Word study
Surpass
9 Hebrew and 3 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: surpassed, surpassing, surpass, surpasses. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “surpass” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- גָּדַל gâdalgrow up, become greattranslated this way 2 times of its 115 uses · Strong’s H1431Verb · Translated: great 14, grew 10, grown 7, greater 7Full study and all 114 verses →
1 Kings 10:23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
2 Chronicles 9:22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
- גָּבַר gâbarbe strong, mightytranslated this way 1 time of its 25 uses · Strong’s H1396Verb · Translated: prevailed 6, prevail 4, great 2, strengthen 2Full study and all 24 verses →
Genesis 49:26 The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
- יָסַף yâsaphaddtranslated this way 1 time of its 202 uses · Strong’s H3254Verb · Translated: again 36, add 23, longer 20, severely 12Full study and all 198 verses →
Ecclesiastes 2:9 So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me.
- אַהֲבָה ahăbâhlovetranslated this way 1 time of its 38 uses · Strong’s H160Noun · Translated: love 33, loved 3, surpassing the love 1, loves 1Full study and all 35 verses →
2 Samuel 1:26 I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
- יַתִּיר yattîrpre-eminent, surpassingtranslated this way 1 time of its 7 uses · Strong’s H3493Adjective · Translated: extraordinary 3, extremely 2, so 1, surpassing 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Daniel 4:36 At the same time my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne, and surpassing greatness was added to me.
- עָבַר âbarpass over, through, by, pass ontranslated this way 1 time of its 542 uses · Strong’s H5674Verb · Translated: pass 62, crossed 57, cross 52, passed 35Full study and all 487 verses →
Proverbs 8:29 when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.
- עָלָה âlâhgo up, ascend, climbtranslated this way 1 time of its 873 uses · Strong’s H5927Verb · Translated: go 118, went 107, brought 56, come 42Full study and all 807 verses →
- כֹּל kôlthe whole, alltranslated this way 1 time of its 5,107 uses · Strong’s H3605Noun · Translated: all 1,589, and all 471, whole 223, every 196Full study and all 4,112 verses →
- נָעֵם nâêmbe pleasant, delightful, lovelytranslated this way 1 time of its 8 uses · Strong’s H5276Verb · Translated: pleasant 3, delightful 1, delight 1, tasty 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Ezekiel 32:19 Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised!
Greek words (New Testament)
- ὑπερβάλλω hyperbállōI surpasstranslated this way 5 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G5235Verb · Translated: surpassing 3, surpasses 2Full study and all 5 verses →
2 Corinthians 3:10 Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.
Ephesians 1:19 and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,
- ἔμπροσθεν émprosthenin front, before the facetranslated this way 2 times of its 46 uses · Strong’s G1715Preposition · Translated: before 25, ahead 5, front 4, presence 3Full study and all 43 verses →
John 1:15 John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”
John 1:30 This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’
- ὑπερέχω hyperéchōI excel, surpasstranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G5242Verb · Translated: more important 1, surpassing excellence 1, surpasses 1, supreme 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Philippians 3:8 More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.