Hope: Waiting, Stretching, and Trusting

175 snips

Dec 1, 2025

Dive into the essence of hope during Advent, exploring its rich biblical roots. Discover the Hebrew words 'yakhal' and 'qavah,' illustrating hope as both a patient wait and a stretching anticipation. From Noah's wait for the flood to Israel's longing for God’s love, the connection between waiting and trust unfolds. The discussion contrasts biblical hope with mere optimism, emphasizing hope as an active engagement with God. Reflect on how community and small reminders can foster our expectation for the coming Messiah.

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INSIGHT

Yachal: Waiting With An Object

The Hebrew word yachal primarily means to wait and is first exemplified by Noah waiting for the waters to recede.
Yachal links waiting with an emotionally invested object of desire, not mere passive time passing.

INSIGHT

Hope's Object And The Sick Heart

Tohelet derives from yachal and names the thing you await; deferred hopes sicken the heart (Proverbs 13).
Biblical hope ties desire to an object and shows ongoing delay damages the human heart.

INSIGHT

Kavah: Hope As Tension

The Hebrew kavah comes from kav, a measuring chord, and the verb means being stretched tight in anticipation.
Kavah pictures hope as creative tension: energy focused toward an awaited fulfillment.

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Advent E1 — Over the next four weeks, we’ll be exploring the four key words associated with the Advent season: hope, peace, joy, and love, starting with hope. The Hebrew words often translated as “hope,” yakhal and qavah, are rooted in images of waiting and being stretched, like a cord pulled tight. From Noah waiting for the flood waters to recede, to Israel longing for God’s loyal love, to Jesus followers ultimate hope in the new creation, the Bible presents hope as an active trust in God’s character. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore how the biblical story reframes hope as active waiting, a practice that keeps us moving toward God’s promises.

FULL SHOW NOTES

For chapter-by-chapter notes including summaries, referenced Scriptures, biblical words, and reflection questions, check out the full show notes for this episode.

CHAPTERS

Yakhal, a Waiting Hope (0:00–11:26)
Qavah, a Stretching Hope (11:26–24:10)
Biblical Hope vs. Optimism (24:10–27:47)
Reflections on Hope With Dylan (27:47-32:50)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner
The Life of Moses and Homilies on the Song of Songs by Gregory of Nyssa
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
Yakhal / Hope: Though not referenced directly in the episode, this 2017 video explores the same biblical words, yakhal and qavah.
Check out Tim’s extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

“Home For Christmas” by Lofi Sunday & Cassidy Godwin
“That Gospel ft. Bobcat” by Lofi Sunday
“Snowflakes” by Aves
BibleProject theme song by TENTS

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Special thanks to our guest Dylan Menges.

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