term.

How it drifted

Everyday English "endure" can mean simply putting up with something unpleasant. The Greek emphasises not deserting, staying loyal under attack.

Used elsewhere in the period

4 Maccabees uses the related noun hypomonē again and again for the Jewish martyrs' steadfastness under torture (e.g. 4 Macc 1:11; 17:12, 17). The Greek of Daniel 12:12 (Theodotion's version) has "Blessed is the one who endures [ho hypomenōn] and reaches the 1,335 days", the closest scriptural echo. Didache 16:5 picks up this saying: "those who endure in their faith will be saved."

From the study of Hebrews 12:2

Range of meaning

Literally 'to remain under'. It means to stay put, to hold one's ground, to bear up under pressure or suffering without running away. The related noun hupomonē is steadfast endurance.

Against the English

'Endure' is accurate. But modern English can hear it as passively putting up with something. In Greek moral writing, hupomonē is an active, courageous virtue, the quality of a soldier who will not break ranks or an athlete who will not quit.

Used elsewhere in the period

4 Maccabees, a Jewish work roughly contemporary with Hebrews, praises the martyrs as athletes in a contest (agōn) whose hupomonē won them the prize. It says they were 'looking to God (eis theon aphorōntes) and enduring (hupomeinantes) torments even to death' (4 Macc 17:10). The verbal parallel with this verse is striking. Heb 10:32 and 10:36 have already used the word of the readers' own trials.

From the study of Matthew 24:13

Range of meaning

Built from hypo ("under") and menō ("remain, stay"). In Greek of the period it covers: (1) to stay behind or stay put when others leave; (2) to stand one's ground and hold out under attack, a military image of troops who do not break ranks; (3) to bear or put up with something hard; (4) especially in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint), to wait for someone or something with expectant hope. BDAG gives "to maintain a belief or course of action in the face of opposition, stand one's ground, hold out, endure."

Against the English

Modern English "endure" often suggests passive suffering or simply putting up with something unpleasant, as in "enduring a boring meeting". "Persevere" (BSB) is closer to the active sense of keeping on. NIV's "stands firm" catches the military picture of not giving ground. None of the usual renderings keeps the hopeful waiting sense the Septuagint gave the word.

How it drifted

The English drift is mild. "Endure" has moved toward stoic grit or tolerating misery. The Greek stresses not leaving: staying at one's post and staying loyal while others defect. The Latin perseverare of the Vulgate later became the label for a whole doctrine ("perseverance of the saints"), which gives the English a systematic-theology flavour the Greek does not carry.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Septuagint hypomenō often translates Hebrew qavah, "wait for, hope in" (e.g. Ps 25[24]:3, 5; Mic 7:7; Isa 8:17), so its meaning there is hopeful waiting. Theodotion's Greek Daniel 12:12, a chapter Matthew draws on directly in this discourse (24:15, 21), reads "Blessed is the one who waits/holds out (ho hypomenōn) and reaches the 1,335 days." In 4 Maccabees the noun hypomonē is the martyrs' steadfastness under torture (e.g. 4 Macc 1:11; 17:12, 17). Jesus said the same line earlier, in Matt 10:22, and Mark 13:13 has it word for word. Luke 21:19 has "by your endurance (hypomonē) you will gain your lives."

Where it appears

Matthew · 2
  1. Matthew 10:22 ὑπομείνας having endured

    You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

    Here: Literally "remain under": holding your ground under pressure instead of running or giving in. The aorist form looks at the endurance as one finished whole, "the one who has held out".

  2. Matthew 24:13 ὑπομείνας having endured

    But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

    Here: Literally "remain under": to stay in place under pressure instead of running or defecting. The aorist form treats the whole act of holding out as one finished thing, seen from the finish line: "the one who has held out."

Mark · 1
  1. Mark 13:13 ὑπομείνας having endured

    You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

    Here: Literally "remain under": to hold one's position under pressure and not give way, run, or deny. The aorist form views the endurance as a whole, completed course: "the one who has held out" (YLT: "he who hath endured"). It is loyalty that does not break, not passive tolerance.

Luke · 1
  1. Luke 2:43 ὑπέμεινεν remained behind

    When those days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had stayed.

    Here: "Stayed behind". The verb is active and Jesus is its subject: he stayed. He was not simply left. In this setting it does not carry its other sense of "endure, hold out".

Acts · 1
  1. Acts 17:14 ὑπέμεινάν remained

    The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.

Romans · 1
  1. Romans 12:12 ὑπομένοντες, being patient,

    Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

    Here: Literally 'staying under' the load without running or collapsing. This is active staying power, not calm waiting. Present tense: keep holding your ground.

1 Corinthians · 1
  1. 1 Corinthians 13:7 ὑπομένει. endures.

    It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

    Here: Literally 'stays under' the load. It means holding one's ground under pressure to the end, not passive resignation. It leads straight into v.8: 'love never falls.'

2 Timothy · 2
  1. 2 Timothy 2:10 ὑπομένω I endure

    For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

    Here: Present tense, so ongoing: 'I keep holding out'. It means standing firm under pressure, not merely putting up with it. It sets up the same verb in the saying of verse 12, 'if we endure, we will also reign with him'.

  2. 2 Timothy 2:12 ὑπομένομεν, we endure,

    if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

    Here: Literally "we remain under": staying in place under a load instead of running from it. The present tense describes an ongoing way of life: "if we keep holding out." This is steadfastness under pressure, not just undergoing pain.

Hebrews · 4
  1. Hebrews 10:32 ὑπεμείνατε you endured

    Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.

    Here: 'You stood your ground under it': the past tense views that whole season as completed and successfully gone through. The same root runs through what follows (10:36 'you need endurance'; 12:1–3).

  2. Hebrews 12:2 ὑπέμεινεν endured

    Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

    Here: He stayed under the load and did not give way. It echoes 'with endurance' (hupomonē) in verse 1 and is repeated in verse 3. The aorist tense sums up the whole ordeal as one completed act.

  3. Hebrews 12:3 ὑπομεμενηκότα having endured

    Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

    Here: 'Having endured', in a tense that presents the endurance as finished but with a result that still stands. It echoes 'endurance' (12:1) and 'endured the cross' (12:2): Jesus is the runner who stayed under the load to the end.

  4. Hebrews 12:7 ὑπομένετε, endure,

    Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

    Here: Present tense: an ongoing endurance. The form can be read as a statement ("you are enduring") or as a command ("endure!"). Either way it echoes Jesus, who "endured the cross" (12:2–3).

James · 2
  1. James 1:12 ὑπομένει endures

    Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

    Here: Present tense: the one who keeps standing firm under pressure, not someone who survived a single bad day. It is the verb behind the noun 'endurance' (hypomonē) in 1:3–4. The picture is of someone who stays in position under a load rather than fleeing or collapsing.

  2. James 5:11 ὑπομείναντας· having persevered;

    See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

    Here: Literally 'to stay under' a weight. The past tense views their endurance as complete: these people held out to the end, and that is why they are counted blessed. This picks up 1:12, 'Blessed is the man who endures trial.'

1 Peter · 2
  1. 1 Peter 2:20 ὑπομενεῖτε; ὑπομενεῖτε, you will endure?, you will endure,

    How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

    Here: "You hold out under it." Literally "remain under": staying steady and not breaking or striking back. The future tense pictures the response as something the hearers may face.

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