Word study
Upper
4 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “upper”. 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 “upper” 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)
- עֶלְיוֹן elyônhightranslated this way 15 times of its 52 uses · Strong’s H5945Adjective · Translated: Most High 31, Upper 15, heap of rubble 2, highest 2Full study and all 52 verses →
Joshua 16:5 This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon
2 Kings 15:35 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.
- עֲלִיָּה ălîâhroof-chambertranslated this way 15 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s H5944Noun · Translated: upper room 9, upper rooms 4, chambers 2Full study and all 20 verses →
Judges 3:20 Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.
1 Kings 17:19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
- עִלִּי illîuppertranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s H5942Adjective · Translated: upper 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Joshua 15:19 “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
Judges 1:15 “Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
- פֶּלַח pelachcleavage, mill-stonetranslated this way 2 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s H6400Noun · Translated: like a slice 2, upper 1, piece 1, upper millstone 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Judges 9:53 But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
2 Samuel 11:21 Who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’”
Greek words (New Testament)
- ὑπερῷον hyperōionan upper roomtranslated this way 4 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G5253Noun · Translated: upper room 4Full study and all 4 verses →
Acts 1:13 When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
Acts 9:37 At that time, however, she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room.
- ἀνώγεον anṓgeonan upper roomtranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G508Noun · Translated: upper room 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Mark 14:15 And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
Luke 22:12 And he will show you a large upper room, already furnished. Make preparations there.”
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.