What does ὥσπερ (hṓsper) mean in the Bible?
Hosper is a comparison marker, often translated just as, as, or even as. It does not create theology by itself; it helps readers follow the comparison a passage is making.
Greek · G5618
ὥσπερ
Just as
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ὥσπερ G5618
Pronunciation hṓsper
What does ὥσπερ (hṓsper) mean in the Bible?
Hosper is a comparison marker, often translated just as, as, or even as. It does not create theology by itself; it helps readers follow the comparison a passage is making.
Reader summary
Full entry for ὥσπερ (G5618) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G5618?
The BSB source-word alignment has 36 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include just as (13), as (10), like (5), (as (1), [it] is just like (1).
Where does ὥσπερ (hṓsper) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 6:2. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (10), Romans (6), 1 Corinthians (5), Acts (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Hosper is a comparison marker, often translated just as, as, or even as. It does not create theology by itself; it helps readers follow the comparison a passage is making. Sometimes it introduces analogy, as with Jonah and the Son of Man. Sometimes it supports gospel logic, as with the Son of Man's service, the Father's life-giving work, Adam and Christ, baptismal newness of life, or faith and works.
The teacher's task is to ask what is being compared, what is not being equated, and what the following so or also clause completes. Pastorally, hosper trains readers to honor the inspired logic of a sentence rather than lifting one side of a comparison out of context.
How the Bible Uses It
Hosper marks comparison across Gospel teaching, Johannine Christology, Pauline argument, and practical exhortation. Its force comes from the relation it creates between the compared clauses.
- Matt.12.40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus uses the Jonah comparison to point to the Son of Man's time in the heart of the earth.
- Matt.20.28
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
The comparison frames the Son of Man's mission as service and ransom rather than being served.
- John.5.21
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.
Jesus compares the Father's life-giving work with the Son's life-giving authority.
- John.5.26
For as the Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
Jesus compares the Father's life in Himself with the Son's granted life in Himself.
- Rom.5.12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
Paul introduces Adamic sin and death with just as logic that prepares the wider Adam-Christ argument.
- Rom.5.19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Paul contrasts the one man's disobedience and the one Man's obedience.
- Rom.6.4
We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
Paul compares Christ's resurrection with believers walking in newness of life.
- 1Cor.15.22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Paul compares death in Adam with life in Christ.
- Jas.2.26
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James compares a body without the spirit to faith without deeds.
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 just as 13× Matthew 20:28, Matthew 24:27, Luke 17:24, John 5:21
as 10× Matthew 6:2, Matthew 12:40, Matthew 13:40, Matthew 18:17
like 5× Matthew 6:7, Luke 18:11, Acts 2:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:3
(as 1× 1 Corinthians 8:5
[it] is just like 1× Matthew 25:14
[Unlike] 1× Hebrews 7:27
as [did] 1× Acts 3:17
As [it was] 1× Matthew 24:37
For as 1× 1 Corinthians 15:22
For just as 1× Romans 5:19
vvv 1× Galatians 4:29
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 6:2 ὥσπερ to as Adverb Matthew 6:7 ὥσπερ to like Adverb Matthew 12:40 ὥσπερ to as Adverb Matthew 13:40 Ὥσπερ to As Adverb Matthew 18:17 ὥσπερ to as Adverb Matthew 20:28 ὥσπερ to just as Adverb Matthew 24:27 ὥσπερ to just as Adverb Matthew 24:37 ὥσπερ to As [it was] Adverb Matthew 25:14 Ὥσπερ to [it] is just like Adverb Matthew 25:32 ὥσπερ to as Adverb
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 6:2
Aligned rows 36
Books represented 12
Matthew 10 Luke 2 John 2 Acts 3 Romans 6 1 Corinthians 5 2 Corinthians 1 Galatians 1 1 Thessalonians 1 Hebrews 3 James 1 Revelation 1
Source forms
ὥσπερ 32x hōsper Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:7, Matthew 12:40, Matthew 18:17
Ὥσπερ 4x Hōsper Matthew 13:40, Matthew 25:14, John 5:21, Romans 11:30
Parsing patterns
Adverb 36x Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:7, Matthew 12:40, Matthew 13:40
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- When teaching a just-as passage, show the congregation both sides of the comparison.
- Do not press analogy language farther than the inspired argument presses it.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim hosper itself proves the doctrine being compared.
- Do not claim just as always means the two compared realities are identical in every respect.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. just as
Strong's G5618
Lexical occurrences 36 verses Greek text appearances 42 times 16 shown below Word forms 1 form 36 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
just as
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 42 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 5:48 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 6:2 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 6:5 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 6:7 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 6:16 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 12:40 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 13:40 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 18:17 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 20:28 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 24:27 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 24:37 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 24:38 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 25:14 Adverb
Ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Matthew 25:32 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Luke 17:24 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
Read verse Luke 18:11 Adverb
ὥσπερ wsper
just as, as
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 this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 1 Aligned forms 36
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Matt 6:2 · Matt 6:7 · Matt 12:40 · Matt 13:40 · Matt 18:17 · Matt 20:28 · Matt 24:27 · Matt 24:37 · Matt 25:14 · Matt 25:32 · Luke 17:24 · Luke 18:11 · John 5:21 · John 5:26 · Acts 2:2 · Acts 3:17 36×
Word Origins
ὥσπερ is built from these roots:
+ περ G4007
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The core insight of hosper is that small comparison words can carry the load-bearing joints of biblical reasoning. The word itself is not a doctrine, but it often marks where a passage asks readers to compare carefully: Jonah and the Son of Man, Adam and Christ, death and life, resurrection and new walking, body and spirit, faith and works. Good teaching neither skips the connector nor overdrives it.
Hosper asks the preacher to honor the exact comparison the text makes. The result is clearer doctrine, because readers see how the sentence moves from one side of the analogy to the other under the author's control.
Anchor passage
John.5.21
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew.12.40: Jonah language supports Jesus' sign of death and resurrection timing.
- Matthew.20.28: the Son of Man's service and ransom define kingdom greatness.
- John.5.21: the Father-Son comparison supports Jesus' authority to give life.
- Romans.5.19: Adam and Christ are compared by representative disobedience and obedience.
- Romans.6.4: union with Christ's resurrection grounds newness of life.
- James.2.26: faith without deeds is compared to a body without the spirit.
Hosper is a comparative conjunction. It often works with a following so, also, or implied counterpart, so readers should trace both sides of the comparison.
From Old to New Testament
Biblical authors frequently teach through comparison: creation and new creation, Adam and Christ, exodus and redemption, body and life. Hosper is one Greek marker of that wider canonical habit.
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