Beyond Measure: ὑπερπερισσῶς (Strong’s G5249: hyperperissōs) Expresses Boundless Wonder

Strong’s G5249: A superlative adverb combining hyper (beyond) with perissos (abundant), meaning “beyond all measure or expectation.” Used to express the highest degree of amazement and abundance, particularly in contexts of divine activity and overwhelming response to the Messiah’s works.

U- Unveiling the Word

ὑπερπερισσῶς (hyperperissōs) represents the pinnacle of expression in Koine Greek, combining two intensifiers to create a term that goes beyond ordinary superlatives. This compound adverb unites ὑπέρ (hyper, “beyond”) with περισσῶς (perissōs, “abundantly”), creating a term that expresses amazement or abundance that transcends normal human expression. In its New Testament context, it specifically appears in Mark 7:37, where it captures the crowd’s overwhelming amazement at Jesus’ miraculous healing. This word choice beautifully illustrates how human language strains to capture divine activity, pointing to the transcendent nature of the Messiah’s works that exceed all human expectations and measurements.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: ὑπερπερισσῶς, hyperperissōs, hoop-er-per-is-SOCE
• Detailed Pronunciation: hoo (as in “hoop”) + per (as in “pair”) + per (repeat) + is (as in “is”) + soce (as in “gross”)
• Part of Speech: Adverb

Etymology:

• ὑπέρ (hyper) – prefix meaning “above, beyond”
• περισσῶς (perissōs) – adverb meaning “abundantly, exceedingly”
• περισσός (perissos) – base adjective meaning “abundant”
• -ως (-ōs) – adverbial suffix

D – Defining Meanings

• Exceedingly abundantly
• Beyond measure
• Super-exceedingly

For compound words:

• ὑπέρ (hyper) adds the sense of “beyond” or “above and beyond”
• περισσῶς (perissōs) contributes the meaning of “abundantly” or “exceedingly”
• Combined, they create a superlative expressing the ultimate degree

Translation Options:

• “Beyond all measure” – captures both the transcendent and quantitative aspects
• “Overwhelmingly” – emphasizes the emotional impact
• “Super-abundantly” – maintains the compound nature while being accessible

E – Exploring Similar Words

• περισσῶς (perissōs) – “abundantly, exceedingly” – lacks the intensified “beyond” aspect
  See G4057
• ὑπερβαλλόντως (hyperballontōs) – “exceeding measure, beyond measure”
  See G5234
• λίαν (lian) – “very much, exceedingly”
  See G3029

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

As an adverb, ὑπερπερισσῶς is indeclinable, meaning it maintains the same form regardless of its position in the sentence. The -ως (-ōs) ending marks it as an adverb derived from an adjective.

Key Morphological Features:

• Fixed form due to adverbial nature
• Derived from περισσός (perissos) with adverbial suffix -ως
• Double intensification through prefix ὑπερ-

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

The major lexicons uniformly recognize ὑπερπερισσῶς as expressing the highest possible degree of a quality or action. BDAG emphasizes its use in contexts of astonishment and wonder, particularly in response to divine activity. Thayer’s highlights its composition as a doubled intensive form, suggesting it represents the ultimate superlative in Greek. LSJ notes its rare occurrence, indicating its special significance when used. Moulton and Milligan observe its appearance in papyri primarily in contexts of extreme amazement or overwhelming emotion, supporting its New Testament usage as capturing genuine, spontaneous human response to divine intervention.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First appearance:
Mark 7:37: “And they were astonished [ὑπερπερισσῶς] beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.'”

Additional References:
This word appears only once in the New Testament.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

The singular appearance of ὑπερπερισσῶς in the New Testament marks a moment of unprecedented amazement at the Messiah’s works. Its use in Mark 7:37 captures the crowd’s response to Jesus’ healing ministry, expressing an amazement that transcends normal human experience. This word choice beautifully illustrates how the Kingdom of God breaks into human experience in ways that defy ordinary description. The good news here is that our God works in ways that exceed our highest expectations, leading to wonder and praise that goes beyond our ability to express it.

D – Did You Know?

• ὑπερπερισσῶς is one of the longest adverbs used in the New Testament
• It represents the only instance in biblical Greek where two intensifiers (hyper- and -perissōs) are combined in this way
• The word’s structure influenced later Christian writers who created similar compounds to express spiritual experiences

Strong’s G5249: A superlative adverb combining hyper (beyond) with perissos (abundant), meaning “beyond all measure or expectation.” Used to express the highest degree of amazement and abundance, particularly in contexts of divine activity and overwhelming response to the Messiah’s works.

Part of speech: Adverb

Tags: superlative, amazement, wonder, abundance, intensity, biblical Greek, New Testament Greek, Mark’s Gospel, divine activity, miracle response, worship, praise​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​