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TIKVAH - HOPE
- Petra Hadžidaova
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
“For you are my hope (tikvah), O LORD God: you are my trust from my youth."
Psalm 71:5 (NKJ)
(1)
INTRODUCTION
Hope is more than just a dream. It is an expectation, a certainty of what is to come - a strong expression of faith. The Hebrew word for hope Tikvah, derives from the Hebrew verb qavah (קָוָה), which means, “to gather together, wait for, hope for, or bind (by twisting) together.” This Hebrew root word offers us a helpful visual of hope as an ever-strengthening rope. Actually, Rahab’s “scarlet cord,” a beautiful symbol of the hope of salvation, was called a Tikvah in Hebrew. Hope is summed up in the Lord Jesus. He is our hope incarnate.
WHAT IS HOPE
“I hope tomorrow will be warm and sunny.” Lately, that has been one of my most frequent wishes. That is what hope represented to me - a wish, a yearning. That is until I finally took a look into the Biblical and Judaical meaning behind the word hope.
In both biblical and modern Hebrew contexts, hope is more than just a dream. It is an expectation, a certainty of what is to come - a strong expression of faith. (2) It is a “guaranteed assurance of a desired outcome.” (3)
God’s tikvah is a promise of a bright future and it is intimately coupled with the Hebrew word emunah - faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for - it is already done. (2)
ETYMOLOGY
Tikvah derives from the Hebrew verb qavah (קָוָה), which means, “to gather together, wait for, hope for, or bind (by twisting) together.” This Hebrew root word offers us a helpful visual of hope as an ever-strengthening rope. Actually, Rahab’s “scarlet cord,” a beautiful symbol of the hope of salvation, was called a Tikvah in Hebrew (Joshua 2:18). (3)
The scarlet thread was Rahab’s hope. It was her only guarantee that her household would be spared by the Israelites. In general, Tikvah is rooted in waiting. (4)
YESHUA IS HOPE
Hope is summed up in the Lord Jesus. He is our hope incarnate, and He will not fail to bring us to the full revelation of God. (3) We should steer away from giving unfounded “assurances” that contradict or go beyond what the Scriptures say. (3)
Sarah Christmyer mentions in her article FAITH AND THE “ROPE OF HOPE” that she experienced God’s rope of hope as three different strands:
First, there was God’s person - His character
Secondly, there was God’s past deeds - the reminder of God’s goodness
Finally, the third strand is God’s promises, his plan. (5)
EXAMPLES OF TIKVAH IN SCRIPTURE
There are 4 bible verses I would like to mention in connection to Tikvah:
Jeremiah 29:11, For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you — declares the Lord — plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future.
Jeremiah 31:17, And there is hope for your future — declares the Lord: your children shall return to their country.
Proverbs 23:18, For then you will have a future, And your hope will never fail.
Proverbs 24:14, Know: such is wisdom for your soul; If you attain it, there is a future; Your hope will not be cut off. (6)
ISRAEL’S ANTHEM
After so many years of persecution and exile, Israel finally returned home. So many horrors they had to endure. Exile, slavery, so much pain, so many tears were shed. But despite it all they chose to continue hoping that a better future is ahead of them.
Their unwavering hope was then summed up perfectly in their anthem called Hatikvah (2, 3).
CONCLUSION
In both biblical and modern Hebrew contexts, hope is more than just a dream. It is an expectation, a certainty of what is to come. God’s tikvah is a promise of a bright future and it is intimately coupled with the Hebrew word emunah - faith. Tikvah derives from the Hebrew verb qavah (קָוָה), which means, “to gather together, wait for, hope for, or bind (by twisting) together.” Actually, Rahab’s “scarlet cord,” a beautiful symbol of the hope of salvation, was called a Tikvah in Hebrew. Our rope, our Hope is Yeshua, Jesus Himself.
Application
When you find yourself facing a problem or an impossible task in the upcoming week try to remind yourself of God’s character of His past deeds and of the promises He gave to you.
SOURCES
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Esther Kuhn. Hope in Hebrew: Tikvah—Hope that Does Not Disappoint. January 30th 2020. Available at https://firmisrael.org/learn/hope-in-hebrew-tikvah-hope-does-not-disappoint/
Melissa Briggs.Tikvah • תִּקְוָה Cling to Hope: A Hebrew Word Study. June 17, 2024. Available at https://icejusa.org/2024/06/17/tikvah/
K. Gallagher. Tikvah (Hope) Part I. October 26, 2013. Available at https://graceintorah.net/2013/10/26/tikvah-hope/
Sarah Christmyer. FAITH AND THE “ROPE OF HOPE”. May 1, 2016. Available at https://comeintotheword.com/faith-and-the-rope-of-hope/
Reading Ruth. Tikvah: The Cord of Hope. April 3, 2012. Available at https://readingruth.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/tikvah-the-cord-of-hope/
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