perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Parallel translations
- WEB and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:
- KJV And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
- NKJV and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
- NASB and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
- NLT And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Perseverance produces proven character, and character produces hope. Endurance through trials deepens a tested, hope-filled faith.
Overview
Paul traces a chain of growth: perseverance yields 'proven character,' the tested quality of a faith refined by trial, and that in turn yields hope. God works through hardship to mature believers. The progression assures Christians that nothing in their suffering is wasted in God's redemptive plan.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 1 Pet 5:10And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
- Jas 1:12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
- 2 Cor 4:8–12We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
- 2 Tim 4:16–18At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- Ps 71:18–24Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.
- 1 Pet 1:6–7In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials
- Ps 42:4–5These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.
- 2 Cor 6:9–10as unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;
- Ps 27:2–3When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
- 2 Cor 1:4–6who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
- Josh 10:24–25When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.
- Ps 71:14But I will always hope and will praise You more and more.
- 1 Sam 17:34–37David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
- Rom 15:4For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 5:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.