A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
A man's pride will bring him down to downfall and humiliation, while a humble spirit will be upheld with sustaining honor and support. Those who foster pride are brought to debasement and final destruction, and the proud face destruction in the day of the Lord, for pride is the great sin acknowledged in Daniel 4:37 that keeps many from seeking the Lord. True honor comes not by self-exaltation or trusting personal strength after victories gained by God's grace, but by distrusting self and trusting God and walking humbly with Him, which is essential for fruitful service. This calls for accepting lowly duties rather than insisting on one's own way or despising work as beneath dignity, remaining where duty calls until duty leads elsewhere, for God will humble those who exalt themselves and exalt those who humble themselves.
Authorship and Setting
The saying is one of Solomon's writings, numbering among the three thousand proverbs he produced about the year one thousand and later. It stands within the last fifteen chapters of Proverbs, in the section beginning at chapter twenty-five. That section, Proverbs 25-29, is a collection of Solomonic proverbs assembled in Hezekiah's time. It was copied out of Solomon's many writings by Hezekiah's scribes, men appointed by him for the work.
Pride, Humility and Application
A man's pride will bring him low to downfall and humiliation, while a humble spirit will be upheld with sustaining honor and support. True honor comes through such humility rather than through self-exaltation, for honor sustains and upholds the humble in spirit. Those who foster pride are brought to debasement and final destruction.
The verse belongs to the warning that pride leads to a fall, and the proud face destruction in the day of the Lord. Extravagance illustrates this bringing low, reducing its victim to writhing agony of want and disease, even to ordering the costliest coffin as a cure for a wounded spirit. The Lord regards pride as the great sin acknowledged by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:37, a trait that keeps many people from seeking the Lord.
Humility means distrusting self and trusting God rather than trusting personal strength after victories gained by God's grace. A person who begins to trust in personal strength after gaining victories by God's grace will fall. Humility is therefore essential for fruitful service to God, so harboring pride leads to failure while walking humbly with God leads to honor.
The verse calls for accepting lowly duties rather than insisting on one's own way or despising work as beneath dignity. Like Jesus at lowly Nazareth, a person should remain where duty calls until duty leads elsewhere. Like the humble grain willing to be hidden that kept growing and bearing fruit, and like Garfield's rise from cabin boy to national leader, God will humble those who exalt themselves and exalt those who humble themselves.
A man's pride will bring him down to downfall and humiliation, while a humble spirit will be upheld with sustaining honor and support. Those who foster pride are brought to debasement and final destruction, and the proud face destruction in the day of the Lord, for pride is the great sin acknowledged in Daniel 4:37 that keeps many from seeking the Lord. True honor comes not by self-exaltation or trusting personal strength after victories gained by God's grace, but by distrusting self and trusting God and walking humbly with Him, which is essential for fruitful service. This calls for accepting lowly duties rather than insisting on one's own way or despising work as beneath dignity, remaining where duty calls until duty leads elsewhere, for God will humble those who exalt themselves and exalt those who humble themselves.
Authorship and Setting
The saying is one of Solomon's writings, numbering among the three thousand proverbs he produced about the year one thousand and later. It stands within the last fifteen chapters of Proverbs, in the section beginning at chapter twenty-five. That section, Proverbs 25-29, is a collection of Solomonic proverbs assembled in Hezekiah's time. It was copied out of Solomon's many writings by Hezekiah's scribes, men appointed by him for the work.
Pride, Humility and Application
A man's pride will bring him low to downfall and humiliation, while a humble spirit will be upheld with sustaining honor and support. True honor comes through such humility rather than through self-exaltation, for honor sustains and upholds the humble in spirit. Those who foster pride are brought to debasement and final destruction.
The verse belongs to the warning that pride leads to a fall, and the proud face destruction in the day of the Lord. Extravagance illustrates this bringing low, reducing its victim to writhing agony of want and disease, even to ordering the costliest coffin as a cure for a wounded spirit. The Lord regards pride as the great sin acknowledged by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:37, a trait that keeps many people from seeking the Lord.
Humility means distrusting self and trusting God rather than trusting personal strength after victories gained by God's grace. A person who begins to trust in personal strength after gaining victories by God's grace will fall. Humility is therefore essential for fruitful service to God, so harboring pride leads to failure while walking humbly with God leads to honor.
The verse calls for accepting lowly duties rather than insisting on one's own way or despising work as beneath dignity. Like Jesus at lowly Nazareth, a person should remain where duty calls until duty leads elsewhere. Like the humble grain willing to be hidden that kept growing and bearing fruit, and like Garfield's rise from cabin boy to national leader, God will humble those who exalt themselves and exalt those who humble themselves.