Proverbs 3:34-35

3:34 Although ¹  he is scornful to arrogant scoffers, ² 

yet ³  he shows favor to the humble. ⁴ 

3:35 The wise inherit honor,

but he holds fools up ⁵  to public contempt. ⁶ 

Proverbs 16:18-19

16:18 Pride ⁷  goes ⁸  before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall. ⁹ 

16:19 It is better to be lowly in spirit ¹⁰  with the afflicted

than to share the spoils ¹¹  with the proud.

Daniel 4:30-32

4:30 The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence ¹²  by my own mighty strength ¹³  and for my majestic honor?” 4:31 While these words were still on the king’s lips, ¹⁴  a voice came down from heaven: “It is hereby announced to you, ¹⁵  King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you! 4:32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you before ¹⁶  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

Luke 14:8-11

14:8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, ¹⁷  do not take ¹⁸  the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. ¹⁹  14:9 So ²⁰  the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, ²¹  you will begin to move to the least important ²²  place. 14:10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host ²³  approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ ²⁴  Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but ²⁵  the one who humbles ²⁶  himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:14

18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified ²⁷  rather than the Pharisee. ²⁸  For everyone who exalts ²⁹  himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹ tn The particle אִם (’im, “though”) introduces a concessive clause: “though….”

² tn Heb “he mocks those who mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.

³ tn The prefixed vav (ו) introduces the apodosis to the concessive clause: “Though … yet …”

⁴ tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “he scorns / arrogant scoffers // but to the humble / he gives grace.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.

⁵ tc MT reads מֵרִים (merim, “he lifts up”): singular Hiphil participle of רוּם (rum, “to rise; to exalt”), functioning verbally with the Lord as the implied subject: “but he lifts up fools to shame.” The LXX and Vulgate reflect the plural מְרִימִים (mÿrimim, “they exalt”) with “fools” (כְּסִילִים, kesilim) as the explicit subject: “but fools exalt shame.” The textual variant was caused by haplography or dittography of ים (depending on whether MT or the alternate tradition is original).

⁶ tn The noun קָלוֹן (qalon, “ignominy; dishonor; contempt”) is from קָלָה (qalah) which is an alternate form of קָלַל (qalal) which means (1) “to treat something lightly,” (2) “to treat with contempt [or, with little esteem]” or (3) “to curse.” The noun refers to personal disgrace or shame. While the wise will inherit honor, fools will be made a public display of dishonor. God lets fools entangle themselves in their folly in a way for all to see.

⁷ sn The two lines of this proverb are synonymous parallelism, and so there are parasynonyms. “Pride” is paired with “haughty spirit” (“spirit” being a genitive of specification); and “destruction” is matched with “a tottering, falling.”

⁸ tn Heb “[is] before destruction.”

⁹ sn Many proverbs have been written in a similar way to warn against the inevitable disintegration and downfall of pride. W. McKane records an Arabic proverb: “The nose is in the heavens, the seat is in the mire” (Proverbs [OTL], 490).

¹⁰ tn Heb “low of spirit”; KJV “of an humble spirit.” This expression describes the person who is humble and submissive before the Lord and therefore inoffensive. It is always necessary to have a humble spirit, whether there is wealth or not.

¹¹ tn Heb “than to divide plunder.” The word “plunder” implies that the wealth taken by the proud was taken violently and wrongfully – spoils are usually taken in warfare. R. N. Whybray translates it with “loot” (Proverbs [CBC], 95). The proud are in rebellion against God, overbearing and oppressive. One should never share the “loot” with them.

¹² tn Aram “house.”

¹³ tn Aram “by the might of my strength.”

¹⁴ tn Aram “in the mouth of the king.”

¹⁵ tn Aram “to you they say.”

¹⁶ tn Aram “until.”

¹⁷ tn Or “banquet.” This may not refer only to a wedding feast, because this term can have broader sense (note the usage in Esth 2:18; 9:22 LXX). However, this difference does not affect the point of the parable.

¹⁸ tn Grk “do not recline in the place of honor.” 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

¹⁹ tn Grk “by him”; the referent (the host) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ tn Grk “host, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate this action is a result of the situation described in the previous verse. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

²¹ tn Or “then in disgrace”; Grk “with shame.” In this culture avoiding shame was important.

²² tn Grk “lowest place” (also in the repetition of the phrase in the next verse).

²³ tn Grk “the one who invited you.”

²⁴ tn Grk “Go up higher.” This means to move to a more important place.

²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context, which involves the reversal of expected roles.

²⁶ sn The point of the statement the one who humbles himself will be exalted is humility and the reversal imagery used to underline it is common: Luke 1:52-53; 6:21; 10:15; 18:14.

²⁷ sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.

²⁸ tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁹ sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.