Hebrews 11:1 is not introducing a new concept.
From a Tanakh (and especially Karaite) perspective, it’s actually a Greek re-packaging of ideas already present in the Hebrew Scriptures — with an important shift in emphasis.
Hebrews 11:1:
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Now let’s look at Tanakh-based equivalents — conceptually, not forced word-for-word.
1. Habakkuk 2:4
“The righteous shall live by his faithfulness (emunah).”
Key point:
Emunah does not mean abstract belief
It means steadfastness, loyalty, reliability, lived trust
From a Tanakh lens:
Faith = covenantal faithfulness, not mental assent
This is the closest conceptual parallel — and it’s ethical, not metaphysical.
2. Exodus 14:31
“They believed (va-ya’aminu) in YHWH and in Moses His servant.”
What this means in context:
Israel believes after seeing deliverance
Belief follows action and experience
It leads immediately to obedience
So unlike Hebrews 11:1:
Faith is response to God’s acts, not belief without evidence
3. Psalm 37:3–5
“Trust in YHWH and do good… Commit your way to YHWH… and He will act.”
Here faith:
Is trust expressed through action
Is forward-looking, but grounded in obedience
Has expected outcomes in the real world
This fits the “hope” aspect — without detaching it from deeds.
4. Proverbs 3:5–6
“Trust in YHWH with all your heart… and He will make your paths straight.”
Important:
Trust is relational, not speculative
No praise for believing unseen doctrines
Trust is validated by God’s guidance in life
5. Isaiah 26:3–4
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Faith here:
Produces stability, not mystical certainty
Is ongoing reliance, not a one-time belief
6. Psalm 119:66
“Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I trust in Your commandments.”
This is crucial for a Karaite reading:
Trust is placed in God’s commandments
Faith is inseparable from Torah
No Torah = no biblical faith
7. Genesis 15:6 (Abraham)
“He trusted YHWH, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”
Often misused later, but in Tanakh:
Abraham’s trust is followed by obedience (Gen 17, 22)
His faith is validated by action, not belief alone
From a Karaite view:
Genesis 15 cannot be detached from Genesis 17 & 22
8. Deuteronomy 30:14
“The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.”
This directly contradicts a Hebrews-style abstraction:
Faith is not belief in unseen realities
Faith is doing what is known and commanded
9. Psalm 78:22
“They did not believe in God, nor trust in His salvation.”
Why they lacked faith?
Because they disobeyed, despite miracles
So in Tanakh logic:
Unbelief = disobedience
Faith = obedience with trust
10. Ecclesiastes 12:13
“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
This is the Tanakh’s final word on faith:
No abstraction
No metaphysics
No invisible substances
Just loyalty expressed in action
Key Karaite Contrast with Hebrews 11:1
Tanakh Faith
Hebrews-style Faith
Trust proven by obedience
Belief in unseen realities
Rooted in Torah
Detached from Torah
Verified in history
Internal assurance
Communal & covenantal
Individual & abstract
Bottom line (Karaite framing)
Yes, the Tanakh has equivalents — but they redefine what “faith” actually is.
In Tanakh terms,
faith is not confidence in the unseen
it is loyalty to the revealed will of God.
Hebrews 11:1 doesn’t expand biblical faith — it reinterprets it through a Greek philosophical lens.
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