Pride In The Bible

How are we to understand pride in the Bible? In Psalm 10:3-4, the psalmist wrote, “For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings; the one who is greedy curses and despises the LORD. In all his scheming, the wicked arrogantly thinks: ‘There is no accountability, since God does not exist’” (HCSB). In the King James Version these verses read this way: “For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”

Pride and Arrogance

The word translated pride in verse 4 in the King James Version is represented in the HCSB by the English adverb arrogantly. This term means “exaltation, height, haughtiness, grandeur, arrogance.” In the HCSB this Hebrew word is translated “pride” in just one Old Testament verse—even though English words with similar meanings represent it in other places. That verse is 2 Chronicles 32:26: “Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart—he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—so the LORD’s wrath didn’t come on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.”

Other Hebrew words convey similar ideas, but let’s keep this word in mind as we think of the tower the people attempted to build in Genesis 11:1-9. The Hebrew term we’ve been discussing does not appear at all in Genesis 11—or even in the entire Book of Genesis. However, we see the idea it represents in numerous places in the ancient account of the Tower of Babel or Babylon.

  • The people “said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth’” (11:4). Here we see the ideas of height and grandeur—“top to the sky”; haughtiness and arrogance—“Let us make a name for ourselves”; and, consistent with these themes, an air of independence and unwillingness to submit to God’s will—“otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
  • “The LORD said, ‘If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (v. 6). Pride compels people to play god! God knew the people’s attitudes and actions would take the people even further away from Him, so He thwarted their plans.

The lessons arising from this historical account are many—and they are vitally important. We see reflected in Genesis 11:1-9 a principle that is stated explicitly in other places in Scripture. Here are four examples.

  • God “mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble” (Prov. 3:34).
  • “The LORD hates…arrogant eyes” (Prov. 6:16-17).
  • Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).
  • Peter quoted Proverbs 3:34 in 1 Peter 5:5: “And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Then Peter continued by stating the principle in reverse: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time” (v. 6).

B. Nathaniel Sullivan
Christian educator, Bible teacher, and Editor

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in SundaySchoolZone.com materials are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

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