Meaning
In the New Testament the most important preps. from a doctrinal point of view are anti, "face to face," "over against," "instead," "on behalf of," peri, "around," "about," "concerning," huper, "over," "on behalf of." The first has been claimed as stating the substitutionary nature of Christ's sacrifice as contrasted with huper and peri, more frequently used of it. But, although anti in the New Testament often means "instead of," "answering to," it does not necessarily imply substitution. On the other hand, in classical Greek huper is sometimes used in that sense (see Trench, Synonyms). "Here as always the root idea of the preposition, the root idea of the case, and the context must all be considered" (Robertson, Grammar, 124). Anti is found in this connection only in Mt 20:28, and Mr 10:45. In Mat 26:28, Mar 14:24, we have peri, also in Heb 10:6, Heb 10:8, Heb 10:18, Heb 10:26, 1Pe 3:18, 1Pe 3:1, Joh 2:2, Joh 4:10. Luk 22:19, Luk 22:20 has huper, which is the word commonly used by Paul, as in Rom 5:6, Rom 5:8, Rom 8:32, Rom 14:15, 1Co 15:3, etc., also by John in his Gospel, 6:51; 10:11, etc., and 1Joh 3:16; also Heb 2:9, Heb 10:12, 1Pe 2:21, 1Pe 3:18, 1Pe 4:1; in Ro 8:3 it is peri.
W. L. Walker