ἐλπ-ίς G1680
hope, expectation — confident anticipation of a future good, grounded in trust or promise
Elpis denotes the forward-looking posture of confident expectation, one of the great theological virtues of the New Testament alongside faith and love (1 Cor 13:13). Across its 53 occurrences, it ranges from the living hope grounded in Christ's resurrection (1 Pet 1:3) to Paul's hope of the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6; 24:15), to the 'hope laid up in heaven' (Col 1:5). In Acts 16:19, uniquely, the word takes an ironic secular turn — the slave owners' 'hope of profit' vanishes when Paul casts out the fortune-telling spirit. The multilingual translations converge on a single warm concept: Spanish 'esperanza,' French 'esperance,' German 'Hoffnung' — each carrying the connotation of trust rather than mere wishing.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Confident expectation of a future good, especially as grounded in divine promise or the resurrection of Christ. Central to Pauline theology as one of the abiding triad (1 Cor 13:13) and the anchor of the soul (Heb 6:19). Appears as the content of hope ('the hope of glory,' Col 1:27), the subjective act of hoping (Rom 8:24 'hope that is seen is not hope'), and the objective basis of hope (Acts 23:6 'the hope of the resurrection'). All 53 occurrences share this anticipatory sense, though Acts 16:19 extends it to secular expectation of financial gain. 53×
AR["-الرَّجَاءَ", "-الرَّجَاءِ", "الرَّجاءُ", "الرَّجاءِ", "الرَّجَاءِ", "رَجاءً", "رَجاءٍ", "رَجاءُ", "رَجاءِ", "رَجَاءً", "رَجَاءٌ", "رَجَاءٍ", "رَجَاءِ"]·ben["আশা", "আশা,", "আশায়", "আশায়,", "আশার", "প্রত্যাশা", "প্রত্যাশায়", "প্রত্যাশার"]·DE["Hoffnung"]·EN["hope"]·FR["espérance"]·heb["תִּקְוַת", "תִּקְוָה"]·HI["आशा", "आशा-का", "आशाकी"]·ID["Pengharapan", "harapan", "pengharapan", "pengharapan,", "pengharapan.", "pengharapan;"]·IT["speranza"]·jav["pangajeng-ajeng", "pangajeng-ajeng,", "pangarep-arep", "pangarep-arep,", "pangarep-arep.", "pengajeng-ajeng"]·KO["소망", "소망-을", "소망-의", "소망과", "소망에", "소망에-대하여", "소망에-의하여", "소망에서", "소망을", "소망이", "흔들리는-것-을", "희망이"]·PT["esperança", "esperança,", "esperança;"]·RU["вас", "же", "которое", "надежда", "надежде", "надежде,", "надежду", "надежды", "не-", "радующиеся", "спасены-были"]·ES["esperanza"]·SW["tumaini", "tumaini,"]·TR["umuda", "umudu", "umudun", "umudunda", "umut", "umutla", "umutta", "İsrail'in"]·urd["امید", "امید-میں", "امید-کا", "امید-کے", "امید؛", "اُمید"]
Acts 2:26, Acts 16:19, Acts 23:6, Acts 24:15, Acts 26:6, Acts 26:7, Acts 27:20, Acts 28:20, Rom 4:18, Rom 4:18, Rom 5:2, Rom 5:4 (+38 more)
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)H2654a 1. take pleasure in, delight in (48×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἐλπ-ίς, ίδος, ἡ, (see. ἔλπω) hope, expectation (δόξα μελλόντων Refs 8th c.BC+; πολλῶν ῥαγεισῶν ἐλπίδων after the wreck of many hopes, Refs 5th c.BC+; expectancy, Refs 5th c.BC+ —Constr., in _Attic dialect_, with _genitive_ both of subject and object, as (where both are conjoined) Πελοποννησίων τὴν ἐλπίδα τοῦ ναυτικοῦ the hope of the P.in their navy, Refs 5th c.BC+; ὑμέτεραι ἐλπίδες,= ἐς ὑμᾶς,…