Hope
ἐλπίςStrong’s G1680elpis
Appears in 47 verses of the New Testament
In short
Not a wish but a sure expectation of what God has promised. Paul calls Christ Jesus "our hope" (1 Timothy 1:1), and Hebrews calls hope "an anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:18-19).
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”
Meaning
Usually translated “hope”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- hope 47
- of hope 3
- a hope 2
- in hope 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Romans 9
- Acts 8
- Hebrews 5
- 1 Thessalonians 4
- Ephesians 3
- Colossians 3
15 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- 2 Thessalonians 2:16In contextNow our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
- Titus 1:2In contextIn hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
- Titus 2:13In contextLooking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
- Titus 3:7In contextThat being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
- Acts 2:26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
- Acts 16:19And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
All 47 verses, by book
Greek dictionary
ἐλπίς elpis · hope
ἐλπίς (ἑλ-, Rom.8:20, WH, see Bl., § 4, 3; M, Pr., 44), -ίδος, ἡ [in LXX for בָּטַח and its derivatives, תִּקְוָה (frequently in Jb), etc. ;] expectation (in cl., rarely of evil, mostly of good, and so always in NT), hope; 1. of hope in general: 2Co.1:6; with genitive obj., Act.16:19; art. inf., Act.27:20, 1Co.9:10; παρ᾽ ἐλπίδα, Rom.4:18; ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι, 1Co.9:10. …
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “hope” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
HOPE, noun
[Latin cupio.]
- A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.“The hypocrite's hope shall perish” Job 8:13
- Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a scriptural sense.
- That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good.“The Lord will be the hope of his people” Joel 3:16
- An opinion or belief not amounting to certainty, but grounded on substantial evidence.
All definitions and other forms of “hope”
HOPE, verb intransitive
- To cherish a desire of food, with some expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable.“Be sober and hope to the end” 1 Peter 1:13
- To place confidence in; to trust in with confident expectation of good.“Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God” Psalms 42:11
HOPE, verb transitive
To desire with expectation of good, or a belief that it may be obtained. But as a transitive verb, it is seldom used, and the phrases in which it is so used are elliptical, for being understood.
HOPE, noun
A sloping plain between ridges of mountains. [Not in use.]
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.