I felt led to do an in depth study of what it means to trust Biblically.
The Lord put it on my heart to firstly understand what it means to trust so that I can then seek Him for a greater trust in Him.
For this study I used a Greek and Hebrew study Bible in the American Standard Bible translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation, the website BibleHub, and lastly Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
It turns out that there are many, and I mean many, words in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that read as “trust” in our English translations. so let’s dive deeper into interpretation and understanding of what each one means.
Holy Spirit, lead this study and reveal Christ through it.
The first word I want to take a look at is “bâtach”, which means to go quickly to refuge (figuratively), to be secure, to be confident or sure…
(Here it gets interesting.)
…to be careless, remain over-confident, and to be unsuspecting.
This word seems to really emphasize letting yourself be vulnerable in a way that reminds me of how a child trusts that when they fall backwards their father is going to catch them. There is no fear there because the child knows that their father has got them and won’t let them fall.
This specific word, “bâtach”, is used 120 times in the Old Testament.
One example is in Psalm 21 verse 7 where David rejoices at God’s victory:
“For the king 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken.”
— Psalms 21:7 CSB
I really love that emphasis on trusting without fear in a way that there is no doubt that the Lord will come through.
The next word we’ll examine is “qâvâh”, meaning to bind together/collect (figuratively), to await, to expect, to gather, to look eagerly.
It is not fully clear why this word is based from a root meaning to bind together rope, however some clarity comes through the word’s application in scripture. It is often used in a sense of readiness and being prepared for a future event, out of trust for what God will accomplish.
it reminds me of the saying “if you’re praying for rain, bring an umbrella.”
There is a beautiful faith that is expressed through getting ready out of a confidence and hope.
Another possible explanation for the word’s origin doesn’t contradict but instead supports the idea of getting ready and prepared out of hope.
Similar Assyrian and Arabic words suggest that the tension of ropes being twisted metaphorically refers to endurance during trial, and thus waiting expectantly for God to come and do something.
There are 49 occurrences of this word in Scripture, often being translated as “waiting”.
A perfect example of this is again in the Psalms:
“I 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.”
Psalms 40:1-3 CSB
So beautiful is the emphasis on enduring patiently and preparation in faith and hope.
The next Hebrew word is “châçâh”, which again has a symbolic meaning of finding refuge, also meaning to flee for protection, to confide in, to have hope, and it often is used at times when God is represented as our Shield and our Rock.
The first thing that sticks out to me is not only the sense of protection, but also how it means “to confide in”, which speaks to me in a sense of talking with God and feeling safe with sharing with him everything in our hearts. That’s the kind of trust that is very rare, yet God is more than worthy of.
The Lord sees and knows our hearts and He says that He is the safe place where we can hide and trust and that we can be open and honest with Him.
That’s a level of safety and security that again has no fear, but trusts in His protection and the shadow of His wings.
“Châçâh” appears 37 times in scripture.
One great example is in 2 Samuel, again quoting David:
“He said: The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer, my God, my Rock where I 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙜𝙚. My Shield, the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold, my Refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence. I called to the Lord, Who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies.”
2 Samuel 22:2-4 CSB
There is a very strong emphasis here on YHWH’s protection and the safety that He provides.
I also love in this passage how it clearly portrays Christ Jesus, our Savior, our Deliverer. He is so worthy of praise!
Naturally I can’t go over every single word used for trust, nor can I dive into every single root word. That would take ages.
So the last word I’ll go over for the Old Testament is an Aramaic word, “’ăman”, meaning to believe, to be sure, and to be faithful.
The reason this particular word stuck out to me is because of how similar it is to the Hebrew word “amen” (‘âmên), which we tend to say at the end of our prayers. But what does it mean, and how does it relate to trust?
The most accurate translation for “amen” is of course, “so be it.” It comes from the same root word as the very Name of God, YHWH, and also a title of His, Eyheh, meaning “I AM”.
The word “amen” first appears in Numbers where it is used to affirm covenant. It was also spoken to reaffirm the covenant by later generations. It honestly points to the biblical truth behind people shouting “amen!” during church services.
In scripture it also acts as a way of showing agreement with statements and commands.
One way to connect this to the Aramaic “’ăman” is by showing the relation between trust and coming into agreement with something that has been spoken.
For example if we choose to believe and trust in what God has spoken over us, the truths which He works in our lives, we our coming into agreement with these things in faith. It is recognizing truth, proclaiming this truth, and choosing to believe this truth.
“’ăman” occurs 3 times in scripture.
“’ămên” occurs 30 times.
Examples for these two are:
“The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was brought up from the den, he was found to be unharmed, for he trusted in his God.”
Daniel 6:23 CSB
and
“Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
Nehemiah 8:6 CSB
The Daniel passage also shows that not only did Daniel trust that God would keep him safe from the lions, but even before that he trusted and came into agreement with what God had commanded, thus Daniel did not stop worshipping only the Lord despite the law that was made instructing people to worship the king. Daniel trusted in God.
So now on the New Testament!
For this particular study I will only be going over one word, though I highly encourage all of you to dive in even deeper in your own Bible readings.
The Greek word we’ll look at is “peithō”, meaning to convince, to obey, to pay attention, to persuade, to reassure, to urge, and to win over.
This conveys to me not only pondering God’s promises (pay attention) but also to remind ourselves and others of these promises. As the first Psalm says “but His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” (KJV)
And Paul also talks about what we dwell on in Philippians 4:8
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 CSB
There is definitely an importance placed on remembering and dwelling on the things of God, and reminding ourselves of Him.
This Greek word “peithō” shows how that is a form of trusting Him.
It also is a way of growing closer in intimacy with Him.
If someone you love takes the time to ponder and consider what you say, how honoring and loving that is!
It creates room for closer relationship and builds trust.
Another thing I’m reminded of is how Jesus used scripture, the Word of God, as a weapon against the temptations from the enemy.
Not only was He obeying, but He also was reminding Himself of these truths, paying attention to them.
In the same way we can reassure ourselves and be victorious over temptations and lies by dwelling on and reminding ourselves of what God has already said.
“Peithō” appears 53 times in the New Testament, and an example of this is:
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39 CSB
That trust that Paul has could not be wavered.
All of these words and the others used throughout God’s Word have such a richness in meaning, that I hope to understand more and gain more of a wisdom for.
The beauty of our trust in God is expressed through our confiding in Him, running to Him for protection, being even “overconfident” in His faithfulness, being ready for Him, and reminding ourselves and persuading ourselves of His truths. And this is not even as in depth as we could go, but thankfully Holy Spirit will continue to teach us and guide us into deeper revelation and inspiration. My prayer is that, for not only myself but also anyone else who reads this, there will be a greater understanding and application of trust in Jesus, even a greater impartation of faith and trust.
The fruit of faith that comes by experiencing God and walking with Him daily and being in the secret place is so beautiful because it comes from the heart and it speaks to the heart of God. It is birthed out of relationship with Him. God knows our hearts.
And though I pray to love Him more, sometimes it’s just as powerful, meaningful, amd intimate to say “Jesus, I trust You.”
in Christ
Mount Beriyth 
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