An entry in the 7 Scrolls Bible Dictionary, with every example verse shown in the Berean Standard Bible.
What is the biblical definition of hope?
In the Bible, hope is confident expectation of good that God has promised but that has not yet arrived. It is trust pointed toward the future.
How often does the Bible use the word hope?
| Word form (BSB) | Times used | Verses |
|---|---|---|
| hope | 163 | 157 |
| hopes | 3 | 3 |
| hoped | 6 | 6 |
| hoping | 8 | 8 |
| All listed forms | 180 | 172 |
Books where these words appear in the most verses: Psalms (27), Job (18), Romans (13), Acts (12), Proverbs (9).
The rows count the English word hope and its forms. Many Old Testament verses about waiting for God, such as Isaiah 40:31, express hope with the word wait, so they do not appear in these counts.
How we counted: a whole-word, case-insensitive search of every verse of the Berean Standard Bible (31,086 verses in our data) for each listed English form. Counts describe the English translation, not the Hebrew or Greek behind it, and include every sense of the word.
How does the Bible use hope?
How is biblical hope different from wishing?
In everyday English, I hope so often means I am not sure. The Bible uses the word with more weight. Hope rests on a promise and on the character of the one who made it. Hebrews 10:23 says to hold on to hope because the one who promised is faithful.
Hope is still about what is unseen. Romans 8:24–25 points out that nobody hopes for what they already have. Hope waits patiently for what is coming. So it is certain in its ground but unfinished in its fulfillment.
Where do people find hope in the Old Testament?
Often in very dark places. Lamentations was written over the ruins of Jerusalem. Yet in Lamentations 3:21–24 the writer calls to mind God's loving devotion and says, “therefore I have hope”. Hope here is a deliberate act of remembering.
The Psalms do the same. Psalm 42:5 has a person talk to their own downcast soul and say, “Put your hope in God”. Jeremiah 29:11, written to exiles facing a long wait, promises them a future and a hope. In Isaiah 40:31 those who wait upon the LORD renew their strength.
What is the living hope in the New Testament?
The New Testament anchors hope in the resurrection. 1 Peter 1:3 speaks of new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. Because Jesus rose, death is not the last word. Paul tells grieving readers in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 that they need not grieve like those who have no hope.
Hope also shapes life now. Hebrews 6:19 calls it an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Romans 12:12 asks readers to be joyful in hope, linking it closely with joy. 1 Corinthians 13:13 names hope with faith and love as the three things that remain.
Key Bible verses about hope
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
Hebrews 6:19 BSB
Hope pictured as an anchor: it holds a person steady while the storm continues.
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 BSB
God is called the God of hope, who fills people with joy and peace.
Yet I call this to mind, and therefore I have hope:
Lamentations 3:21 BSB
Hope in the middle of ruin, based on remembering what God is like.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.
Psalm 42:5 BSB
A person speaks to their own discouraged soul and chooses to hope in God.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 BSB
A promise to exiles of a future and a hope, given while they still had a long wait ahead.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3 BSB
A living hope, grounded in the resurrection of Jesus.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Romans 5:5 BSB
Hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured into the heart.
What are the Hebrew and Greek words behind it?
Hebrew: tiqvah — hope, expectation
A common Hebrew noun for hope, used in Jeremiah 29:11. The same word can also mean a cord, as with Rahab's scarlet cord in Joshua 2:18.
Hebrew: qavah — to wait, to hope
A verb that joins waiting and hoping, as in Isaiah 40:31. Hope in the Hebrew Bible is often patient waiting for God.
Greek: elpis — hope, expectation
The New Testament noun for hope, used in Romans, Hebrews and 1 Peter for a confident expectation.
Hope vs faith: what is the difference?
Faith and hope are close partners. Faith is trust in God and what God has said. Hope is that same trust facing forward, toward what has been promised but not yet seen. Hebrews 11:1 joins them: faith is the assurance of what we hope for. Read more on biblical faith.
Why does hope matter?
Many people read the Bible during hard seasons. Knowing that hope means confident waiting, not cheerful denial, makes passages like Lamentations 3 and Psalm 42 easier to understand. These writers do not pretend things are fine. They hope anyway.
Hope also explains the forward lean of the whole Bible, from promises to Abraham to the new creation in Revelation. It is a core word in the 7 Scrolls Bible dictionary for that reason.
Quick check
What does Hebrews 6:19 compare hope to?
An anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).
Which three things remain, according to 1 Corinthians 13:13?
Faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Through what event does 1 Peter 1:3 say believers have a living hope?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).
Related Bible words
In summary
- Biblical hope is confident expectation, not wishful thinking.
- It rests on God's promises and faithfulness.
- The Old Testament often expresses hope as patient waiting for God.
- The New Testament anchors hope in the resurrection of Jesus.