Proverbs 29:23

23 ¹One's pride will bring him low, ²but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Proverbs 29:23 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 29:23

A man's pride shall bring him low
As the pride of Adam, in affecting to be as gods, knowing good and evil; he lost the image of God; was brought into a state of darkness and ignorance, into debt and to a dunghill, to beggary and rags; filled with loathsome diseases, and left in thraldom and bondage to sin and Satan; and so all his posterity were brought into the same low estate. This might be exemplified in particular persons, in Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, and others; and, as will be in that monster of pride, the man of sin and antichrist; who will be humbled and brought low in the midst of his pride and boasting, ( Revelation 18:7 Revelation 18:8 ) ; but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit;
not who are humble in appearance only, or merely in words, having a show of humility, a voluntary and affected one; but really in their hearts; whose spirits are humble and contrite; who are so in spiritual things, and are made so by the Spirit of God: they are such who are truly sensible of sin; of their folly, and want of spiritual knowledge; of their impotence, and weakness to do anything that is spiritually good; of their spiritual poverty, and want of righteousness; who see that salvation is all of grace; and that whatever they have is owing to the grace of God; that they are deficient in all their duties, and these insufficient to justify them before God; who submit to the righteousness of Christ, and give all the glory of salvation to the grace of God. These, as they are honourable, being clothed with humility, which is itself an ornament of great price; so they are honoured with more grace from the Lord; they are beautified with the garments of salvation; they have the honour to have the spiritual and gracious presence of God, and fellowship with him, who dwells with such as are of an humble spirit: these are the meek and lowly, that shall inherit the new earth, and reign as kings with Christ in it; and the poor in spirit, to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs: and this honour is durable, they shall always abide in it; the grace they have, which makes them glorious, springs up unto eternal life; and the glory they shall have is an eternal weight of glory, a crown of glory that fadeth not away: for so the words may be rendered, "the humble in spirit shall lay hold on glory" ^F26 or "honour"; possess it and enjoy it: or rather "shall retain" ^F1 it; shall hold it fast, as the word is translated in ( Proverbs 3:18 ) ( 11:16 ) ; The sum of the proverb, in both parts, is the same with the words of Christ, often used by him, ( Matthew 23:12 ) ( Luke 14:11 ) ( 18:14 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F26 (Kwbk Kmty) "assequetur gloriam", Montanus; "potietur gloria", Vatablus.
F1 "Tenebit honorem", Piscator; "tenebit gloriam", Mercerus, Cocceius, Michaelis; "apprehendit gloriam", Shultens.

Proverbs 29:23 In-Context

21 Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir.

22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

23 One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

24 The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.

25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

Cross References

• 1. Proverbs 17:19; 2 Samuel 22:28; Matthew 23:12; James 4:6; See Proverbs 11:2
• 2. Proverbs 15:33; Proverbs 18:12