Let’s look at the word patience in the above verse. Patience in the Greek is hupomone and is used 32 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Unfortunately, it was translated as “enduring” only once and “patience” 29 times, when the Greek was translated. The word means steadfastness, or endurance. Almost every time you see the word “patience” in the New Testament, the Greek word is hupomone or endurance. Hupomone in the New Testament is the characteristic of a person who does not change direction from his purpose and is loyal to the faith, even though he is going through his greatest trials and sufferings. Verse 3, using the correct Greek definition should read, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also: knowing that the tribulation worketh hupomone (endurance).” I love the word hupomone. It means continuing, no matter what. This is what Thomas Tewell says about hupomone:

We must continue the spiritual race that we are running, no matter what. That is what hupomone means. We must endure no matter what comes our way. It does not mean just to be patient and waits for things to pass. It does not mean to wait for our trials to go away, miserably waiting for the end. We cannot develop the attitude that our problems will just go away. No, that is not what hupomone means at all. I confess, there are times where I cannot wait to go to sleep at night so I can forget about all my problems. That is not hupomone, nor is it a stoic endurance of waiting for the night when sleep will block everything out. Hupomone is not putting our backs to the wind. Hupomone is turning around and walking into the wind. That is why I believe the best word for hupomone is endurance. The word is not patience, but hupomone, enduring no matter what. What we need more of on our journey pressing towards the mark is enduring faith.

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