How to Say Hope in Hebrew: Tikvah (תִּקְוָה)

Quick Answer: How to Say Hope in Hebrew

Hope in Hebrew is תִּקְוָה — tikvah. Pronounced tik-VAH, with the emphasis on that final syllable. Say it slowly: tik — VAH. But here's the thing: if you stop there, you've missed one of the most beautiful word pictures in the entire Hebrew language.

The Cord You Hold Onto

Tikvah literally means "cord" or "rope." The same word. Not a metaphor that developed over time — the same word. And once you know that, you'll never read the Bible the same way again.

Consider Rahab. When the Israelite spies promised to spare her and her family when Jericho fell, they told her to hang something from her window: tikvat chut hashani — a cord of scarlet thread (Joshua 2:18). The word for that cord? Tikvah. Rahab's scarlet cord was literally her tikvah — her hope. It was the thing she held onto. The lifeline that connected her to the promise of salvation. When the walls came down and the city was destroyed, that cord was how the Israelites would recognize her house. She didn't just feel hopeful. She had something tangible to hold onto.

That's biblical hope. Not wishful thinking. Not crossing your fingers. It's a cord — something you grip when everything else is falling apart. Hope, in Hebrew, is the thing you hold onto.

From Rahab to the National Anthem

The word shows up again in one of the most famous songs in the world: Hatikvah — "The Hope." It's the Israeli national anthem. When millions of people stand and sing it, they're singing about tikvah. The hope of a people. The cord that held them through two thousand years of exile. Od lo avda tikvateinu — "Our hope is not yet lost." The word is right there in the title. Israel's anthem isn't called "The Dream" or "The Wish." It's called The Hope — the cord.

You can explore the full depth of this word on our tikvah word page, including pronunciation and related Scripture.

What Tikvah Really Means

The root ק.ו.ה (q.v.h) means "to wait, to hope, to expect." Tikvah carries all of that — hope, expectation, waiting — but the cord imagery grounds it in something concrete. When Jeremiah writes that famous verse, "For I know the plans I have for you... to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11), the word he uses is tikvah. God isn't giving His people a vague feeling. He's giving them something to hold onto. A future. A cord. You can read more about Jeremiah 29:11 in Hebrew and how that promise lands in the original language.

Hope and faith live in the same neighborhood. Emunah is the steadfastness — the leaning, the trusting. Tikvah is what you're holding onto while you wait. They work together. You hold the cord (tikvah) while you stand firm (emunah).

How to Pronounce Tikvah

תִּקְוָה — tik-VAH. Two syllables. The "tik" sounds like "tick" (the "i" as in "bit"). The "vah" rhymes with "spa" — emphasis on that second syllable. The "v" is like the English "v" in "very." Say it a few times: tik-VAH, tik-VAH. It's one of those words that feels good in your mouth once you get it.

A Word Worth Holding Onto

Tikvah appears throughout the Hebrew Bible — in the Psalms, in Jeremiah, in Proverbs. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12) — when the cord slips, when the promise feels delayed, it affects us deeply. But when hope is fulfilled, it brings life. The word itself reminds us: hope isn't passive. It's something you hold. Something you grip. Something that connects you to what's coming.

So the next time you hear someone talk about hope — or the next time you need it yourself — remember the Hebrew. Tikvah. The cord. The thing Rahab hung from her window. The word in the anthem of a nation that refused to let go. Hope is not wishful thinking. It's the rope you hold onto when the walls are coming down.