What Does the Bible Say About Pride?

"The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the motives. Commit your deeds to the LORD, and your plans shall succeed. The LORD has made everything for its own end— yes, even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; they shall certainly not be unpunished. By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice. A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps. Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth. Honest balances and scales are the LORD’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth. The king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it. In the light of the king’s face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain. How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver."

This passage is the starting point because it gives the reading its main biblical weight: The fall narratives, wisdom warnings, prophets, and Jesus' teaching expose pride as the root of rivalry, contempt, and refusal to repent.

"Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. Don’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?"

This passage broadens the topic by showing how pride belongs inside God's larger story rather than a single isolated concern.

"He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray and not give up, saying, “There was a judge in a certain city who didn’t fear God and didn’t respect man. A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’ He wouldn’t for a while; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will defend her, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming.’” The Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them? I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” He also spoke this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others: “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men: extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’"

The Gospel witness matters here because Jesus does not leave pride as an idea; He embodies and commands the kingdom shape of it.

"Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked toward me. How great are his signs! How mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion is from generation to generation. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in; and I told them the dream, but they didn’t make known to me its interpretation. But at last, Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. I told the dream before him, saying, “Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and no secret troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. These were the visions of my head on my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the middle of the earth; and its height was great."

This passage broadens the topic by showing how pride belongs inside God's larger story rather than a single isolated concern.

"Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed: shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly; not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away. Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen."

This passage broadens the topic by showing how pride belongs inside God's larger story rather than a single isolated concern.