Scriptural References- Pride and Humility
- In Fellowship
- Feb 16
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 18
Pride vs Humility. What does the Bible say about pride and how does it contrast with what the Scriptures say about being humble? It is important to go straight to the sources when studying any topic or searching for answers. 2 Timothy 3:16 says " All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,"
The Bible is the infalliable Word of God and is our first resource in searching out answers.
This is not an exhaustive list, just a starting point. We encourage you to begin your own personal study, by not only to reading the verses in listed but read the chapter associated with them. What was going on? What was the context? How does that help you understand God's Word better? Share your experience in the comments. We welcome discussions of ideas and insights that lead to better understanding and stronger faith!
Pride
and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”
because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.”
When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.
But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.
He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord.
For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’; but he saves the lowly.
that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man;
There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.
Job 37:24
Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”
In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah because they do not change and do not fear God.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him.
The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.
Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
“Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.
One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
Ecclesiastes 5:19
19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart:
I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.
The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the Lord will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
“Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.
They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.
The horror you inspire has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as the eagle's, I will bring you down from there, declares the Lord.
“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded.
His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them.
I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned.
Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.
Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride,
that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand.
‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them most ruthless of nations. “They shall bring to ruin the pride of Egypt, and all its multitude shall perish.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
The pride of Israel testifies to his face; Israel and Ephraim shall stumble in his guilt; Judah also shall stumble with them.
The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this.
The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of youbut to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
This shall be their lot in return for their pride, because they taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Mark 7:20-73
20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
James 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
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