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G499 · Greek · New Testament
ἀντίτυπον
Antitupon
Adjective/Noun, neuter
Antitype / Counterpart / Copy

Definition

The Greek noun/adjective antitupon means antitype, counterpart, or a copy corresponding to an original. Appearing twice in the New Testament (Hebrews 9:24 and 1 Peter 3:21), it is the technical term for biblical typology — the correspondence between OT shadow and NT fulfillment.

Usage & Theological Significance

Antitupon is the key term in the hermeneutical framework of biblical typology. A tupos is the original pattern or type; the antitupon is the corresponding reality. Hebrews 9:24 uses the word to explain that the earthly tabernacle was 'a copy and shadow of what is in heaven' — the antitupon of the true heavenly sanctuary. Christ entered not the earthly copy but the true sanctuary, heaven itself, to present His blood before God. In 1 Peter 3:21, baptism is called the antitupon of Noah's flood — not a mere symbol but a corresponding reality: as the flood saved Noah through water, baptism now saves through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The theology of antitupon teaches that the entire OT is a divinely structured preview of Christ — every sacrifice, every priest, every temple, every prophet pointing forward to its ultimate fulfillment.

Key Bible Verses

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy (antitupon) of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
1 Peter 3:21 And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also — not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 8:5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle.
Colossians 2:17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Hebrews 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming — not the realities themselves.

Related Words

External Resources

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