[1] In modern usage, the term is also used more generally for figures of speech that transpose sentences' natural word order,[2][3] which is also called anastrophe.
In the above example, the word "(only) one", henos, occurs in its normal place after the preposition "at the hands of" (hupo), but "person" (anthrōpou) is unnaturally delayed, giving emphasis to "only one."
Hyperbaton is also common in New Testament Greek, for example:[7] οὗτοςhoûtosὁhoἄνθρωποςánthrōposπολλὰpollàποιεῖpoieîσημεῖαsēmeîa(John 11:47) οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος πολλὰ ποιεῖ σημεῖαhoûtos ho ánthrōpos pollà poieî sēmeîa"This man is performing many signs" (not merely a few)διὰdiàτὸtòἐγγὺςengùsεἶναιeînaiἸερουσαλὴμIerousalḕmαὐτόνautón(Luke 19:11) διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς εἶναι Ἰερουσαλὴμ αὐτόνdià tò engùs eînai Ierousalḕm autón"because of him being near Jerusalem" (not far)ἴδετεídeteπηλίκοιςpēlíkoisὑμῖνhumînγράμμασινgrámmasinἔγραψαégrapsaτῇtêiἐμῇemêiχειρίkheirí(Paul, Galatians 6:11) ἴδετε πηλίκοις ὑμῖν γράμμασιν ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρίídete pēlíkois humîn grámmasin égrapsa têi emêi kheirí"See, I have written to you with big letters in my own hand" (not small ones)ταλαίπωροςtalaípōrosἐγὼegṑἄνθρωποςánthrōpos(Paul, Romans 7:24) ταλαίπωρος ἐγὼ ἄνθρωποςtalaípōros egṑ ánthrōpos"I (am) a wretched man" (not a fortunate one)In all these examples and others in the New Testament, the first word of the hyperbaton is an adjective or adverb which is emphasised by being separated from the following noun.
[21] Similar constructions are found in other languages, such as Russian, Latvian, and Modern Greek from which the following example comes:[22] ΤοToκόκκινοkókkinoείδαeídaτοtoφόρεμα.phórema.Το κόκκινο είδα το φόρεμα.To kókkino eída to phórema.
In English studies, the term "hyperbaton" is defined differently, as "a figure of speech in which the normal order of words is reversed, as in cheese I love" (Collins English Dictionary)[23] or "a transposition or inversion of idiomatic word order (as echoed the hills for the hills echoed)" (Merriam-Webster online dictionary).