Girls · English (from Greek) · New Testament · classic · N/A — concept name
Hope
/HOHP/
ἐλπίς (Greek)
"Expectation; confident trust; anticipation"
Romans 8:24
RoleVirtue name — one of the three theological virtues
Etymology
From Old English 'hopa'. The biblical concept — Greek 'elpis' — is not wishful thinking but confident expectation grounded in God's promises. Romans 8:24 says 'hope that is seen is not hope,' placing it in the space between promise and fulfilment.
Who they were
Hope is one of the three virtues Paul names in 1 Corinthians 13: 'And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.' Biblical hope is radically different from the everyday English sense. It is not a guess or a wish but a settled confidence in what God has promised — the assurance that what is not yet visible is nonetheless certain. Romans 5 says suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope — and 'hope does not put us to shame.' The writer of Hebrews calls hope 'an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.' Jeremiah, writing to exiles in Babylon who had lost everything, delivered God's words: 'I know the plans I have for you — plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' As a given name, Hope was adopted by Puritans alongside Faith and Charity, and has remained in steady use. It is the virtue that bridges the gap between what is and what will be.
Character qualities
- Confidence in the unseen
- Endurance
- Joy in waiting
Key verse
Romans 15:13
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Nadia (means hope in Slavic languages) · Esperanza
Read their story
Hope's story begins in Romans.
The full passage is at Romans 8:24. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →