noun · feminine
elpidas
Strong’sG1680
hope, expectation
stem elpid-53 times in the New Testamentin 15 of 27 books4 of 10 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Hope, expectation — the settled anticipation of something, used overwhelmingly of a good outcome rather than a feared one 13. It covers hope in a general, everyday sense (hoping for a favorable result in some ordinary matter) as well as religious hope, especially the hope of salvation, of the resurrection, and the Messianic hope, which the New Testament treats as central to Christian life 1. Strong's similarly defines it as expectation or confidence, tracing it to a root idea of anticipating something, usually with pleasure 2; Dodson likewise glosses it simply as hope and expectation 4.
By extension, the word can also denote not the feeling of hope itself but its object: either the person or thing that is the ground or source of one's hope, or the very thing that is hoped for 1. Classical usage shows the same extension, where the word can mean the object of hope itself, or a well-founded reason to expect or believe something 3.
In classical Greek the word could also carry the opposite coloring: anxious anticipation of the future, a foreboding or sense of dread about what is to come, rather than a confident hope 3.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
ἐλπίς
(ἑλ-, Ro 8:20, WH, v. Bl., § 4, 3; M, Pr., 44), -ίδος, ἡ [in LXX for בָּטַח and its derivatives, תִּקְוָה (freq. in Jb), etc.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1680 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidel-pece'
expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence
Fromfrom a primary ἔλπω (to anticipate, usually with pleasure);
King Jamesfaith, hope.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(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, Refs; ἐλπίδ᾽ ἔχω, ={ἐλπίζω}, with future infinitive, μὴ οὐ δώσειν δίκην Refs 5th c.BC+: with aorist infinitive, κλέος εὑρέσθαι Refs 5th c.BC+ and future infinitive, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐν ἐλπίδι εἰμί, with future infinitive, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐλπίς [ἐστί] μοι with accusative and future infinitive or aorist, ἐλπίς τις αὐτὸν ἥξειν Refs 5th c.BC+: with present infinitive, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐλπίδας μεγάλας ἔν τινι ἔχεινRefs 5th c.BC+; τίν᾽ ὑπάγεις μ᾽ ἐς ἐλπίδ; Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐλπίδας ἐμποιεῖν ἀνθρώποις, ὑποθεῖναί τισι, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἐλπίδα or ἐλπίδας ὑπογράφειν, Refs 4th c.BC+; ἐκτὸς ἐλπίδος beyond hope, Refs 5th c.BC+; παρ᾽ ἐλπίδαRefs 5th c.BC+
2 object of hope, a hope, Ὀρέστης, ἐ. δόμων Refs 4th c.BC+; ὑμεῖς, ἡ μόνη ἐ. Refs 5th c.BC+; Εὔτυχος, ἡ γονέων ἐ. Refs
3 reason to expect or believe, πολλὴ ἐ. κτήσασθαι, νοητὸν εἶναι, Refs 5th c.BC+
II anxious thought on the future, boding, Refs 5th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | elpidas10×ἐλπὶς | elpidais |
| object accusative | elpidan18×ἐλπίδα | elpidain |
| direct address vocative | elpidar | elpidair |
| of, belonging to genitive | elpidau13×ἐλπίδος | elpidaiu |
| to, for dative | elpida12×ἐλπίδι | elpidai |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
elpida is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
53 occurrences, every one of them listed
elpidas“hope”subjectnominative singular10×
Acts 16:19… tois kuriois autau hoti exerchata tas elpidas tau ergasiau autoiu epilaberantois ton Paulon …… the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they …
Acts 27:20… tē ouk oligou epikeiorōntou, loipem periairote elpidas pantas teu sōzorō nin.… to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.
Romans 5:5tas de elpidas ouk kataischunatō; hoti tas agapas tou …And hope does not disappoint us, because God …
Romans 8:24ta gar elpida sōzina; elpidas de bleporōntas ouk atō elpidas, hem …… this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope …
Romans 8:24… sōzina; elpidas de bleporōntas ouk atō elpidas, hem gar blepatō tinos elpizatō?… hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what …
1 Corinthians 13:13nuni de menatō pistias, elpidas, agapas; teim treis houteim, megoteras de …And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of …
2 Corinthians 1:7kai tas elpidas nu bebaias huper vu; oidarēntois hoti …And our hope for you is sure, because we …
Ephesians 1:18… tem oidarē vin tinas atō tas elpidas tau klēsiau autou, tinos tos ploutos …… so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of …
Colossians 1:27… hem atō Christos en vi, tas elpidas tau doxau;… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Thessalonians 2:19tinas gar nu elpidas ē charas ē stefanos kauchēsiau ē …After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting …
elpidan“hope”objectaccusative singular18×
Acts 24:15elpidan echarōntos eis ton theon, han kai …and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish …
Romans 4:18hos para elpidan epi elpida pisteuata eis tem genera …Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so …
Romans 5:4… de hupomonas dokiman, tas de dokimas elpidan.perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 15:4… dia tau paraklēsiau taiu grafaiu tan elpidan echaneiō.… of the Scriptures, we might have hope.
2 Corinthians 3:12Echarōntois oun toioutan elpidan polla parrēsia chronō,Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
2 Corinthians 10:15… teim ametreim kauchorōntois en allotrioi kopoi, elpidan de echarōntois auxanorōntau tau pistiau vu …… the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our …
Galatians 5:5nis gar pneume ek pistiau elpidan dikaiosunau apekdechonō.… eagerly await through the Spirit the hope of righteousness.
Ephesians 2:12… kai xenois taiu diathēkaiu tau epangeliau, elpidan mē echarōntois kai atheois en to …… the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Philippians 1:20kata tan apokaradokian kai elpidan mu hoti en oudene aischunimi, alla …I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way …
Colossians 1:5dia tan elpidan tan apokeiorōntan vi en toi ouranoi, …… faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven …
1 Thessalonians 4:13… kai tois loipois tois mē echarōntois elpidan.… like the rest, who are without hope.
1 Thessalonians 5:8… thōrakon pistiau kai agapau kai perikefalaian elpidan sōtērēau;… love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
2 Thessalonians 2:16… nin kai dōarantos paraklēsian aiōnian kai elpidan agathan en charita,… given us eternal comfort and good hope,
Titus 2:13prosdechorōntois tan makarian elpidan kai epifaneian tau doxau tou megou …as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great …
Titus 3:7… ta ekeinou charita klēronomois genineia kata elpidan zōau aiōniau.… we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
1 Peter 1:3… pollem autou elesem anagennarantos nin eis elpidan zōarōntan dia anastasiau Iēsu Christou ek …… us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ …
1 Peter 1:21… dōaranton, hōste tan pistian vu kai elpidan arō eis theon.… Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.
1 John 3:3kai pantos tos echarōntos tan elpidan houtan epi auto hagnizatō heauton kathōs …And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as …
elpidau“hope”of, belonging togenitive singular13×
Acts 23:6… mis Farisaios amō, huios Farisaioiu; peri elpidau kai anastasiau nekroiu mis krinomō.… Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead …
Acts 26:7… hēmeran latreuarōntem elpizatō katantara; peri hau elpidau enkalomō hupo Ioudaioiu, basilevor;… night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused …
Acts 28:20… horara kai proslalara, heneken gar tau elpidau tou Israēl tan halusian houtan perikeiomō.… you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound …
Romans 15:13tos de theos tau elpidau plēratoia vin pantau charau kai eirēnau …Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and …
Colossians 1:23… hedraiois kai mē metakinorōntois apo tau elpidau teu euangelieu heu akouava, teu kērussiranteu …… and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which …
1 Thessalonians 1:3… tau agapau kai tau hupomonau tau elpidau tou kuriou nu Iēsu Christou emprosthen …… labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 1:1… sōtērou nu kai Christou Iēsu tau elpidau nu… Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
Hebrews 3:6… tan parrēsian kai tem kauchēmem tau elpidau katechaneia.… firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 6:11… endeikorō spoudan pros tan plēroforian tau elpidau achri teleu,… end, in order to make your hope sure.
Hebrews 6:18… echaneiō tois katafugarantois kratara tau prokeiorōntau elpidau;… fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly …
Hebrews 7:19… teleiata tos nomos, epeisagōgas de kreittonau elpidau, dia hau engizanō to theo.… made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw …
Hebrews 10:23katechaneiō tan homologian tau elpidau aklinan, pistos gar tos epangelerantos;Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised …
1 Peter 3:15… vin logon peri tau en vi elpidau,… asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond …
elpida“hope”to, fordative singular12×
Acts 2:26… kai tas sarkas mu kataskēnati epi elpida;… my body also will dwell in hope,
Acts 26:6kai nun epi elpida tau eis toin patroin nu epangeliau …… stand on trial because of my hope in the promise that God made …
Romans 4:18hos para elpidan epi elpida pisteuata eis tem genera auton patron …Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father …
Romans 5:2… en ha stēanē, kai kauchonō epi elpida tau doxau tou theou;… stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 8:20… hekōnas alla dia ton hupotassaranton, epi elpida… the One who subjected it, in hope
Romans 8:24ta gar elpida sōzina; elpidas de bleporōntas ouk atō …For in this hope we were saved; but hope that …
Romans 12:12ta elpida chairarōntois, ta thlipsia hupomenarōntois, ta proseucha …Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
Romans 15:13… eis tem perisseuarō vin en ta elpida en dunamia pneumeu hagieu.… so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy …
1 Corinthians 9:10“hope”… nin gar grafita, hoti ofeilatō epi elpida tos arotriarōntos arotriarō, kai tos aloarōntos …… this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should …
1 Corinthians 9:10“hope”… arotriarōntos arotriarō, kai tos aloarōntos epi elpida teu metecharō.… the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect to share in the harvest.
Ephesians 4:4… pneumem, kathōs kai kaliva en hena elpida tau klēsiau vu;… as you were called to one hope when you were called;
Titus 1:2epi elpida zōau aiōniau, han epangeleta tos apseudos …in the hope of eternal life, which God, who …