Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 29:23
A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
23. honour shall uphold, &c.] Rather, He that is lowly in spirit shall obtain honour. Lowly is better than humble (A.V.) in the second clause, because the Heb. word is from the same root as the word bring low, in the first clause.
It is substantially the same proverb as that used more than once by our Lord:
Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled;
And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luk 14:11; Luk 18:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Honour shall uphold the humble in spirit – Better: The lowly in spirit shall lay hold on honor.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 29:23
A mans pride shall bring him low.
On pride
Pride, though it implies an assumption of superiority, has a manifest tendency to degradation.
1. A mans pride will bring him low because it subjects him to the imputation of folly. There is no condition of life that can warrant the indulgence of this sinful and corrupt passion. The maxims of human policy teach us that in proportion to the trust must be the responsibility. The uncertainty and imperfection of every blessing which this world affords should alone be sufficient to prevent that silly exaltation of the mind which constitutes pride. Neither abundance of riches nor superior endowments of the mind are a sufficient justification for pride. Neither the acquisition of fame, the flatteries of self-love, nor the consciousness of distinguished merit, should swell the heart with arrogance or pride. The truest characteristics of superior greatness and superior wisdom are modesty and humility; modesty freed from false shame, and humility without affectation or abasement. If these motives are insufficient to warrant the indulgence of pride, much less ought it to arise from the casual distinction of rank in the different orders of men. Pride is not confined to any particular rank or station. From whatever cause it proceeds, it always betokens weakness, folly, and corruption.
2. The various evils, and the general depravity which it produces. The text is often verified as pride produces poverty. More persons have sunk into poverty from this cause than from any other. From indulging in a thousand idle expenses, in order to support a kind of pompous vanity, the proud man can seldom spare a charitable mite to give to him that needeth. Pride is also the source of continual mortification. The petty vexations of pride that are compounded with every vain, selfish, and malignant passion have no claim to our indulgence. Pride is more productive of quarrels, bitterness, and strife than anything else. This base and selfish passion always creates, and always keeps alive, a watchful and incessant jealousy of power. Hence the mildest exhortation and the most friendly remonstrance is often converted into the bitterness of accusation or the insolence of reproach. This odious vice is seen at its worst in the awful end of the suicide. The dreadful act of self-destruction is often committed in the evil moment of wounded pride or mortified ambition. The proud man sits on an imaginary eminence of his own creation, and propagates servility or wretchedness all around him. In a mind thus bewildered and deceived the first principle of improvement is wanting. He who is not conscious of any defect can have no sufficient motive for amendment. Pride never appears so sinful and offensive as when we consider man in relation to his Maker. Then we perceive it destroying the efficacy and poisoning the very source of all those virtues which he is chiefly bound to practise. The proud man is in reality always degraded in proportion as he thinks himself exalted. (J. Hewlett, B.D.)
Honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Honour
This word means nobleness of mind. It is a natural instinct of human nature to be trustful, especially when a mans honour is at stake; but there has been so much deception as to make almost everybody doubt everybody else. Every representation we make should be the truth; a deception is never excusable.
1. Honour is an acquired nature. The germ of honour is born in us, but every child has to be taught by example and precept to cultivate it. We sometimes cram our children too much with catechism, and omit to cultivate their honour. There is as much religion in being honourable as in being prayerful.
2. Honour should become an essential part of our nature. It is only the ignorant and the foolish who can be tickled by a title or a name. Let us seek to have honour in our nature. Honour should grow in us and become an essential part of our nature. Uncommon honour should be the common practice of everybody.
3. Honour should be the principle of all our transactions. Whether you gain by it or not, be honourable. Let your honour be as true in the dark as in the light.
4. In honour prefer one another. Do not gibe at a friend or detract from an enemy. If you can praise one another, do so, but never throw mud at anybody. If you really know that a man or woman is doing wrong, be honourable enough to tell them so, and not so mean as to talk of it behind their backs. Be honourable in all your sayings and in all your doings, so that this world, through you, may become a more joyous dwelling-place. (W. Birch.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 23. A man’s pride shall bring him low] A proud man is universally despised, and such are often exposed to great mortifications.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shall bring him low, because both God and man conspire against him, and abhor him.
Honour shall uphold the humble in spirit; or, as others render it, without any difference in the sense,
the humble in spirit shall hold their honour, shall be honoured by God and men. Thus honour, like a shadow, flees from them that pursue it, and follows them who flee from it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. (Compare Pro 16:18;Pro 18:12).
honour . . . spiritor,”such shall lay hold on honor” (Pr11:16).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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,
Re 18:7;
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” z or “honour”; possess it and enjoy it: or rather “shall retain” a it; shall hold it fast, as the word is translated in Pr 3:18; The sum of the proverb, in both parts, is the same with the words of Christ, often used by him, Mt 23:12.
z “assequetur gloriam”, Montanus; “potietur gloria”, Vatablus. a “Tenebit honorem”, Piscator; “tenebit gloriam”, Mercerus, Cocceius, Michaelis; “apprehendit gloriam”, Shultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Pro 29:23 passes from anger to haughtiness:
A man’s pride will bring him low;
But the lowly attaineth to honour.
Thus we translate (Lat. honorem obtinet ) in accord with Pro 11:16, and with Pro 16:19, where, however, is not adj. as here, but inf. The haughty man obscures the honour which he has by this, that he boasts immeasurably of it, and aspires yet more after it; the lowly man, on the other hand, obtains honour without his seeking it, honour before God and before men, which would be of no worth were it not connected with the honour before God. The lxx: . This is indeed not contrary to the sense, but it is opposed to the style. Why the 24th verse should now follow is, as regards the contents and the expression, hard to say; but one observes that Pro 29:22-27 follow each other, beginning with the successive letters of the alphabet ( ), , , , , ( ).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
This agrees with what Christ said more than once, 1. That those who exalt themselves shall be abased. Those that think to gain respect by lifting up themselves above their rank, by looking high, talking big, appearing fine, and applauding themselves, will on the contrary expose themselves to contempt, lose their reputation, and provoke God by humbling providences to bring them down and lay them low. 2. That those who humble themselves shall be exalted, and shall be established in their dignity: Honour shall uphold the humble in spirit; their humility is their honour, and that shall make them truly and safely great, and recommend them to the esteem of all that are wise and good.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Pride or Humility
Verse 23-See comments on Pro 16:18-19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(23) Honour shall uphold the lowly in spirit.Rather, the lowly in spirit shall lay hold upon honour. (Comp. Pro. 18:12.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. Pride shall bring low See Pro 16:19; Pro 25:6. Honour shall uphold The humble takes hold on, or retains, honour. So most commentators.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Pro 29:23
Pro 29:23 Word Study on “the humble” Strong says the Hebrew word ( ) (H8217) literally and figuratively means, “depressed,” This word comes from the primitive verb Hebrew ( ) (H8213), which is also used in the first part of this same verse.
Pro 29:26 Many seek the ruler’s favour; but every man’s judgment cometh from the LORD.
Pro 29:26
1Ki 3:9, “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?”
Pro 29:27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.
Pro 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Ver. 23. A man’s pride shall bring him low.] For it sets God against him, and angels, and men, not good men only, but bad men too, and those that are as proud as themselves. For whereas one drunkard loves another and one thief another, &c., one proud person cannot endure another, but seeks to undermine him, that he alone may bear the bell, carry the commendation, the praise and promotion. See Pro 11:12 ; Pro 15:33 ; Pro 18:12 .
man’s. Hebrew. ‘adam. App-14.
shall bring him low. Adam and Eve (Gen 3:5, Gen 3:6); Hezekiah (2Ki 20:16-18); angels (2Pe 2:4. Jud 1:7).
uphold the humble. Illustrations: Solomon (1Ki 3:7, 1Ki 3:9); John (Joh 1:26, Joh 1:27; Joh 3:29, Joh 3:31); Mary (Luk 1:38); angels (Isa 6:2).
the humble = a humble one.
spirit. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.
Pro 29:23
Pro 29:23
“A man’s pride shall bring him low; But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor.”
We have exactly the same admonition here that is found in Pro 11:2; Pro 16:18-19. See comment there. Pride, insolence, arrogance and similar evil and `superior’ attitudes toward others are vigorously condemned throughout Proverbs.
Pro 29:23. Each individual will have likes and dislikes, spirit, and desires, but just as Pro 29:22 shows that such can get out of control by way of anger, this verse shows that such can get out of control by way of pride. Mans pride is when he is puffed up, but such actually leads down instead of up. Humility (being of a lowly spirit) actually leads up instead. Others sense a persons pride and deplore it. So does God. Both are against promoting such. For teaching and instances of this subject, see Pro 15:33; Pro 16:18; Pro 18:12; Isa 66:2; Dan 4:30-31; Mat 23:12; Luk 14:11; Luk 18:14; Act 12:23; Jas 4:6; Jas 4:10; I. Pet. Pro 5:6.
man’s: Pro 18:12, 2Ch 32:25, 2Ch 32:26, 2Ch 33:10-12, 2Ch 33:23, 2Ch 33:24, Job 22:29, Job 40:12, Isa 2:11, Isa 2:12, Dan 4:30-37, Dan 5:20, Dan 5:21, Luk 14:11, Luk 18:14, Act 12:23, Jam 4:6-10, 1Pe 5:5
honour: Pro 15:33, Deu 8:2, Deu 8:3, Deu 8:16, Isa 57:15, Isa 66:2, Mat 5:3, Mat 18:4, Mat 23:12
Reciprocal: Jdg 4:17 – fled 2Sa 24:2 – that I may 1Ki 12:10 – My little finger 2Ki 14:13 – took Amaziah 1Ch 21:2 – that I may 2Ch 10:10 – My little finger 2Ch 25:23 – took Amaziah 2Ch 28:19 – the Lord Pro 16:18 – General Jer 49:16 – terribleness Eze 29:9 – because Oba 1:3 – pride Mat 26:35 – Though Mat 26:70 – General Mar 14:31 – he spake Luk 7:6 – for Luk 20:46 – which Joh 13:38 – Wilt 1Ti 3:6 – lest 1Pe 5:6 – Humble
Pro 29:23. A mans pride shall bring him low Because both God and men conspire against him; but honour shall uphold the humble Or, as others render it, without any difference in the sense, the humble in spirit shall hold their honour, shall be honoured by God and men. Thus honour, like a shadow, flees from them that pursue it, and follows them who flee from it.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments