Proverbs 25:6
in Proverbs 25Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men:
KJV
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:
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This verse in Proverbs 25
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The pushing, boastful temper is, in the long run, suicidal. It is wiser as well as nobler to take the lower place at first in humility, than to take it afterward with shame. Compare Luk 14:8-10, which is one of the few instances in which our Lord’s teaching was fashioned, as to its outward form, upon that of this book.
This site's exposition
Do not exalt yourself in the presence
on Proverbs 25:6-7
"Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king" counsels modesty in rank. The reason anticipates the Gospels: it is better to be told "Come up here." Henry notes that older writers heard the same principle in Christ's parable of the wedding guest at Luke 14:8-10, humility rewarded.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Do not appear glorious before the king, etc. He had previously warned the leader, now the subordinate: for, as he said there, Let him show cheerful faces to his subjects, so now he advises that he should not appear arrogant in the presence of the …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king,....
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּתְהַדַּ֥ר | tithadar | you claim honor | H1921 → | |
| לִפְנֵי־ | lifnei- | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| מֶ֑לֶךְ | melekh | a king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וּבִמְק֥וֹם | uvimkom | and in [the] place of | H4725 → | 401 times |
| גְּ֝דֹלִ֗ים | gedolim | great [people] | H1419 → | 526 times |
| אַֽל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תַּעֲמֹֽד׃ | taamod | you stand | H5975 → | 521 times |
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּתְהַדַּ֥רyou claim honor
tithadarH1921 →
לִפְנֵי־<to> before
lifnei-H6440 →2123 times
מֶ֑לֶךְa king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
וּבִמְק֥וֹםand in [the] place of
uvimkomH4725 →401 times
גְּ֝דֹלִ֗יםgreat [people]
gedolimH1419 →526 times
אַֽל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תַּעֲמֹֽד׃you stand
taamodH5975 →521 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 27:2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 10:18
For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
- 2 Corinthians 12:11
I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 25:27
It is not good to eat too much honey or to search out one’s own glory.
- 2 Corinthians 10:18
Through
Psalms 131:1My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me.
it leads to
- Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be conceited.
- Psalms 139:6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
- Romans 12:16
Through
Exodus 3:11But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 18:18
And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?”
- Exodus 6:12
But in the LORD’s presence Moses replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?”
- 2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
- 1 Samuel 18:18
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.