Proverbs 16:18–19
Pride goes before destruction
Study it word by word18Before a breaking comes pride, and before a fall, haughtiness of spirit.
19Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud.
In its context
16To acquire wisdom, how much better than gold! And to acquire understanding, more to be chosen than silver!
17The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; whoever watches his way guards his soul.
…
20Whoever pays attention to the word will find good, and whoever trusts in YHWH, happy is he.
21The wise of heart will be called discerning, and sweetness of lips increases teaching.
Its words in the original
- פְנֵיfene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- שֶׁבֶרshever· fracture, ruin
Breaking, fracture; also ruin, disaster.
- גָּאוֹןgaon· majesty, pride
Majesty, greatness; in people, pride.
- כִשָּׁלוֹןchishalon· stumbling, downfall
A fall, a stumbling that leads to ruin.
- גֹּבַהּgovah· height, pride
Height, the top of something; figuratively, greatness or haughtiness.
- רוּחַruach· spirit, wind, breath
The basic idea is "air in motion". The same word can be "wind"; "breath", the air that is breathed and keeps life; or "spirit": the mood or inner strength of a person, or the Spirit of God, his presence and power at work.
- טוֹבtov· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- שְׁפַלshefal· low, humble
Low, sunken; of a person, humble or lowly.
- עֲנָוִיםanavim· humble, afflicted
Humble, afflicted: one who is low, by his condition or by his attitude; meek.
- חַלֵּקchalek· divide
Divide, share out, apportion; also be smooth (flatter).
- שָׁלָלshalal· spoil, plunder
Spoil: what is taken from a defeated enemy.
- גֵּאִיםgeim· proud
Proud, haughty.