Woe to the Hypocrites
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12 · Berean Standard Bible
Jesus shares a simple but profound truth: if you puff yourself up, God will bring you low. But if you humble yourself, God will lift you up. It's a promise you can count on.
This principle runs through the entire Bible. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. It's a warning and an invitation all at once.
Jesus speaks a universal truth that applies to every person, in every generation.
This is one of those verses you can build your life on. Stop trying to promote yourself and let God do the lifting. He always honors humility.
Jesus states a divine principle using passive constructions (divine passives): 'will be humbled' (tapeinōthēsetai) and 'will be exalted' (hypsōthēsetai). God Himself is the agent who humbles the proud and exalts the humble. This is an eschatological reversal.
This proverbial saying echoes Proverbs 29:23 and anticipates the Magnificat (Luke 1:52). It serves as the theological foundation for the woes that follow.
Jesus states a universal spiritual law that applies to all people, but especially to the religious leaders He has just described.
Jesus pronounces a law of the kingdom: God will bring down those who lift themselves up, and lift up those who humble themselves. The Pharisees stand warned.
10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
11The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
Read all of Matthew 23 — Seven devastating woes crash down on the religious establishment. Jesus doesn't whisper his critique — he thunders it.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad