Compared with its usage in non-biblical Greek, the noun ἐλπίς undergoes a semantic evolution in the Septuagint and in Jewish literature of the Hellenistic and Roman epoch. Rather than referring to a more or less positive expectation, the noun very often is used in the context of faith. Believers hope that the can trust in God in their various hardships, even they confess that God himself is their hope. On the other hand, authors like Philo claim that hope is a fundamental feature of human existence. The aim of this paper is to outline the specific new developments in the use of ἐλπίς in the LXX and in Philo of Alexandria.