Proverbs 31:25
“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse belongs to the closing acrostic portrait of the woman of strength, describing her inner character and her confident outlook on the future.
What Does Proverbs 31:25 Mean?
Proverbs 31:25 describes a woman of virtue as clothed in strength and dignity, able to face the future with confident joy. The image of clothing is striking: strength and honor are not occasional displays but the very garments she wears -- her habitual character, visible to all. "Strength" speaks of inner firmness and capability; "honour" (or dignity) speaks of a noble, respected bearing. Together they form the wardrobe of a life well lived.
The second line is one of the loveliest in the chapter: "she shall rejoice in time to come." Literally, she laughs at the days to come. Because she has lived with wisdom, diligence, and reverence for God, she meets the future without dread. Where others fear what lies ahead, she can smile, secure in the foundation she has built and in the God she trusts. This is not careless optimism but the settled confidence of a person whose present faithfulness produces future peace. The verse holds up a beautiful picture of how character shapes our relationship to the unknown: a life of integrity and trust clothes a person with strength now and lets them face tomorrow with hope rather than anxiety. For every reader, it is an invitation to build the kind of life that can laugh at the days to come.
In the Original Language
The word "strength" is "'oz," might or firmness. "Honour" is "hadar," splendor or dignity, and the phrase "rejoice in time to come" uses "sachaq," to laugh, applied to "the latter day."
Cross References
“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”
- Proverbs 31:30
“She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.”
- Proverbs 31:21
“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”
- Psalm 112:7
Application
Build a life of integrity and trust now so that, clothed in strength and dignity, you can face whatever lies ahead with confident joy rather than fear.