Dr. Lee Wiggins

                 
                                     Words of Hope
                 A Word Study on the Biblical Words of Hope

I have been studying the word "hope" as it is used in the Bible.  Hope is one of the chief topics of both the Old and New Testaments.  The word "hope"  is found in the KJV English Bible over 140 times, but behind the English translation there are at least a dozen different Hebrew and Greek words used to convey the Biblical idea of hope.  Today I will begin a look at the first of these synonyms for the word "hope" - the Hebrew word "tiqwa" (Strong's # 815 for those who want to look it up).  It is interesting to note that two men were given this name in the Old Testament.  It is spelled or transliterated as Tikveh in the KJV.  One is found mentioned in the days of Josiah (II Kings 22:14) and another in the days of Ezra (Ezra 10:15).  Just like today, parents way back then would often give their children names expressing positive character traits they desired for them to possess and practice.  No doubt the parents of these two men had great expectations when they named their baby boys "Hope"!  We don't know how these two men called "Hope" turned out - we only are told something of their children.  One of these "sons of hope" was the father of Shallum who was  the husband of Huldah the prophetess who gave wise counsel to the young King Josiah. And so the character of hope continued from this man through his famous daughter-in-law. But the other was the father of Jahaziah, one of the few men who opposed Ezra in the dissolution of the mixed marriages that plagued the nation in those days of reform.  (The KJV states that Jahaziah was "employed" in the matter, but the margin explains that the Hebrew word here is "stood".  Most understand that he "stood against" Ezra or that he was employed in opposing him, not assisting him.)  So the lesson here is that no matter our hopes for our children, they do not always live up to their names or the expectations of their parents, nor can we predict the character of the spouses they will mary or of the children they will have.  Not every hope is well founded or realized.  This is a reminder that our hope must be grounded in the LORD and His Word, not in man - not even in our children or grandchildren!  Next time will will take a look at the root meaning of this Hebrew word and the wonderful word picture it presents.