What is Pride in the Bible? 25 Scriptures and Biblical Examples

There are many Bible verses about pride, ego and boasting as sins, which draw us away from God. Although God is constantly wanting to help us overcome this character, we must be willing to take the first step.

Proverbs 21:4 – Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

Practising humility is the best way to refrain from proud actions and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Pride can be the result of many things – possessions, success, achievements or vanity. Giving credit for your accomplishment without recognising the hand of God behind your success, is pride.

When we realise how powerful God is and understand His sovereign authority over Heaven and Earth, we can overcome our prideful nature.

It’s good to be happy for achievements and success in life, but not in a way that will make us boastful, superior, and don’t feel the need of God in our lives.

Pride is self-reliance and independence.

It is putting ourselves first before God. Proverbs 3:6, teaches us to put God first and seek His will above all.

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:6 (ESV)

It is important to often remind ourselves that we are nothing compared to God and it is His will that we are to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). This teaches us that we are all equal to everyone and we are to treat everyone alike, and is the second important commandment in the Bible. Jesus explained in Mark Chapter 12, that the most important commandment is to love God.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

The minute we shift our focus from ourselves and set our eyes on Jesus, pride will flee as we acknowledge His hand is everything we do.

What is Pride in the Bible?

God hates the proud and favours the humble.

There are a number of bible verses that warn us about about pride, ego, self-boasting – all of which goes unappreciated in the bible.

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. Isaiah 13:11

Instead of practising to be humble and thankful of what God has given us, we sometimes get over-confident about our achievements, forgetting the real reason behind our success.

Its not luck that we got that successful career or its not a coincidence that we managed to buy a big house or a car. All of these achievements have God’s fingerprints on it. The minute we realise this, humility will take over pride.

If we remind ourselves everyday, that the reason for our success is because of God’s plan on our lives, I am confident to say that pride will be replaced by humility and thanksgiving, to our Heavenly Father.

Meditating on these scriptures on pride is one of the best ways to be inline with Gods word.

I hope these verses in the bible about pride will help us humble ourselves to the Lord and rid of any form of pride and boasting in our lives.

Biblical Examples of Pride

Here are some stories and Biblical examples of pride in the Bible, that will give you the sense of the mistakes that were made, and the resulting downfall.

Story of Pharoah:

In the book of Exodus, we see Pharoah was full of pride when He did not let go of Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt. Even though the Egyptians were inflicted with disasters because of Pharaoh’s refusal, he continued to disobey God’s instructions. It ultimately led to the promise of God being fulfilled and the people of Israel were led out of Egypt.

Lesson: God is patient and it is His grace that allows us to make a choice as He waits in patience. Unfortunately, we sometimes take it the wrong way that God is okay with our wrong choices. When in fact He is waiting for us to make the right decision. And it is also by His grace that He also allows us to repent for our sins and come back to Him.

King of Babylon:

The next story is of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This is one of the best Biblical examples of pride in the Bible. He was a proud and powerful leader, who build a golden image of himself and forced everyone to worship his image, and those who did not were to be cast into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:6). King Nebuchadnezzar also worshipped pagan gods and was full of pride over his accomplishments as a ruler.

In Daniel Chapter 4, we read the God warned him in a dream, which Daniel interpreted to be his downfall, if Nebuchadnezzar does not change his ways.

Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue. Daniel 4:27

But the king did not take heed and continued in his own ways. Twelve months later when he was walking on the roof of his palace he said,

he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” Daniel 4:30

That there was the biggest display of pride and a sense of self-accomplishment.

Just as the king spoke these words about himself, immediately, there was a voice from heaven.

“This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.” Daniel 4:31-32

Following the fulfillment of his dream, the king later repented of his sins and gave the true God all the glory, which resulted in him being restored as king again.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:37

Unfortunately, his son Belshazzar followed in his father’s footsteps and was filled with even more pride, that he praised and worshipped the gods of gold and silver (Daniel 5:4), instead of the one true God, which resulted in his death.

Bible Verses about Pride

Constant reading of these scriptures on pride will help you eliminate the need to feel proud of achievements, and instead feel humble and blessed for all the good things God has done.

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Proverbs 8:13

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech.

Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

James 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.

Psalm 40:4

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

James 4:10

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

1 John 2:16

For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, comes not from the Father but from the world.

Proverbs 16:5

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

1 Samuel 2:3

Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

Proverbs 13:10

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Proverbs 29:23

Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.

Galatians 6:3

If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

Galatians 6:4

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.

Psalm 31:3

Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.

Ezekiel 28:4-7

By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.

‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.

Isaiah 25:11

They will stretch out their hands in it, as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim. God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands.

Obadiah 1:3-4

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.

James 1:9

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.

Psalm 101:5

Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.

Job 8:7

Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.

Jeremiah 9:23

This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches”.

Luke 3:8

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

Proverbs 16:19

Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

Isaiah 2:11

The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Matthew 6:6

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.