What does ἐλπίζω (elpízō) mean in the Bible?
elpizo means to hope, expect, or place hope in someone or something. In the New Testament, faithful hope is not optimism, wishful thinking, or denial of sorrow.
Greek · G1679
ἐλπίζω
To expect or confide
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ἐλπίζω G1679
Pronunciation elpízō
What does ἐλπίζω (elpízō) mean in the Bible?
elpizo means to hope, expect, or place hope in someone or something. In the New Testament, faithful hope is not optimism, wishful thinking, or denial of sorrow.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐλπίζω (G1679) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1679?
The BSB source-word alignment has 31 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include I hope (10), will put their hope (2), [Although] I hope (1), are hoping (1), have put your hope (1).
Where does ἐλπίζω (elpízō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 12:21. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (5), 1 Timothy (4), Romans (4), 1 Corinthians (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Elpizo means to hope, expect, or place hope in someone or something. In the New Testament, faithful hope is not optimism, wishful thinking, or denial of sorrow. It rests on God's promise, Christ's resurrection, and the grace still to be revealed. Matthew says the nations will hope in the Servant's name. Luke 24 shows disappointed disciples who had hoped Jesus would redeem Israel before they understood the resurrection.
Romans 8 teaches patient waiting for what is not yet seen. First Corinthians 15 says hope in Christ cannot be limited to this life. First Timothy speaks of hope set on the living God, and 1 Peter commands believers to set hope fully on future grace. For pastoral teaching, elpizo trains expectation toward God rather than circumstances.
lexical_rangeCanonical synthesisPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
The selected passages move from Gentile hope in the Servant, through disappointed hopes corrected by resurrection, to patient unseen hope, resurrection-dependent hope, hope in the living God, and hope fixed on future grace.
- Matt.12.21
In His name the nations will put their hope.”
Matthew applies Isaiah's Servant hope to the nations. elpizo here reaches beyond Israel, showing that hope in the Messiah's name is part of God's mercy to the nations.
- Luke.24.21
But we were hoping He was the One who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the third day since these things took place.
The Emmaus disciples had hoped Jesus was the one to redeem Israel, but their hope is confused by the cross until the risen Christ opens the Scriptures. The verse shows real hope needing resurrection correction.
- Rom.8.25
But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.
Hope waits patiently for what is not yet seen. The passage connects hope with endurance amid groaning, not escape from present weakness.
- 1Cor.15.19
If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.
If hope in Christ is for this life alone, believers are pitiable. Paul makes resurrection essential to the scope and sanity of Christian hope.
- 1Tim.4.10
To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.
Paul says labor and striving flow from hope set on the living God. Hope energizes faithful endurance because God Himself is the object.
- 1Pet.1.13
Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Believers are commanded to set hope fully on the grace to be brought at Jesus Christ's revelation. Hope is sober, future-facing, and anchored in Christ's appearing.
Book contextPassage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It I hope 10× Romans 15:24, 1 Corinthians 16:7, 2 Corinthians 1:13, 2 Corinthians 5:11
will put their hope 2× Matthew 12:21, Romans 15:12
[Although] I hope 1× 1 Timothy 3:14
are hoping 1× Acts 26:7
have put your hope 1× John 5:45
he was hoping 1× Acts 24:26
hope 1× 1 Corinthians 15:19
hopes 1× 1 Corinthians 13:7
hopes for 1× Romans 8:24
of what [we] hope for 1× Hebrews 11:1
puts [her] hope 1× 1 Timothy 5:5
Set [your] hope 1× 1 Peter 1:13
They put their hope 1× 1 Peter 3:5
to put their hope 1× 1 Timothy 6:17
was hoping 1× Luke 23:8
we expected 1× 2 Corinthians 8:5
we have placed our hope 1× 2 Corinthians 1:10
we have set our hope 1× 1 Timothy 4:10
we hope for 1× Romans 8:25
were hoping 1× Luke 24:21
you expect 1× Luke 6:34
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 12:21 ἐλπιοῦσιν to will put their hope Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Luke 6:34 ἐλπίζετε to you expect Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Luke 23:8 ἤλπιζέν to was hoping Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 24:21 ἠλπίζομεν to were hoping Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural John 5:45 ἠλπίκατε to have put your hope Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural Acts 24:26 ἐλπίζων to he was hoping Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 26:7 ἐλπίζει to are hoping Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Romans 8:24 ἐλπίζει to hopes for Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Romans 8:25 ἐλπίζομεν to we hope for Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural Romans 15:12 ἐλπιοῦσιν to will put their hope Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 12:21
Aligned rows 31
Books represented 14
Matthew 1 Luke 3 John 1 Acts 2 Romans 4 1 Corinthians 3 2 Corinthians 5 Philippians 2 1 Timothy 4 Philemon 1 Hebrews 1 1 Peter 2 2 John 1 3 John 1
Source forms
ἐλπίζω 9x elpizō Romans 15:24, 1 Corinthians 16:7, 2 Corinthians 1:13, 2 Corinthians 5:11
ἐλπίζει 3x elpizei Acts 26:7, Romans 8:24, 1 Corinthians 13:7
ἐλπίζων 2x elpizōn Acts 24:26, 1 Timothy 3:14
ἐλπιοῦσιν 2x elpiousin Matthew 12:21, Romans 15:12
ἠλπίκαμεν 2x ēlpikamen 2 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Timothy 4:10
ἐλπίζετε 1x elpizete Luke 6:34
ἐλπίζομεν 1x elpizomen Romans 8:25
ἐλπιζομένων 1x elpizomenōn Hebrews 11:1
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 10x Romans 15:24, 1 Corinthians 16:7, 2 Corinthians 1:13, 2 Corinthians 5:11
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 3x Acts 26:7, Romans 8:24, 1 Corinthians 13:7
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 2x Matthew 12:21, Romans 15:12
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 2x 2 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Timothy 4:10
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Acts 24:26, 1 Timothy 3:14
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural 1x 1 Peter 1:13
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 1x 2 Corinthians 8:5
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 1x Luke 24:21
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Encourage hope without shaming grief or present weakness.
- Point hope toward the living God and future grace, not toward guaranteed circumstantial improvement.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that elpizo means optimism or positive thinking.
- Do not claim that Christian hope is only for present-life outcomes.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. To look forward with confident expectation, often directed toward God's promised fulfillment.
Strong's G1679
Lexical occurrences 31 verses Greek text appearances 31 times 16 shown below Word forms 4 forms 31 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 Timothy 4:6-10 Source Gloss
to expect or confide
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 31 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 12:21 Verb Third Person Plural Future Active Indicative
ἐλπιοῦσι. elpiousin
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Luke 6:34 Verb Second Person Plural Present Active Subjunctive
ἐλπίζητε elpizhte
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Luke 23:8 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἤλπιζέ hlpizen
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Luke 24:21 Verb First Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
ἠλπίζομεν hlpizomen
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse John 5:45 Verb Second Person Plural Perfect Active Indicative
ἠλπίκατε. hlpikate
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Acts 24:26 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
ἐλπίζων elpizwn
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Acts 26:7 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζει elpizei
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Romans 8:24 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζει; elpizei
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Romans 8:25 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζομεν, elpizomen
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Romans 15:12 Verb Third Person Plural Future Active Indicative
ἐλπιοῦσιν. elpiousin
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse Romans 15:24 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζω elpizw
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse 1 Corinthians 13:7 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζει, elpizei
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse 1 Corinthians 15:19 Verb Perfect Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
ἠλπικότες hlpikotev
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse 1 Corinthians 16:7 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζω elpizw
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse 2 Corinthians 1:10 Verb First Person Plural Perfect Active Indicative
ἠλπίκαμεν hlpikamen
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verse 2 Corinthians 1:13 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
ἐλπίζω elpizw
I hope, hope for, expect
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 31 Tenses Present, Future, Perfect, Imperfect, Aorist Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 24×
Present Active Rom 15:24 · 1 Cor 16:7 · 2 Cor 1:13 · 2 Cor 5:11 · 2 Cor 13:6 · Phil 2:19 · Phil 2:23 · Phlm 1:22 · 2 John 1:12 · 3 John 1:14 · Acts 26:7 · Rom 8:24 · 1 Cor 13:7 · Luke 6:34 · Rom 8:25 15×
Perfect Active 2 Cor 1:10 · 1 Tim 4:10 · John 5:45 · 1 Tim 5:5 4×
Future Active Matt 12:21 · Rom 15:12 2×
Imperfect Active Luke 23:8 · Luke 24:21 2×
Aorist Active 2 Cor 8:5 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 5×
Present Active Acts 24:26 · 1 Tim 3:14 · 1 Pet 3:5 3×
Perfect Active 1 Cor 15:19 1×
Present Passive Heb 11:1 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Perfect Active 1 Tim 6:17 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Aorist Active 1 Pet 1:13 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 30 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 19 perfect 5 aorist 2 imperfect 2 future 2
Voice
active 29 passive 1
Mood
indicative 24 participle 4 imperative 1 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 12:21 ἐλπιοῦσιν future active indicative prospective Luke 6:34 ἐλπίζετε present active indicative ongoing Luke 23:8 ἤλπιζέν imperfect active indicative background Luke 24:21 ἠλπίζομεν imperfect active indicative background John 5:45 ἠλπίκατε perfect active indicative resultant Acts 24:26 ἐλπίζων present active participle participle Acts 26:7 ἐλπίζει present active indicative ongoing Romans 8:24 ἐλπίζει present active indicative ongoing Romans 8:25 ἐλπίζομεν present active indicative ongoing Romans 15:12 ἐλπιοῦσιν future active indicative prospective Romans 15:24 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 13:7 ἐλπίζει present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 16:7 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 1:10 ἠλπίκαμεν perfect active indicative resultant 2 Corinthians 1:13 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 5:11 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 8:5 ἠλπίσαμεν aorist active indicative completed 2 Corinthians 13:6 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing Philippians 2:19 Ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing Philippians 2:23 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing 1 Timothy 3:14 ἐλπίζων present active participle participle 1 Timothy 4:10 ἠλπίκαμεν perfect active indicative resultant 1 Timothy 5:5 ἤλπικεν perfect active indicative resultant 1 Timothy 6:17 ἠλπικέναι perfect active infinitive infinitive Philemon 1:22 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing Hebrews 11:1 ἐλπιζομένων present passive participle participle 1 Peter 1:13 ἐλπίσατε aorist active imperative imperative 1 Peter 3:5 ἐλπίζουσαι present active participle participle 2 John 1:12 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing 3 John 1:14 ἐλπίζω present active indicative ongoing
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
New Testament Witnesses
To place confident trust in future fulfillment.
To place confident trust in God.
To rest confidence upon.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 31 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
ἐλπίζω is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Ministry endurance flows from confident trust in the living God. 1 Timothy 4:6-10
True dependence rests on God, not merely institutional support. 1 Timothy 5:3-16
The core issue is misplaced trust, not mere possession. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Elpizo is not a fragile wish that life will improve soon. It is expectation trained by God's revealed promise and the resurrection of Christ. Matthew 12 opens hope to the nations through the Servant's name. Luke 24 shows that even sincere hope can be too small when it has not yet understood the cross and resurrection. Romans 8 teaches believers to wait patiently for what they do not see while groaning remains real.
First Corinthians 15 insists that hope in Christ must reach beyond this life because resurrection is central to the gospel. First Timothy 4 and 1 Peter 1 show hope as active and disciplined: believers labor because their hope is set on the living God, and they prepare their minds by setting hope fully on grace at Christ's revelation. Hope is therefore neither denial nor delay for its own sake.
It is faith's future-facing expectation in God.
Anchor passage
1Pet.1.13
Doctrinal connections
- G1680 Elpis, hope: the noun names the hope toward which elpizo directs expectation.
- G4100 Pisteuo, to believe: faith and hope belong together, with faith trusting God's promise and hope awaiting its fullness.
- G386 Anastasis, resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15 makes resurrection essential to Christian hope.
- G5485 Charis, grace: 1 Peter 1 fixes hope on grace to be revealed at Christ's appearing.
- G2198 Zao, to live: 1 Timothy 4 centers hope on the living God rather than dead circumstances.
- G5278 Hypomeno, to endure: Romans 8 links unseen hope to patient endurance.
Elpizo can describe hope, expectation, or trust directed toward an object. Context determines whether the hope is faithful, misplaced, disappointed, or corrected. Christian use is strongest when the object is God, Christ, God's promise, resurrection, or future grace.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's Scriptures call God's people to hope in the Lord, wait for His salvation, and trust His promises when visible circumstances are dark. The New Testament centers that waiting on the Servant, the risen Christ, the living God, and the grace to be revealed at Jesus' return.
Canonical synthesisPastoral application
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain