elpis · hope

What it means

elpis (ἐλπίς) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “hope”.

Confidence in what God will do.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Trusting that God will do the good he promised.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Hope: the confident expectation of a good not yet seen. In the New Testament it is above all trust in what God has promised. From the same verb comes ἐλπίζω, ‘hope’.

• “Faith, hope, love” 1 Corinthians 13:131 Thessalonians 1:3
• Hope that is not seen Romans 8:24Romans 5:5
• “Concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead” Acts 23:6Acts 26:6
• “Having no hope” Ephesians 2:121 Thessalonians 4:13
• Abraham, “in hope against hope” Romans 4:18
• The hope of a profit Acts 16:191 Corinthians 9:10

Historical and cultural background

Hebrews 6:18 speaks of holding on “to the hope set before {us}”, and then compares it with “an anchor of the soul” (6:19). Paul sums up his defense before the council: “Concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead I am being judged” (Acts 23:6).

How we translate it

Always “hope” (53 times), with no deviations, also when it is a human hope that is lost (“the hope of their profit had gone out”, Acts 16:19).

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Acts×8
• Romans×13
• 1 Corinthians×3
• 2 Corinthians×3
• Galatians×1
• Ephesians×3
• Philippians×1
• Colossians×3
• 1 Thessalonians×4
• 2 Thessalonians×1
• 1 Timothy×1
• Titus×3
• Hebrews×5
• 1 Peter×3
• 1 John×1

• Acts 2:26

  Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; and moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope,

• Acts 16:19

  But when her masters saw that the hope of their profit had gone out, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.

• Acts 23:6

  And Paul, knowing that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead I am being judged.”

• Acts 24:15

  having a hope in God, which these men themselves also await, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

• Acts 26:6

  And now I stand here being judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers,

• Acts 26:7

  to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, earnestly serving God night and day; concerning this hope, King, I am accused by Jews.

• Acts 27:20

  And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was pressing on us, finally all hope of our being saved was being taken away.

• Acts 28:20

  For this reason, therefore, I have called for you, to see you and speak with you; for because of the hope of Israel I am wearing this chain.”

• Romans 4:18

  He believed, in hope against hope, so that he would become the father of many nations according to what had been said: So your offspring will be.

• Romans 5:2

  through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

• Romans 5:4

  and perseverance produces proven character, and proven character, hope.

• Romans 5:5

  And hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

• Romans 8:20

  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the one who subjected it, in hope

• Romans 8:24

  For in hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he sees?

• Romans 12:12

  in hope, rejoicing; in affliction, enduring; in prayer, persevering;

• Romans 15:4

  For whatever was written beforehand was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and through the comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope.

• Romans 15:13

  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• 1 Corinthians 9:10

  Or is he speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope, and the one who threshes ought to thresh in hope of sharing in the harvest.

• 1 Corinthians 13:13

  But now remain faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

• 2 Corinthians 1:7

  And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you are partners in the sufferings, so also you are in the comfort.

• 2 Corinthians 3:12

  Therefore having such a hope, we act with great boldness,

• 2 Corinthians 10:15

  not boasting beyond measure in others’ labors, but having hope that as your faith grows, we may be enlarged among you according to our rule to an abundance,

• Galatians 5:5

  For we, by the Spirit, by faith, eagerly await the hope of righteousness.

• Ephesians 1:18

  the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints are,

• Ephesians 2:12

  that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

• Ephesians 4:4

  one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

• Philippians 1:20

  according to my eager expectation and hope that I will be put to shame in nothing, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also the Messiah will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

• Colossians 1:5

  because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the good news

• Colossians 1:23

  if indeed you continue in the faith, founded and steadfast and not shifting from the hope of the good news that you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a servant.

• Colossians 1:27

  to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is the Messiah in you, the hope of glory.

• 1 Thessalonians 1:3

  remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus the Messiah,

• 1 Thessalonians 2:19

  For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Or is it not also you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13

  But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who are sleeping, so that you may not grieve as also the rest do who have no hope.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:8

  But we, since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

• 2 Thessalonians 2:16

  Now may our Lord Jesus the Messiah himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,

• 1 Timothy 1:1

  Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by command of God our Savior and of the Messiah Jesus our hope,

• Titus 1:2

  in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before eternal times,

• Titus 2:13

  awaiting the happy hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah,

• Titus 3:7

  so that, having been declared righteous by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

• Hebrews 3:6

  but the Messiah was faithful as a Son over his house; and that house we are, if we hold fast the boldness and the boast of our hope.

And 13 more times.