The imagery behind בָּטַח (baw-takh´) may connect to the Semitic word “to be stretched out, taut,” suggesting firmness or solidity. This word conveys well-being and security rooted in having something or someone in whom to place confidence. TWOT notes that in the LXX, this word is never translated with πιστευω but with ελπιζω (positively) or πειφομαι (negatively). This suggests the word emphasizes not faith (an intellectual and volitional response) but rather a feeling of safety and security (Proverbs 3:29).
The Old Testament makes clear that those whose confidence is founded on God experience a different quality of life. Any other confidence is folly. Those who trust in God will be delivered, walk in straight paths, receive joy, know inner peace (absence of fear), and have their prayers answered (Psalm 4:8; 16:9; 33:21; 22:4; 31:14; 1 Chronicles 5:20; Proverbs 3:5; Isaiah 26:3). Psalms uses this word 50 out of 181 times, consistently affirming the value of trusting in the Lord. This relationship is only possible because of God’s ḥesed, which foreshadows the New Testament’s teaching of eternal life through Jesus Christ (Ezekiel 33:13; Jeremiah 7:4, 8, 14). All of this provides peace because God offers confident expectation through His faithfulness (Deuteronomy 33:28; 1 Samuel 12:11; Psalm 27:3). The chief contrast to trust is the anxiety of the pagan who had no such confidence. “Better to be utterly dependent on a gracious and dependable God, than left to one’s own devices in a sea of fickle gods, vengeful demons, and inscrutable magical forces” (TWOT, 102). Job wrestled with these conclusions and determined any other source of confidence was worthless (Job 12:6; 24:23; 31:24; 39:11; Isaiah 50:10).
“Better to be utterly dependent on a gracious and dependable God, than left to one’s own devices in a sea of fickle gods, vengeful demons, and inscrutable magical forces.”
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
Other sources of confidence include man (Psalm 118:8; 146:3; Proverbs 25:19; Jeremiah 17:5), wickedness (Isaiah 47:10), violence and oppression (Psalm 55:23; 62:10; Isaiah 30:12), riches (Psalm 49:6; 52:7; Proverbs 11:28), idols (Psalm 31:6; 115:8; Isaiah 42:17; Habakkuk 2:18), military power (Deuteronomy 28:52; Psalm 44:6; Isaiah 31:1; Jeremiah 5:17; Hosea 10:13), religion (Jeremiah 7:4, 8, 14), one’s own righteousness (Ezekiel 33:13; Hosea 10:13), and foreign alliances (Isaiah 36:4; Ezekiel 29:16). The alternate posture in life is complacency, which the Bible scorns (Isaiah 32:9-11; Ezekiel 30:9; Amos 6:1). The most significant test of this trust came in Rabshakeh’s challenge to Hezekiah’s confidence (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37; 2 Chronicles 32), where this word appears 20 times. The only human relationship where trust is commendable is a husband’s confidence in his wife’s noble character (Proverbs 31:11).
Disclaimer: Information in my “slip-box” doesn’t necessarily reflect my agreement with the source or all its content. Recording diverse perspectives helps strengthen one’s position beyond the echo chamber of like-minded thinkers. By documenting alternative viewpoints, we engage in the intellectual wrestling match that ultimately deepens our understanding.
I aspire to post one note from my “slip-box” every weekday. If you want to learn more about how to work with knowledge, click this link: What is knowledge management?
Pastor Dan Patrick, raised in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., holds both a Bible degree and a Master’s of Divinity. He has ministered across five states from coast to coast, serving in various capacities, including pastoral leadership. Dan’s primary mission is to help people love God’s Word and find their purpose in God’s work.
