ἐλπίζω G1679
To hope, expect; to set confident trust in; (passive) that which is hoped for
Elpizo carries the full weight of biblical hope, which is never mere wishful thinking but a forward-leaning confidence grounded in God's promises. When Paul says Israel 'hoped in Christ' and the Gentiles 'will hope in his name' (Matt 12:21, quoting Isaiah), the verb draws together expectation and reliance. In the Pastoral letters it deepens into settled trust: the widow 'has set her hope on God' (1 Tim 5:5). Hebrews 11:1 famously stretches the word into a noun-like passive, defining faith as 'the substance of things hoped for,' where the hoped-for realities themselves become the grammatical focus. French and German consistently render 'espérer/hoffen,' but the Spanish shift from 'Espero' (I hope) to 'ha esperado' (has hoped) in the Pastorals mirrors the tightening from expectation to trust.
3. that which is hoped for — A passive-participial usage in Hebrews 11:1, where 'things hoped for' (elpizomenon) functions substantivally as the object of faith. This single occurrence turns the verb inside out: instead of the human subject hoping, the focus falls on the realities themselves that are awaited. Spanish 'de cosas esperadas' and English 'of things hoped for' both capture this grammatical pivot. 1×
AR["مَرْجُوَّات"]·ben["আশা-করা-বিষয়গুলির"]·DE["hoffen"]·EN["of-things-hoped-for"]·FR["espérer"]·heb["מְקֻוִּים"]·HI["आशा-की-गई-बातों"]·ID["yang-diharapkan"]·IT["sperare"]·jav["ingkang-dipunajeng-ajeng"]·KO["바라는-것들의"]·PT["de-coisas-esperadas"]·RU["надеемых"]·ES["de-cosas-esperadas"]·SW["yanayotumainiwa"]·TR["umut-edilenlerin"]·urd["امید-کی-جانے-والی-چیزوں-کا"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. to hope or expect — The dominant sense of looking forward with desire and expectation. Jesus' disciples on the Emmaus road lament 'we were hoping he was the one' (Luke 24:21), and Paul asks 'who hopes for what he already sees?' (Rom 8:24-25). Across 28 occurrences this covers both everyday expectation and eschatological longing, with translations uniformly rendering 'hope/esperar/espérer/hoffen.' 28×
AR["أَرجو","أَرْجو","أَرْجُو","ارجوا","تَرجو","راجِياً","رَجَونا","نَرْجو","نَرْجُو","وَأَرجو","يَرجُونَ","يَرْجُو","يَرْجُونَ"]·ben["আমরা-আশা-করি","আমরা-আশা-করেছিলাম,","আমরা-আশা-রেখেছি","আমরা-আশা-রেখেছি,","আমি-আশা-করি","আশা-কর","আশা-করবে","আশা-করি","আশা-করে","আশা-রাখবে।","প্রত্যাশা-করি","প্রত্যাশা-করিতেছিল","প্রত্যাশা-করে,"]·DE["hoffen","ἐλπίζων","ἐλπιοῦσιν"]·EN["I-hope","hope","hopes","hoping","we-have-hoped","we-hope-for","we-hoped","will-hope"]·FR["espérer"]·heb["יְקַוּּ","יְקַוּוּ","מְקַוִּים-אֲנַחְנוּ","מְקַוֶּה","מְקַוָּה","קִוִּינוּ","קַוּוּ"]·HI["अअश-करते-हुए","अअश-रखि-है","अअश-रखेनगेए","आशा-करता-हूँ","आशा-करता-हूं","आशा-करेंगी","आशा-रखता-है","आशा-रखते-हैं","आशा-रखो","आशाकरतेहुए","मैं-आशा-करता-हूँ","मैं-आशा-करता-हूं","मैन-अअश-करत-हुन","मैन-अश-करत-होओन","हमने-आशा-की-थी","हमने-आशा-रखी-है"]·ID["Aku berharap","akan-berharap","akan-berharap.","aku berharap","aku-berharap","berharap","berharaplah","itu-mengharapkan","kami-berharap","kami-harapkan","kita-berharap","kita-harapkan,"]·IT["sperare"]·jav["Kula-ngarep-arep","badhé-ngarep-arep.","kawula-ajeng-ajeng","kawula-gadhah-pangajeng-ajeng","kawula-pangajeng-ajeng","kita-ngarep-arep","kita-ngarep-arep,","kula-ngarep-arep","kula-pengajeng-ajeng","ngarep-arep","ngarep-arepa"]·KO["내-가-바란다","내가-소망한다","바라노라","바라는다","바라며","바랐다","소망을-두라","소망을두었다","소망하고","소망하노라","소망하리라","소망한다"]·PT["espera,","esperai","esperamos,","esperando","esperarão.","espero","esperávamos","temos-esperado"]·RU["Надеюсь","надеемся","надеется","надейтесь","надеюсь","надеялись","надеясь","надеяться-будут","проезжающий","уповаем"]·ES["Espero","espera","esperad","esperamos","esperando","esperarán","espero","esperábamos","hemos-esperado"]·SW["Natumaini","akitumaini","kutumaini","natumaini","nikiwa-na-tumaini","ninatumaini","tulivyotumaini,","tumaini","tumemtumainia,","tumetumaini","tunatumainia","unatumaini","watategemea.","yatatumaini."]·TR["Umut-ediyorum","ama-","umarak","umarım","umut eder","umut ediyorum","umut ettik","umut-bağladık","umut-edecekler","umut-edin","umut-ediyorum","umut-ediyoruz","umuyorum","çünkü"]·urd["امید-رکھتا-ہوں","امید-رکھتے-ہوئے","امید-رکھیں-گی","امید-کرتا-ہوں","اُمید-رکھتا-ہوں","اُمید-رکھتے-ہوئے","اُمید-رکھو","اُمید-رکھی-ہے","اُمید-کرتا-ہوں","اُمید-کرتی-ہے","اُمید-کی","ہم-امید-رکھتے-ہیں","ہم-نے-امید-لگائی-ہے"]
Matt 12:21, Luke 6:34, Luke 23:8, Luke 24:21, John 5:45, Acts 24:26, Acts 26:7, Rom 8:24, Rom 8:25, Rom 15:12, Rom 15:24, 1 Cor 13:7 (+16 more)
2. to set hope on, trust in — A narrower but theologically rich usage where hope crystallizes into confident reliance on a person or promise. First Timothy 5:5 describes the godly widow who 'has set her hope on God,' and 1 Timothy 6:17 warns the rich not to 'set their hope on the uncertainty of riches.' The perfect tense in both passages (elpiken) signals settled, abiding trust rather than transient expectation. 2×
AR["اتَّكَلَتْ","يَتَّكِلوا"]·ben["আশা-রাখতে","আশা-রেখেছে"]·DE["hoffen"]·EN["has-hoped","to-have-hoped"]·FR["espérer"]·heb["לְ-קַוְּתָ","קִוְּתָה"]·HI["अअश-रखन","अअश-रखि-है"]·ID["berharap"]·IT["sperare"]·jav["ngarep-arep"]·KO["소망하기를","소망했다"]·PT["tem-esperado","terem-esperado"]·RU["уповает","уповать"]·ES["esperar","ha-esperado"]·SW["ametumaini","kutumaini"]·TR["umut-bağlamak","umut-bağlamıştır"]·urd["امید-رکھنا","امید-لگائی-ہے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐλπίζω, Attic dialect future -ῐῶLXX+NT+4th c.BC+: aorist ἤλπισα Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἤλπικα NT+3rd c.BC+: pluperfect ἠλπίκειν Refs 1st c.AD+:—middle, Refs 1st c.BC+:—passive, aorist ἠλπίσθην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἤλπισμαι Refs 5th c.BC+, hope for, or rather (in earlier writers) look for, expect:—Constr.: with accusative, Refs 5th c.BC+: frequently with a dependent clause in infinitive, hope…