Proverbs 16:18 kjv

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 nkjv

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 niv

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 esv

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 nlt

Pride goes before destruction,
and haughtiness before a fall.

Proverbs 16 verses

Proverbs 16 18 Meaning

Proverbs 16:18 succinctly declares that an arrogant heart or excessive self-exaltation inevitably precedes ruin, and a spirit puffed up with pride inevitably leads to a significant downfall. It highlights a universal moral principle: pride is inherently self-destructive and paves the way for ultimate collapse, whereas humility is essential for stability and true wisdom.

Proverbs 16 18 Context

Proverbs is a book of wisdom, primarily composed of concise, pithy sayings that convey moral and spiritual truths. It functions as instructional literature, teaching principles for righteous living and offering practical guidance for navigating life in covenant with God. Chapter 16, in particular, focuses on the Lord's sovereignty over human plans and purposes, contrasting divine wisdom with human foolishness. This verse (16:18) fits within a broader theme throughout Proverbs that warns against pride, portraying it as a severe spiritual and practical danger. Historically, Israelite wisdom literature, like Proverbs, frequently drew on observations of human behavior and God's created order to illustrate cause-and-effect relationships. Pride was often seen as a direct challenge to God's ultimate sovereignty and a deviation from the proper place of humanity before its Creator, thus inviting divine opposition and inherent self-sabotage. There is no direct polemic mentioned against specific contemporary beliefs in this verse, but it implicitly counters any worldview that glorifies self-exaltation or disregards the inevitable consequences of arrogance.

Proverbs 16 18 Word analysis

• Pride (גָּאוֹן - ga'on):

  • Meaning: Lofty, exalted, majesty, splendor, arrogance, pride, haughtiness.
  • Significance: While ga'on can sometimes refer to the majesty or glory of God, when applied to humans in a negative context, it consistently denotes arrogance, a puffed-up sense of self-importance, or a rebellious self-sufficiency that does not acknowledge dependence on God. It suggests an overbearing haughtiness.

• Goes before (לִפְנֵי - lifne):

  • Meaning: Before, in front of, in the presence of.
  • Significance: Denotes temporal precedence but also causal inevitability. It's not just "happens first," but "leads directly to" or "is the necessary precursor to."

• Destruction (שֶׁבֶר - shever):

  • Meaning: Breaking, shattering, ruin, collapse, catastrophe, fracture.
  • Significance: Implies a complete breaking apart or total ruin, often with a sense of violence or suddenness. It can refer to physical, moral, social, or spiritual collapse.

• A haughty spirit (גֹּבַהּ רוּחַ - govah ruach):

  • Govah (גֹּבַהּ): Height, exaltation, pride.
  • Ruach (רוּחַ): Spirit, breath, wind.
  • Significance: Literally "height of spirit" or "exalted spirit." This phrase describes an inner disposition, an attitude of inflated self-regard. It's the internal manifestation of pride, implying a disdainful or condescending mindset.

• Before (לִפְנֵי - lifne): (As above) temporal and causal precedence.

• A fall (כִּשָּׁלוֹן - kishalon):

  • Meaning: Stumbling, collapse, failure, ruin, offense.
  • Significance: Suggests a losing of balance or secure footing, leading to a downfall. While shever (destruction) might denote total ruin, kishalon (fall/stumbling) can be its initiating event or a related consequence, emphasizing a loss of status, stability, or moral integrity.

Words-group Analysis:

• Pride goes before destruction: This establishes the direct causal link. Pride is the initiating sin, shever is the catastrophic consequence. It describes a comprehensive undoing or breaking, affecting all aspects of one's being or enterprise. It's an internal posture leading to an external calamity.
• A haughty spirit before a fall: This line mirrors the first but adds intensity and a specific nuance. "Haughty spirit" details the inner essence of pride – an inflated sense of self. "Fall" or "stumbling" refers to the loss of stability, reputation, or position. This parallel structure reinforces the message: both the internal attitude of pride and its external manifestations lead inevitably to a significant downturn or collapse. It suggests that a proud spirit leads to errors in judgment and overconfidence, which in turn cause one to stumble and ultimately fall from their secure standing.

Proverbs 16 18 Bonus section

• The dual phrasing of the proverb, using synthetic parallelism, emphasizes the inevitability and multifaceted nature of the consequence of pride. Both an active state ("pride goes before...") and an intrinsic character ("a haughty spirit...") are presented as preceding forms of ruin, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of this spiritual law.
• Pride often leads to isolation, as it drives away potential allies, mentors, and friends who might offer crucial advice or support. The proud individual often perceives help as an affront to their self-sufficiency.
• This verse stands as a core biblical principle, often referred to as the "Law of Humility and Pride," meaning that God's universe is structured in such a way that humility brings blessing and stability, while pride brings destruction. It reflects a universal order of consequences established by the Creator.
• Biblically, pride is often the first sin (e.g., Lucifer's fall, Gen 3 - desiring to be like God) and the root of many others because it essentially denies dependence on God.
• The "fall" (kishalon) implies a loss of control, an unexpected or unforeseen consequence arising from overconfidence, making the proud individual appear foolish and incompetent in the eyes of others, and most importantly, in the eyes of God.

Proverbs 16 18 Commentary

Proverbs 16:18 presents a profound spiritual law of cause and effect: self-exaltation inevitably precedes ruin. This principle is not merely a social observation but a divine ordinance, deeply rooted in the moral fabric of God's creation. Pride (גָּאוֹן - ga'on), whether seen as arrogant boasting or an independent spirit that spurns divine guidance, sets an individual on a trajectory toward ruin (שֶׁבֶר - shever). This "destruction" encompasses the crumbling of relationships, reputation, spiritual integrity, and ultimately one's very existence.

The parallel statement, "a haughty spirit before a fall" (גֹּבַהּ רוּחַ לִפְנֵי כִּשָּׁלוֹן), reiterates and amplifies the warning. A "haughty spirit" (גֹּבַהּ רוּחַ) points to an inward condition of arrogance, a mindset elevated above others or above God's counsel. This internal haughtiness naturally manifests in actions, choices, and attitudes that blind one to reality, making one susceptible to poor judgment, unteachability, and underestimating risks. Such a spirit ensures a "fall" (כִּשָּׁלוֹן), a significant stumbling, or collapse from a position of honor, stability, or favor. This can manifest in various forms: a public figure losing their position due to moral failure stemming from arrogance, a business collapsing because of a leader's overconfident and dismissive approach to market realities, or a spiritual leader's ministry crumbling because of a refusal to listen to wise counsel. The underlying truth is that pride obscures humility, which is essential for learning, adapting, and growing. It also opposes God, who "gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud" (Jas 4:6), thus cutting off the very source of sustaining power and wisdom. The only way to escape this path is through genuine humility, recognizing one's dependence on God and openness to truth and counsel.