Saturday, April 17, 2021

Richard D. Draper and Michael D. Rhodes on the Problem of JST Hebrews 11:1 Rendering ὑπόστασις, (KJV: "Substance") as "Assurance"

 

 

The problem with translating the noun υποστασις (hypostasis) as either “confidence” or “assurance” is that not a single example of the word with these nuances can be found in ancient texts (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary, 659-60). Further, the author uses the noun πληροφορια (plērophoria), which means “full of assurance, certainty” (BDAG, 827), in 6:11; 10:22. If he wanted to give πιστος (pistis) either of these nuances, he would likely have chosen plērophoria. (Richard D. Draper and Michael D. Rhodes, Epistle to the Hebrews [Brigham Young University New Testament Commentary; Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 2021], 589)