💡WEB · Proverbs 31:25
What does Proverbs 31:25 mean?
"Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come."
— Proverbs 31:25 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.
Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
Explanation
Proverbs 31:25 comes near the climax of the famous acrostic poem describing "a worthy woman" (or "excellent wife") that closes the book of Proverbs. In plain language, this verse says that strength and dignity are like clothing this woman wears—they are visible, characteristic, and constant parts of who she is, not occasional moods. And because of that inner strength and honor, she can face the future without fear or anxiety; she "laughs" at what is to come, meaning she meets tomorrow with confidence rather than dread.
The book of Proverbs is traditionally attributed to Solomon, though this final chapter is explicitly introduced as "the words of King Lemuel, that his mother taught him" (31:1), making it somewhat unique in the book. Scholars debate who Lemuel was, but the passage functions as instruction, possibly from a queen mother to her son, about what kind of woman embodies wisdom in daily life. The acrostic poem (each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) portrays an idealized figure whose life is marked by industriousness, wisdom, generosity, and reverence for God (culminating in verse 30's statement that "a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised"). This woman isn't presented as a literal checklist for every wife to fulfill exhaustively, but as a personification of wisdom itself, embodied in a life well-lived.
Theologically, the verse ties outward character to inward security. Her "clothing" isn't fine fabric (though earlier verses mention
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