Arrogance is a trait that often leads to negative consequences, both in our relationships and our personal lives. The Bible has a lot to say about this attitude, warning against pride and promoting humility instead.
Through these verses, we can learn valuable lessons that guide us to be better people, treating others with respect and kindness. Let’s dive in and see what wisdom the Bible offers on this important topic.
Also Read: Bible Verses About Controlling Your Tongue
Top Bible Verses About Arrogance
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
James 4:6
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’”
Proverbs 8:13
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
Proverbs 11:2
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
1 Peter 5:5
“In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’”
Proverbs 21:4
“Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.”
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.”
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 14:11
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Arrogance and God’s Displeasure
Proverbs 6:16-17
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood.”
Isaiah 13:11
“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.”
Malachi 4:1
“‘Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.’”
Psalm 31:23
“Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.”
Isaiah 5:15-16
“So people will be brought low and everyone humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled. But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.”
Humility as the Antidote to Arrogance
Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”
Micah 6:8
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Matthew 23:12
“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Proverbs 18:12
“Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.”
1 Corinthians 1:28-29
“God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
Consequences of Arrogance
Proverbs 29:23
“Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.”
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.”
Ezekiel 28:17
“Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”
Proverbs 16:5
“The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”
Isaiah 10:12
“When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, ‘I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.’”
Warnings Against Arrogance
1 Timothy 6:17
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
Romans 11:18
“Do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
Deuteronomy 8:14
“Then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Proverbs 25:6-7
“Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.”
Isaiah 14:12-15
“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.”
Also Read: Bible Verses About Toxic People
Examples of Arrogance in the Bible
Daniel 4:30-32
“[The king] 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?’ Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came 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.’”
Esther 3:5
“When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.”
2 Chronicles 26:16
“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.”
2 Samuel 15:4
“And Absalom would add, ‘If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.’”
Acts 12:21-23
“On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, ‘This is the voice of a god, not of a man.’ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
God’s Opposition to the Proud
Psalm 138:6
“Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.”
2 Samuel 22:28
“You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.”
Luke 1:51
“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.”
Isaiah 57:15
“For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”
Job 40:11-12
“Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low, look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand.”
Arrogance Leads to Deception
Obadiah 1:3
“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?’”
Galatians 6:3
“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.”
Jeremiah 49:16
“The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s, from there I will bring you down,’ declares the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 3:18
“Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become ‘fools’ so that you may become wise.”
2 Thessalonians 2:4
“He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
Avoiding Arrogance
Colossians 3:12
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Philippians 2:5-8
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
Titus 3:2
“To slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”
Ephesians 4:2
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Matthew 18:4
“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Arrogance in Leadership
Daniel 5:20
“But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.”
Proverbs 27:2
“Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”
1 Kings 12:7
“They replied, ‘If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.’”
Matthew 20:26
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
2 Chronicles 32:25
“But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.”
Also Read: Bible Verses About Minding Your Own Business