Proverbs 16:18 Explained

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." — Proverbs 16:18 (KJV)

The most quoted proverb about pride, and the most often shortened — the usual version drops half of what it says.

Read it in context: The Book of Proverbs. Also gathered under verses about success, verses about humility.

Proverbs 16:18 in context

What does Proverbs 16:18 mean?

Hebrew poetry says a thing twice with a slight turn. 'Pride' names the attitude and 'destruction' the outcome; 'an haughty spirit' names the same attitude one degree finer — literally a lifted-up spirit — and 'a fall' the same outcome one degree smaller. The doubling is the argument: this is not occasional, it is how pride behaves. Note it is an observation, not a threat.

What is the context of Proverbs 16:18?

It sits in a stretch of Proverbs about kings, counsel and the limits of human planning. The surrounding verses keep returning to the same point: plans belong to people, outcomes do not. Verse 18 is the sharpest statement of it.

How do I pray Proverbs 16:18?

Pray this after something goes well, not after it goes badly — that is the hour it is written for. Ask plainly where you are currently the most sure of yourself, and treat the answer as the place to watch. Nobody has ever seen their own fall coming; that is what the verse is telling you.

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