Bible Strands
Romans 5:4
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul, writing to the church in Rome, is mid-chain: suffering (v. 3) feeds into this verse, and the output (hope) is immediately secured by the Spirit's poured-out love (v. 5). He is not consoling; he is tracing a mechanism.
The words — δοκιμή (dokimē) appears twice, from the verb δοκιμάζω, "to test metal, to prove." It is not generic "character" but character that has passed a test — the residue of fire.
The thread — James 1:12 uses the same δοκιμασία root: the one who "stands the test" receives the crown. 1 Peter 5:10 compresses the same arc: a little suffering, then eternal glory.
Why it lands — The verse claims suffering is productive, not merely tolerable; it asks the reader to stop treating endurance as a passive waiting and start treating it as the work that produces what hope requires.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 5:10 And 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.
- James 1:12 Blessed 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 Corinthians 4:8 We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
- Psalms 71:18 Even 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.
- 2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- 1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials
- Psalms 27:2 When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
- Psalms 42:4 These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the festive procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.
- 2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
- 2 Corinthians 6:9 unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;