Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #38 - A Shelter of Hope

Last time we introduced the Hebrew words "hasa" and "mahseh" as expressing the idea of "hope" under the image of "seeking for refuge" or "finding shelter" in a time of distress or danger.  This concept of the believer's hope in God as his Refuge is well expressed by the prophet Isaiah:  "For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge (mahseh) from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against a wall" (Isaiah 25:4).  The picture is that of God's protection of His people from the oppression of their enemies.  Several figures are employed in this picture:  The "terrible ones" (oppressive enemies) are portrayed as a sweltering heat and a violent storm raging against the people of God.  God's people are portrayed as "poor" and "needy" and under great "distress".  And God is portrayed as the Strength (literally Stronghold or Fortress), Refuge (Sheltering Hope), and Shadow (Comforting Shade) of His people.  Delitzsch provides a stirring commentary:  "Jehovah had proved Himself a strong castle ... a shelter from storm and a shade from heat ... so that the blast of the tyrants ... was like ... a storm striking against a wall ... sounding against it and bursting upon it without being able to wash it away ... because it was the wall of a strong castle, and this strong castle was Jehovah Himself."  Edward Young carries the thought further:  "... in this crisis God has shown Himself in very truth to be a place in which the poor, namely, God's own afflicted people, might find refuge.  The thought is not merely that the poor find God a place of refuge, but that, when they are afflicted, God is a refuge to them.  It is one thing to utter generalities about a god helping the needy; it is something entirely different when the needy, at the time of crisis, find a true hiding place in their God ... When His people are in need, then He is present with His aid" (emphasis mine).  God is truly our "Shelter in the time of storm"!  As we noted in our last post, there are three passages in the King James Version of the English Bible in which the words "hasa" and "mahseh" are translated by the word "hope".  In keeping with the root idea of these words, all three passages speak of God's people finding shelter and refuge in God during times of distress and possible danger.  There are three crisis times in a believer's life when God alone must become our Shelter of Hope:  1) In the day of distress (evil) - Jeremiah 17:17;  2) In the day of our death - Proverbs 14:32; and 3) In the day of decision (the Day of the LORD) - Joel 3:14.  God is our Shelter of Hope in days of distress.  Jeremiah was a persecuted prophet of the LORD.  He had faithfully proclaimed God's Word as it was revealed unto him.  And yet his own people hated him for it!  He was mocked, ridiculed, accused of lying, and eventually put in a dungeon for his despised message of coming judgment.  It was truly an "evil day" in which Jeremiah lived and preached!  He had prophesied of a "woeful day" that was coming upon the nation of Israel.  He had not chosen that message of his own will, nor did he desire for that terrible time to come upon his nation.  The message was hard but he had not run away from his responsibility of following God as a shepherd to his people, nor had he failed to preach what was right in the sight of God  (Jeremiah 17:15,16).  It is in this context that Jeremiah cries out to God:  "Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope (mahseh) in the day of evil" (Jeremiah 17:17).  Jeremiah had good reason to be afraid, humanly speaking.  He was being terrorized by those who opposed his message.  But in God he would find not a source of terror (fear, dismay, confusion), but a Shelter of Hope!  God would protect him, shield him, hide him and save him not only from the evil day of persecution he was then facing, but from the day of calamity and judgment that was to come.  In that day his persecutors would be confounded and dismayed, but not the man of God.  He would be kept safe in the day of evil and destruction (Jeremiah 17:14,18).  And so may all who trust in the Lord find Him to be a Shelter of Hope in all their days of distress, both present and future.  "The Lord's our Rock, in Him we hide, A shelter in the time of storm;  Secure whatever ill betide, A shelter in the time of storm.  A shade by day, defense by night, A shelter in the time of storm; No fears alarm, no foes affright, A shelter in the time of storm.  The raging storms may round us beat, A shelter in the time of storm; We'll never leave our safe retreat, A shelter in the time of storm" (V. J. Charlesworth).

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #37 - A Refuge of Hope

We are now coming to the last of the Hebrew synonyms for "hope" found in the Old Testament, the verb "hasa" and its noun derivative "mahseh" (Strong's # 2620,4268; Wordbook #700).  Gesenius in his Hebrew Lexicon states that the word "hasa" properly means "to flee ... especially to take refuge, to flee somewhere for refuge ... hence to trust someone, especially in God" (emphasis mine).  Both Strong's Concordance and The Theological Wordbook compare "hasa" with our previous synonym "batah" by stating that "hasa" expresses "more precipitate action", that is, both express the idea of seeking for protection and safety but "hasa" is the stronger term denoting a greater sense of urgency and danger.  The Wordbook notes that "'To seek refuge' stresses the insecurity and self-helplessness of even the strongest of men" (emphasis mine). Thus this word is used in various contexts of men in desperate situations:  of seeking shelter in times of battle, of fugitives in exile, of those caught outside in storms, and even of criminals fleeing into the Temple to escape revenge.  There are two names found in the Old Testament based on these words:  Hosah (meaning a refuge) - I Chronicles 16:38; 26:10 (a Levite); Joshua 19:29 (a town); and Maaseiah (meaning the LORD is a Refuge) - Jeremiah 32:12; 51:59 (a relative of an official in Jerusalem).  Like the previous synonym "batah", "hasa" may also be translated by the word "trust" (See Psalm 2:12; 5:11; 7:1; 25:20; 31:1; 37:40; etc.).  In fact it is translated in the King James Version as "trust" some 34 times (that I could find), but as "hope" only three times. We sometimes find this word translated in its more literal sense of seeking for or of finding a physical refuge or shelter.  For example:  

Job 24:8 - "They (the oppressed) are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter."

Psalm 104:18 - "The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies."

And this concept is naturally carried over to the idea of the believer finding spiritual shelter and refuge in God:

Psalm 57:1 - "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."  According to the title of this Psalm, David composed these words when he was forced to hide from Saul in a cave.  The cave afforded him some physical protection and refuge from the elements and from his enemy, but the LORD was the true Source of his protection and safety.  This is a favorite theme in the Psalms:

God is the believer's Refuge (Psalm 14:6; 46:1; 62:8; 91:9); Shelter (Psalm 61:3); and Fortress (Psalm 91:2).  With this root idea in mind of "finding refuge in times of trouble" we may now take a look at the few verses where this word is translated as "hope" in the King James Version:

Proverbs 14:32 - "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death."

Jeremiah 17:17 - "Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil."

Joel 3:16 - "The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel."

We will attempt to consider the contexts and implications of these three passages in our next post, but for now we will simply note that the Lord is the Refuge of His people in all times of danger and distress.  To Him we may safely flee and find Him to be a Safe Retreat - A Refuge of Hope!

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #36 - A Sure Hope

This is our last study on the Hebrew synonym "batah" which is used to express that "hope" which results in a sense of well-being, safety, and security.  This word and its derivatives are often used to express a calm feeling of confidence that results from the absence of all fear and danger. Isaiah wrote: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust (batah), and not be afraid ..." (Isaiah 12:2).  Zophar told Job, "...thou shalt take thy rest in safety (betah). Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid ..." (Job 11:18b-19a).  Israel was promised by God that if they would keep His commandments then "... ye shall dwell in the land in safety. And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety" (Leviticus 25:18,19).  In both places the word "safety" is the Hebrew word "betah".  This was a promise made over and over to Israel but was forfeited by them through unbelief and disobedience. This is the theme of many of our Christian hymns as well.  Elisha Hoffman wrote in the hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" the familiar words:  "What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms! I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms!  Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms ..."  But unfortunately the unbeliever often seems to dwell in a false sense of hope and security not realizing that his soul is in eternal danger!  And so this word is also used of those who live without care or caution even though danger may be all around them.  Gesenius notes that "batah" is used "in a bad sense, of men who set all their hope and confidence in worldly things, and do not fear God and the Divine displeasure."  Proverbs 14:16 says, "A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident" (batah).  One of the reasons the armies of Israel were able to conquer certain cities so easily was because the inhabitants were living in a sense of false security (see for example Judges 18:7, 10, 27).  Isaiah warned the women of his time that their feelings of safety and attitude of carelessness would be overthrown by God's judgment upon the land (see Isaiah 32:9-11).  And so, as we noted in the last post, our feelings of security and well-being are only valid when there is a good reason and foundation for them.  Our last passage brings out this concept very clearly:  "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth (betah) in man, and maketh flesh his arm (source of strength), and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath (shrub) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth (betah) in the LORD, and whose hope (mibtah) the LORD is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit" (Jeremiah 17:5-7).  "Mibtah" translated as "hope" in this passage is a derivative of "betah" and bears the same meaning of confidence and security.  There is a clear difference between the two types of individuals described here.  One bases his sense of hope and security in man, whether himself or others; the other bases his sense of hope and security in the LORD.  The one ends up spiritually destitute (living like a desert shrub); the other flourishes, grows and bears fruit.  The one is full of trouble and care; the other is freed from anxiety and fear.  All of this is set in the context of the deceitfulness and wickedness of the heart of man.  Why should we trust our own heart when it is so inherently evil?  As J.S. Baxter wrote:  "The heart of man's problem is the problem of man's heart"!  The only sure hope and true sense of security and safety is found in trusting the LORD.  That is a hope that can carry us safely through this world and into eternity without any fear of death or condemnation.  In the LORD alone the believer dwells secure.

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #35 - A Feeling of Hope

We have been considering the Hebrew word "batah" and its derivatives as expressing "a feeling of well-being, safety and security."  This is an aspect of "hope" that we have not encountered before in our study of the word "hope".  Whenever we begin to contemplate the idea of "feeling" or "feelings" in connection with the Christian life all kinds of red flags come to mind to caution us against trusting in our feelings or placing any confidence in them.  We all know that feelings can be misleading.  They can be faked, faulty, phony or false!  But feelings may also be valid and valuable in the believer's experience and life when they are verifiable.  Feelings should never be the basis of our security, but they can be and even should be one of the benefits of it.  We are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8).  This is the basis of the believer's security in Christ.  But we are also saved unto hope (Greek text of Romans 8:24).  This is one of the blessings of our justification in Christ.  Faith is the root; hope is the fruit.  True faith results in a true feeling of safety and security in our relationship with God.  Feeling is not a substitute for faith, but I would not want a faith without feeling, would you?  Last time we looked at this "feeling of hope" expressed by our Savior in the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 22:9.  There we saw this sense of security and safety beautifully portrayed in the description of the infant Jesus in the loving arms of His earthly mother. Thus His earthly life began with a consciousness of trust and the accompanying feeling of hope in His Heavenly Father.  This was a sense of security that was to continue in the life of our Lord unto the very end, even when He was being crucified on the cross.  But it was also to continue beyond His crucifixion even as He contemplated His own Resurrection from the dead and the fullness of joy He would possess eternally in the Presence of His Father afterward.  This is described for us in Psalm 16, another of the Messianic Psalms:  "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope (betah). For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:9-11).   That this passage speaks of Christ and His Resurrection is verified by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:22-36 and by the Apostle Paul in Acts 13:30-37.  The Pulpit Commentary contains the following comment: "More than 30 generations of believers read and sang this Psalm, pondered and prayed over it, and drew, no doubt, sweet though vague comfort from this verse, before the hidden glory of its meaning was disclosed.  At last ... the time arrived for putting the key into the lock.  The same Spirit who inspired the prophecy interpreted it."  This betah hope in Christ Jesus was a feeling of safety and security He experienced even in the face of death.  He was confident of His own triumph over death and hell to the bitter end.  Delitzsch who applies this Psalm to both David and to Christ makes the following comments:  "David here expresses as a confident expectation ... that he also hopes for his body that which he hopes for his spirit-life .... He looks death calmly and triumphantly in the face, even his flesh shall dwell or lie securely, viz. without being seized with trembling at its approaching corruption. David's hope rests on this conclusion: it is impossible for the man, who, in appropriating faith and actual experience, calls God  his own, to fall into the hands of death (emphasis mine).  He goes on to define "resting in hope" as "dwelling in safety under the divine protection" as in Deut. 33:12,28 where the word "safety" is also the Hebrew word "batah".  Thus David prophetically spoke of his own resurrection in connection with the Resurrection of God's Holy One, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Because He lives we shall live also!  It is this hope that gives to the believer in Christ a sense of well-being, security and safety even in the face of death and indeed well beyond it!  What a wonderful feeling of hope flowing from and based upon our faith in our Risen Lord!

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #34 - A Secure Hope



Our next Hebrew synonym for "hope" is the word "batah" and its derivatives (Strong's #s 982 - 987; Theological Wordbook #233).  The etymology of this word is not well established.  Strong states that it properly means "to hie (hasten) for refuge" but "not so precipitately" (abruptly, suddenly, violently) as "hasa" (which happens to be next in our Hebrew word studies).  While there is a clear connection between "hasa" and taking refuge in a shelter (as we will see in future posts), there is no place that I could find in the Scriptures where "batah" is literally associated with this idea.  The Theological Wordbook states that "There is no clear cognate in the other Semitic languages", but cites one scholar who connects it with the Arabic word meaning "to be stretched out, taut" which would suggest the idea of "firmness" or "solidity".  This would be in keeping with some of the previous words for "hope" we have studied that are based on the root idea of "strength" that inspires "confidence".  Gesenius in his Lexicon has another take on this word and its root meaning.  He connects it with an Arabic word meaning "to throw one down on his back" and proposes that the root meaning of "batah" may  perhaps be "to throw oneself or one's cares on any one" and therefore "to confide in any one, to set one's hope and confidence upon any one".  Whatever its etymology, whether that of taking refuge, trusting in strength, or casting one's self down,  it is clear that this word is used of a feeling of security and therefore of confident trust.  The Theological Wordbook concludes that "in Hebrew, batah expresses that sense of well-being and security whic'h results from having something or someone in whom to place confidence" (emphasis mine).  It is important to recognize that this word "batah" is one of the main words used in the Old Testament to convey the idea of trust.  In fact, while it is only translated with the word "hope" five times in the King James Version of the Bible, it is translated as "trust" around a hundred times!  Other times it is rendered by such words as "safe" or "safely" (28x), "confidence" (10x), "secure" (8x), "bold" (2x), "sure" (1x), and "assurance" (1x).  It can even have a negative connotation of being "careless" (8x) whenever a person's "secure feeling" is based on the wrong things! (More about this later).  It is instructive to note that despite this strong association with "trusting" or "relying upon" in the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek Version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, consistently translates "batah" with the Greek word for "hope" (elpis, elpizo) but never with the word for "believe" (pisteuo).  The Theological Wordbook concludes from this observation that "This would seem to indicate that batah does not connote that full-orbed intellectual and volitional response to revelation which is involved in 'faith,' rather stressing the feeling of being safe or secure.  Likewise, all the derivatives have the same meaning 'to feel secure', 'be unconcerned'." (Emphasis mine).  One of the most endearing pictures of this feeling of safety and security is found in the use of this word in Psalm 22:9 - "But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts."  Is there any greater mental picture of a feeling of safety and security than that of a nursing infant in its mother's loving arms?  Does such a child have any cares at all?  Any anxiety at all?  Any worries or fears?  No, not one!  There may not be any intellectual or volitional action taking place in the mind or heart of this child, but there is certainly a feeling of contentment and well-being!  What a picture of the believer's hope in God.  No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ said that we must become as little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and that one who will humble himself as a little child is greatest in God's Kingdom (Matthew 18:1-4).  I have learned more about trust from young children, especially Christian children, than from most preachers I have known.  There is something so simple, yet so profound in the faith of young children that escapes and confounds most adults.  We need to be more child-like and yet not become childish in our relationship with God.  We could learn a lot about true hope just from studying this one passage in Psalm 22.  We must remember that this Psalm is primarily Messianic in its interpretation.  It is a prophetic picture of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross.  In the midst of that suffering and in response to the taunts of the jeering crowd our Lord spoke of his batah hope in God: The Son's feeling of safety and security in the Father that existed in His humanity as the God-Man.  There was never a time in the humanity of Christ that that hope did not exist!  He was apparently conscious of that hope from the very moment of his birth! While the crowd mocked Him and shouted "let Him trust in the LORD to deliver Him now", the Lord replied to His Father, "I always have" - "I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou  art my God from my mother's belly" (Psalm 22:8-10).  His sense of hope was as secure then as it had been when He was in the arms of His earthly mother Mary. As always, Christ is our Example as well as our Source of true hope.  Fanny Crosby captured the thought well:

"Safe in the arms of Jesus, Safe on His gentle breast,

There, by His love o'er-shaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest."

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #33 - The Fullness of Hope

In our last post we introduced the Hebrew words "kesel" and "kisla" as expressing a full hope.  We noted that the root idea behind these words was that of "fatness" and sought to explain how the connotation of this "fatness" could be either good or bad depending on the context.  In fact we could have suggested the idea of a fat hope if it were not for the largely negative association we have with the word "fat" in English.  For example, when we speak of a "fat chance" we mean it in a very ironic or sarcastic sense to convey the opposite of fullness: a chance that is practically non-existent!  So we have chosen the more positive description of "fullness" for this type of hope in order to avoid any negative misconceptions.  However we must recognize that the Bible uses these words for "hope" in both positive and negative contexts.  We may say that there is such a thing as a fat hope or foolish hope described in the Scripture as well as the full hope we have been speaking of.  This is evident from the fact that kesel and kisla are translated in the KJV three times by the word "hope", twice by the word "confidence" and three times by the word "folly".  Of the three times it is translated as "hope" two of the three are in a negative context!  We may categorize these verses as follows:
A False Hope:

Job 8:14 - "Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web." (Referring to the unsubstantial "hope" of the hypocrite mentioned in the previous verse).  Job 31:24 - "If I have made gold my hope, or have said to fine gold, Thou art my confidence;"  (A declaration by Job denying that he had ever made his wealth an object of trust or regarded it as the source of his well being and security).  The Bible contains numerous warnings to the rich not to trust in their riches but in God alone (see for example Proverbs 11:28; Jeremiah 9:23; Mark 10:23,24; I Timothy 6:17,18).  Job even associated such misplaced trust with idolatry as did Paul in the New Testament (Job 31:28; Colossians 3:5).

A Foolish Hope:

Psalm 49:13 - "This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings." (This refers to the foolish confidence the wicked may have in thinking that they will never face death or will be forever immortalized in their wealth or lands they leave behind - vs. 6-12).  Delitzsch very accurately captures the meaning here when he translates: "This is the lot of those who are full of self-confidence ..." and refers to such thinking as a "foolish delusion" (emphasis mine).

Psalm 85:8 - "I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly." (Here is a warning to the nation of Israel who were delivered from captivity that they do not return to the cause of their captivity - principally the folly of idolatry which led them to foolishly place their hope in false gods;  see also Ezra 9:9-15).

Ecclesiastes 7:25 - "I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:"  (Here is the sad confession of King Solomon who in his quest for satisfaction and fulfillment in this life satiated himself with all this world had to offer).  Yes there is a "fullness" that is wicked and foolish.  Solomon found out experientially that filling his life with such things was mere "emptiness" and "vanity" - it brought no satisfaction in the end.

A Full Hope:

Job 4:6 - "Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?"  (We have looked at this verse before.  The word translated "hope" here is "tiqwa"- see our post on 2/15/2013).  Job could have full confidence because of his worshipful reverence (fear) of God that had produced a testimony of righteousness in his ways.  This was in spite of his outward sufferings and troubling circumstances.

Psalm 78:7 - "That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;"  (Here is a prayer for the next generation expressing the responsibility of God's people to leave a legacy of faith to their children; vs. 1-6).  Too many of today's children are being raised to have self-confidence rather than God consciousness!

Proverbs 3:26 - "For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." (We quoted this verse and its context at the end of the previous post).  Here is the crux of the matter.  Here is the difference between a full hope and a foolish hope:  A full hope results from placing our confidence in the Lord; a foolish hope results from placing our confidence in our self!  The one is full of self, the other is full of God.  Is your hope full or foolish?

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #32 - A Full Hope

We now come to one of the most unusual words for "hope" found in the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew word "kesel" and its feminine derivative "kisla" (Strong's #s 3689, 3690 and Theological Word Book #1011a,b).  Two things make this word unusual: 1) It's root meaning, and 2) It's two diverse meanings depending on the context.  The root meaning of kesel and kisla is "to be fat" (from the root "kasal").  Brown, Driver & Briggs in their Hebrew Lexicon  state that its Arabic cognate refers "to that which is thick, plump, or fat".  Gesenius states that "The primary meaning appears to be - to be fleshy, to be fat".  We find this most basic meaning in contexts where the word refers to the "flanks" or "loins" of a man or animal ("the internal muscles of the loins, near the kidneys, to which  the fat adheres" - Gesenius): See for example Leviticus 3:4,10,15; Job 15:27; Psalm 38:7.  This root meaning of "fatness" however finds expression in two very diverse ways - In some contexts this word means "folly" or "foolishness" and in others "hope" or "confidence"!  At first glance this seems to be most unusual or even contradictory, but a quick look at an English Dictionary will reveal that even our English word "fat" holds a wide variety of meanings.  We use this word not only to describe animal tissue that is oily or greasy, or of that which is plump or obese, but also of that which is abundant, rich, productive, or fertile.  Most of us older folks understand what is meant by "the fat of the land" or "a fat year" in business or farming.  On the negative side, the English word "fat" may refer to one who is slothful, stupid, or foolish very much the same as in Hebrew!  And so the very same word may have a negative or a positive connotation depending on the context of its use.  Gesenius refers to "kesel" as "a word of middle signification applied in a good sense to strength, firmness, boldness, whence confidence and in a bad sense  to languor and inertness ... applied to that which is nearly allied to these, folly ..." (emphasis mine).  Likewise Delitzsch remarks that "kisla" is "ambiguous" since the root meaning "to be fat, signifies both the awkwardness of stupidity and the boldness of confidence" (emphasis mine).  So "fatness" can mean something good depending upon what you are fat with!  Consider these Old Testament examples that use "fat" in a positive way (various Hebrew words are translated as "fat" in these verses): 1) When Moses sent out the 12 spies into the land of Canaan they were to find out what type of land it was, whether "good or bad" ... "fat or lean" (Numbers 13:19,20); 2) When Ehud led Israel in battle against Moab the Israelite army killed about 10,000 Moabites "all lusty (Hebrew, "fat"), and all men of valour" (Judges 3:29).  Here other versions translate the word "fat" as "robust" (NASB) or "vigorous" (NIV).  As military men of valor they clearly were not obese or sluggish, but "well filled out" with muscular strength!; 3) Nehemiah encouraged the mourning Israelites to stop crying and to start celebrating, telling them to "Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet ... neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).  Clearly he was not advocating an unhealthy diet here, but was speaking of "richly prepared food" (Gesenius).  See also Genesis 49:10 for this same idea.  We may also think of the "fatted calf" which was set aside for just such festive occasions.; and 4) Nehemiah described the land of promise as "a fat land" ... "full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance" and so the people "did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness" (Neh. 9:25).  See also verse 35.  In all of these places "fatness" is associated with fruitfulness, strength, richness, and fullness.  And so it is with the believer's hope - it is a hope filled with confidence in God, a hope that is abundant, rich and fruitful! We will spend the next study looking at the scripture references to this "fullness of hope", but for now we will close this study with just one:  "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.  Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.  For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken" (Proverbs 3:24,25).  A full hope indeed!