Bible Verses About Hope (KJV)
The twenty most-searched King James Version verses on hope are below, followed by a guided study, scriptures for difficult times, and short verses for daily encouragement. Every reference links to its full chapter. Looking for a specific word or phrase? Search all three translations, or browse every subject on the Topics index.
Top 20 Bible Verses About Hope (KJV)
- 1.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 15:13 - 2.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11 - 3.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Hebrews 6:19 - 4.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 - 5.
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 5:5 - 6.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3 - 7.
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalms 42:11 - 8.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Lamentations 3:24 - 9.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 - 10.
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Romans 8:24 - 11.
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Romans 8:25 - 12.
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalms 62:5 - 13.
For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
Psalms 71:5 - 14.
And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
Jeremiah 31:17 - 15.
For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18 - 16.
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Romans 5:3 - 17.
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Romans 5:4 - 18.
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Hebrews 6:18 - 19.
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Psalms 130:5 - 20.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Colossians 1:27
A Guided Study of Hope in Scripture
Hope in the Bible is not a hopeful mood or a hand crossed for luck. It is confident expectation fixed on a God who keeps his word, and Scripture grounds it not in circumstances but in his character, his promises, and the empty tomb. The verses below trace hope from its source in 'the God of hope,' through the promises that secure the future, into the trials where hope becomes an anchor, on to the discipline of waiting, and finally to the living hope that the resurrection makes certain.
The God of Hope
Before hope is a feeling, it has an address. Scripture never tells believers to hope in hope; it names God himself as the object and the source, the One from whom expectation comes.
Hope in God's Promises for the Future
Biblical hope leans forward. It rests on specific promises — a future, an expected end, a good purpose — so that the believer can face tomorrow without knowing its details but trusting its Author.
Hope That Anchors the Soul in Trials
Scripture does not promise a path around suffering but a hope that holds inside it. Paul says tribulation itself works hope, and Hebrews pictures that hope as an anchor — sure and steadfast — that keeps the soul from drifting in the storm.
Hope Renewed by Waiting on the Lord
In the Bible, hope and waiting are nearly the same act. To wait on the Lord is to hope actively — and Scripture promises that those who do are not worn down but renewed, finding the Lord good to the soul that seeks him.
A Living Hope Through the Resurrection
What makes Christian hope certain rather than wishful is an event: Jesus rose. Peter calls it 'a lively hope,' Paul calls it 'the blessed hope,' and both root the believer's confidence in a Christ who conquered death and will appear again.
Scriptures on Hope During Difficult Times
Trouble produces hope; it does not cancel it. Paul traces the sequence in Romans 5:3-4: “tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.” Hope is not what survives hardship by accident — in Scripture it is what hardship, endured with God, manufactures.
You are permitted to argue with your own soul. The psalmist does not suppress his despair; he interrogates it. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God” (Psalm 42:11). The command is spoken by the sufferer to himself, in the present tense, before the circumstances change.
Hope is recalled, not summoned.Jeremiah writes from the ruins of Jerusalem: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope” (Lamentations 3:21). What he recalls is not a brighter forecast but God’s character — mercies that “are new every morning” and compassions that “fail not.”
It holds because of where it is fastened. Hebrews 6:19 calls hope “an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.” An anchor does not calm the sea. It grips something outside the boat, so the storm moves the water rather than the vessel.
Waiting is not wasted. Isaiah 40:31 promises that “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” — mounting up, running, walking. The order descends deliberately: the last and least dramatic promise, to “walk, and not faint,” is the one most needed by those in a long trial.
Verses About Hope and Faith Combined
Scripture binds hope and faith so tightly that it defines each by the other. Hebrews 11:1 opens the great chapter on faith by making hope its content: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is the grip; hope is what it takes hold of.
Paul runs the same line in reverse. Romans 5:1-2 moves from being “justified by faith” to standing in grace and rejoicing “in hope of the glory of God” — faith is the door, hope is the room it opens into. Peter joins them in one clause about the God who raised Christ from the dead, “that your faith and hope might be in God” (1 Peter 1:21), and Paul sets them side by side once more in 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three.”
The practical difference is one of direction. Faith rests on what God has already done and said — Hebrews 6:18 calls it “two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie.” Hope leans on what he has not yet done. Both look at the same God, which is why Romans 15:13 asks “the God of hope” to fill believers with joy and peace in believing, so that they “abound in hope.” For the fuller study, see our Bible verses about faith guide.
Short Hope Verses for Daily Encouragement
Each of these is a single short sentence in the King James Version — brief enough to memorise, pray, or carry through a day. For a fresh passage each morning, see our verse of the day.
And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
Psalms 39:7This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
Lamentations 3:21Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
Psalms 119:114Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Psalms 33:22For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
Psalms 71:5I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Psalms 130:5The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Lamentations 3:24Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Romans 12:12Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Psalms 31:24Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
Psalms 146:5
Recommended reading
Study Bibles & devotionals
Go deeper than a single verse. These study Bibles and daily devotionals pair well with the topics here — adding context, commentary, and a rhythm for daily reading.
ESV Study Bible
Crossway
Over 20,000 study notes, maps, and articles — the go-to one-volume study Bible for understanding scripture in context.
Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
Tyndale / Zondervan
Notes that connect each passage to everyday life — ideal alongside the topical verses on this page.
Jesus Calling
Sarah Young
A year of short daily devotions written as if Jesus is speaking — a gentle companion to daily scripture reading.
My Utmost for His Highest
Oswald Chambers
The classic daily devotional — 365 readings that have shaped Christian devotion for over a century.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about hope in the KJV?
In the KJV, hope is confident expectation in God rather than uncertain wishing. Romans 15:13 calls God 'the God of hope' who fills believers 'with all joy and peace in believing.' Jeremiah 29:11 records God's promise of thoughts 'of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' And Hebrews 6:19 describes this hope as 'an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast' — grounded in God's character and promises, not circumstances.
How is biblical hope different from wishful thinking?
Wishful thinking hopes against the evidence; biblical hope rests on it. Its certainty comes from its object — God — not from the strength of the feeling. Hebrews 6:18-19 grounds hope in 'two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,' and calls it an anchor 'both sure and stedfast.' Because it is anchored in God's unchanging word and in the resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3), it is a confident assurance rather than a hopeful guess.
What are good Bible verses about hope in hard times?
Several stand out for trials. Romans 5:3-4 says tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. Psalm 42:11 counsels the downcast soul, 'hope thou in God.' Isaiah 40:31 promises that those who 'wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.' And Lamentations 3:24-25 declares the LORD 'good unto them that wait for him.' Together they teach that hope is not the absence of hardship but trust held onto in the middle of it.
Why does the Bible call it a 'living hope'?
1 Peter 1:3 says God 'hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.' It is 'living' because it is rooted in a living, risen Savior, not a dead idea or a fading wish. Since Christ conquered death, the believer's hope of resurrection and eternal life is as secure as the empty tomb — which is why Titus 2:13 calls it 'that blessed hope,' the expectation of Christ's glorious appearing.