Word studies · Greek · Strong's G1680
ἐλπίς · elpís · appears 53 times in the New Testament
In one line: Confident expectation that God will keep His promises.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Hope is confident expectation — a forward-looking trust that what God has promised will certainly come to pass.
Elpis in the New Testament is not wishful thinking but assured anticipation, especially of the resurrection and the fulfillment of God's promises. It gives Christians a future-oriented confidence that shapes how they endure the present.
Elpis originally denoted simple anticipation, whether hopeful or fearful, of something to come. The New Testament narrows and deepens it into a confident expectation grounded specifically in God's character and promises, especially Christ's resurrection.
Unlike modern “I hope so,” which often signals uncertainty, elpis in the New Testament carries near-certainty; it's paired with faith and love as one of the great abiding realities precisely because it rests on God's reliability, not on chance.
Elpis (G1680) and “faith” (pistis) are close enough in meaning that a few older English translations rendered elpis as “faith” in places like Hebrews 10:23.
Hope anchors Christian endurance: Paul says believers are saved “in hope,” and Peter calls it a “living hope” born from Christ's resurrection. It keeps present suffering from having the final word.
Let hope reframe hard seasons as temporary rather than final — you're not waiting on chance, but on a God who keeps promises. Identify one area where you've slipped into resignation, and consciously choose hope instead.
expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope,
Acts 2:26Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:18Isn’t He actually speaking on our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.
1 Corinthians 9:10And our hope for you is sure, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:7But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness.
Galatians 5:5I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:18Press and hold hope in any chapter and this study opens on the verse you are reading, with the lexicons, every occurrence and the commentaries beside it. The Bible is free to read.
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Strong's definitions are public domain. Counts come from The Pillar's own tagged text.