Abraham’s faith was strong and it ran deep. It was a faith in hope…against hope
(par’elpida ep’elpidi
). The expression against hope
could indicate that Abraham expected more than he was entitled to expect, or it could indicate that he continued to expect the impossible. The difference between the two interpretations is not significant, however. The point is that even though it seemed to run counter to all expectations, the childless Abraham believed that he would become the father of many nations, for as God promised him when Abraham looked up at all the stars in the sky: So shall your offspring be
(Genesis 15:5). He persevered in that hope. His faith did not waver even though he knew that he was already with one foot in the grave (he was already almost 100 years old) and that his wife’s Sarah’s womb was barren. He did not doubt God’s promise by losing faith. On the contrary, his faith grew even stronger.1
18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”