What does ὑπερβάλλω (hyperbállō) mean in the Bible?
G5235 means to exceed, go beyond, or surpass a measure. Its five governed forms are all participles in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians.
Greek · G5235
ὑπερβάλλω
To surpass
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ὑπερβάλλω G5235
Pronunciation hyperbállō
What does ὑπερβάλλω (hyperbállō) mean in the Bible?
G5235 means to exceed, go beyond, or surpass a measure. Its five governed forms are all participles in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians.
Reader summary
Full entry for ὑπερβάλλω (G5235) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5235?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include surpassing (3), surpasses (1), surpasses [it] (1).
Where does ὑπερβάλλω (hyperbállō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 2 Corinthians 3:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Ephesians (3), 2 Corinthians (2).
What This Word Actually Means
G5235 means to exceed, go beyond, or surpass a measure. Its five governed forms are all participles in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians. The objects and comparisons differ: new-covenant glory surpasses former glory, grace given to the Corinthians evokes prayer, God's power toward believers exceeds ordinary measure, future ages display surpassing riches of grace, and Christ's love goes beyond knowledge.
Paul's repeated use directs attention to God rather than ranking believers. Surpassing power remains God's power, surpassing grace remains gift, and Christ's surpassing love does not reward an elite intellect or mystical class. The language cannot promise superior health, wealth, influence, productivity, emotion, or public success.
Pastorally, the verb invites wonder without exaggeration. Churches should resist using excess language to inflate testimony, pressure giving, market ministry, shame ordinary faithfulness, or hide the weakness of human vessels. Each passage identifies what exceeds, whose action produces it, and what response follows.
Lexical sourcetextual_evidenceBook contexttheological_synthesisPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
Five participial forms in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians describe glory, grace, power, riches, and love exceeding a measure. Each participle remains attached to its own object and argument.
- 2Cor.3.10
Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.
Paul's comparison magnifies God's covenant work and should not be turned into contempt for Israel, boasting, or leader-centered glory.
- Eph.1.19
And the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,
The surpassing power belongs to God and is known within the hope, inheritance, and resurrection argument of Ephesians 1.
- 2Cor.9.14
And their prayers for you will express their affection for you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.
The grace given to the Corinthians draws other believers into prayer and longing; it does not certify donor superiority or exempt financial accountability.
Passage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It surpassing 3× 2 Corinthians 9:14, Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 2:7
surpasses 1× Ephesians 3:19
surpasses [it] 1× 2 Corinthians 3:10
Show sample aligned rows
2 Corinthians 3:10 ὑπερβαλλούσης to surpasses [it] Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Feminine Singular 2 Corinthians 9:14 ὑπερβάλλουσαν to surpassing Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Feminine Singular Ephesians 1:19 ὑπερβάλλον to surpassing Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Neuter Singular Ephesians 2:7 ὑπερβάλλον to surpassing Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Neuter Singular Ephesians 3:19 ὑπερβάλλουσαν to surpasses Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 2 Corinthians 3:10
Aligned rows 5
Books represented 2
2 Corinthians 2 Ephesians 3
Source forms
ὑπερβάλλον 2x hyperballon Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 2:7
ὑπερβάλλουσαν 2x hyperballousan 2 Corinthians 9:14, Ephesians 3:19
ὑπερβαλλούσης 1x hyperballousēs 2 Corinthians 3:10
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Feminine Singular 2x 2 Corinthians 9:14, Ephesians 3:19
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Neuter Singular 1x Ephesians 2:7
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Feminine Singular 1x 2 Corinthians 3:10
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Neuter Singular 1x Ephesians 1:19
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Let 2Cor.3.10 set the first boundary for teaching G5235.
- Do not turn surpassing power, grace, riches, or love into a promise that believers will outperform peers or escape ordinary weakness.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that exceeding language guarantees greater wealth, health, influence, knowledge, emotion, or ministry success.
- Do not merge surpassing glory, grace, power, riches, and love into one undifferentiated spiritual experience.
Passage contextPastoral applicationBook contexttheological_synthesis
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Exceeds all measure or comparison; conveys surpassing beyond normal bounds or comprehension.
Strong's G5235
Lexical occurrences 5 verses Greek text appearances 5 times Word forms 1 form 5 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Ephesians 2:7 Source Gloss
to surpass
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Exceeds all measure or comparison; conveys surpassing beyond normal bounds or comprehension.
1trans., to throw over or beyond.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
2 Corinthians 3:10 Verb Present Active Participle Genitive Singular Feminine
ὑπερβαλλούσης uperballoushv
I surpass
Read verse 2 Corinthians 9:14 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Feminine
ὑπερβάλλουσαν uperballousan
I surpass
Read verse Ephesians 1:19 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Neuter
ὑπερβάλλον uperballon
I surpass
Read verse Ephesians 2:7 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Masculine
ὑπερβάλλοντα uperballonta
I surpass
Read verse Ephesians 3:19 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Singular Feminine
ὑπερβάλλουσαν uperballousan
I surpass
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 1 Aligned forms 5 Tenses Present Voices Active
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 5×
Present Active 2 Cor 9:14 · Eph 3:19 · 2 Cor 3:10 · Eph 1:19 · Eph 2:7 5×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 5
Voice
active 5
Mood
participle 5
NT Occurrences
2 Corinthians 3:10 ὑπερβαλλούσης present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 9:14 ὑπερβάλλουσαν present active participle participle Ephesians 1:19 ὑπερβάλλον present active participle participle Ephesians 2:7 ὑπερβάλλον present active participle participle Ephesians 3:19 ὑπερβάλλουσαν present active participle participle
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
God's kindness toward believers exceeds or transcends all measure or comparison
Christ's love transcends human knowledge, going beyond comprehension or rational understanding
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 5 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ὑπερβάλλω is built from these roots:
For the Preacher and Teacher
G5235 names something that goes beyond an expected measure, but Paul supplies a different measure in every occurrence. In 2 Corinthians 3, new-covenant glory surpasses an earlier glory because of God's work, not because ministers have become impressive. In 2 Corinthians 9, surpassing grace produces thanksgiving, prayer, affection, and accountable generosity rather than fundraising pressure.
Ephesians speaks of God's surpassing power toward believers, the surpassing riches of grace, and Christ's love that surpasses knowledge. Those claims direct attention to God and resist spiritual competition. The word does not promise that faithful people will surpass peers in wealth, health, influence, experience, intelligence, or visible success. It does not license exaggerated testimony or emotional pressure.
Preaching should name the exact object that surpasses in each sentence, keep gift distinct from recipient status, and let Christ's self-giving love govern any application to power, generosity, knowledge, and hope.
Anchor passage
2Cor.3.10
Doctrinal connections
- 2Cor.3.10 - new-covenant glory surpasses a real former glory, keeping divine initiative, continuity, contrast, and anti-boasting together.
- Eph.1.19 - God's surpassing power toward believers is joined to enlightened knowledge, resurrection, Christ's exaltation, and the church rather than individual status.
- 2Cor.9.14 - surpassing grace is recognized through prayer, affection, generosity, thanksgiving, and accountable service among churches.
- Eph.2.7 - the surpassing riches of grace are displayed in God's kindness in Christ, not in the recipient's status, wealth, influence, or spiritual rank.
- Eph.3.19 - Christ's love surpasses knowledge while Paul's prayer still seeks grounded communal comprehension rather than anti-intellectual certainty.
Morphologically, G5235 appears only as a present active participle: one feminine genitive, two feminine accusatives, one neuter nominative, and one neuter accusative. Each form modifies a different noun or substantive, so the reader must identify what is surpassing in that sentence rather than treating the verb as a free-standing promise.
From Old to New Testament
Scripture repeatedly describes God's power, mercy, wisdom, and covenant faithfulness as beyond human measure, yet it also protects the poor and warns against boasting. Those trajectories support Paul's God-centered excess language without turning surpassing into personal superiority.
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
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain