24 Bible Verses About Humility

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.”

Reflection: The prophet answers a string of questions about what would please God: burnt offerings, calves a year old, thousands of rams, even a firstborn child (Micah 6:6-7). The answer sets aside the offerings and names three things: justice, mercy, and walking humbly with God.

Proverbs 22:4

“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”

Reflection: The proverb places humility beside the fear of the Lord and names what follows from it: riches, honor and life.

Proverbs 11:2

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Reflection: Pride and humility are set against each other, and each brings something with it: disgrace follows pride, wisdom comes with humility. Proverbs 16:18 says the same of pride: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Psalm 25:9

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

Reflection: The verse before it says the Lord “instructs sinners in his ways,” and the psalmist has already asked, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4) and prayed about “the sins of my youth” (Psalm 25:7). This verse makes the same promise of guidance to the humble.

Proverbs 3:34

“He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.”

Reflection: James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 both quote this proverb, in the form “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Two New Testament letters build their calls to humility on it.

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.’”

Reflection: God describes himself as high, holy and eternal, and in the same sentence says he lives with the contrite and lowly in order to revive them. The next verse continues, “I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry.”

Isaiah 66:2

“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”

Reflection: The verse before asks, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?” God, who made everything, looks with favor on the humble and contrite person who trembles at his word. Isaiah 66:3 goes on to condemn sacrifices offered by people who “have chosen their own ways.”

Matthew 5:5

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Reflection: Jesus speaks this beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount, and it echoes Psalm 37:11: “the meek will inherit the land.” The Greek word praus means meek or gentle, and Matthew 11:29 uses it of Jesus himself.

Luke 18:14

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Reflection: Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector “to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else” (Luke 18:9). The Pharisee lists his fasting and tithing; the tax collector stands at a distance and prays, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus says the tax collector went home justified, and closes with a saying he also uses about seats at a wedding feast (Luke 14:11) and about the Pharisees’ love of honor (Matthew 23:12).

Matthew 18:4

“Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Reflection: The disciples had asked Jesus, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1). He called a little child, placed the child among them, and told them that unless they change and become like little children they will never enter the kingdom. This verse then answers their question: the greatest is whoever takes the child’s lowly position.

2 Chronicles 7:14

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Reflection: The Lord speaks to Solomon at night after the dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 7:12). The verse before names drought, locusts and plague, and the promise answers them: if the people humble themselves, pray, seek God and turn from their wicked ways, God will hear, forgive and heal their land. Humbling themselves is the first of the four things asked of them.

James 4:10

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Reflection: James has just quoted Proverbs 3:34 and called his readers to submit to God, wash their hands, purify their hearts and “grieve, mourn and wail” (James 4:7-9). The call to humble oneself closes that list, with the promise that the Lord will lift up the one who does.

1 Peter 5:6

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

Reflection: Peter first tells the younger to submit to their elders and tells everyone to “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5), quoting Proverbs 3:34. Humility toward others and humility under God’s hand come together in these two verses. The lifting up is promised “in due time,” without a date.

Matthew 11:29

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Reflection: Jesus invites people to take his yoke and learn from him, and the reason he gives is his own character: gentle and humble in heart. The promise attached to it is rest for the soul.

Mark 10:45

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Reflection: James and John had asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left in his glory, and the other ten disciples were indignant with them (Mark 10:35-41). Jesus answers that Gentile rulers lord it over people, and “whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” He then gives himself as the example: he came to serve and to give his life as a ransom.

John 13:14

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

Reflection: John introduces the foot washing by saying Jesus “knew that the Father had put all things under his power” (John 13:3), and then Jesus took a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. Having done it, he calls it an example: “you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).

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!”

Reflection: The passage opens with “In your relationships with one another” and follows directly on the call to humility in Philippians 2:3-4. Christ, “being in very nature God,” did not use that equality to his own advantage; he took the nature of a servant and humbled himself as far as death on a cross. Verse 9 begins “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place,” the same order of humbling and lifting up that Jesus states in Luke 18:14.

Numbers 12:3

“Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”

Reflection: Miriam and Aaron have just complained, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” (Numbers 12:2). The narrator stops to say how humble Moses was, and before Moses says anything the Lord summons all three to the tent of meeting and answers the complaint for him, calling Moses “my servant” who is “faithful in all my house.”

John 3:30

“He must become greater; I must become less.”

Reflection: John the Baptist’s disciples came to him worried that everyone was going to Jesus instead (John 3:26). John answers that he is the friend who attends the bridegroom and is glad to hear his voice: “That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” The line about becoming less follows directly on that joy.

Philippians 2:3

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

Reflection: Paul has just asked the church to be “like-minded, having the same love” (Philippians 2:2). Here he asks them to set aside selfish ambition and vain conceit and to value others above themselves, and the next verse says what that looks like: “not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” The passage that follows gives Christ as the pattern (Philippians 2:5-8).

Ephesians 4:2

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Reflection: Paul writes “as a prisoner for the Lord” (Ephesians 4:1), and humility heads a list whose purpose the next verse states: “to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Colossians 3:12 gives nearly the same list, and the Greek noun for humility is the same in both letters.

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.”

Reflection: Paul tells each believer to think of themselves with sober judgment, measured by the faith God has given. The next verses explain the reason: believers are members of one body with different functions, and “each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).

Romans 12:16

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”

Reflection: The verse comes in a run of short commands that begins “Love must be sincere” (Romans 12:9) and includes “Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Paul sets “Do not be proud” beside a practical instruction, to be willing to associate with people of low position, and ends the verse with “Do not be conceited.”

James 3:13

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Reflection: James asks the wise to prove it by deeds done in humility. The verses after it set envy and selfish ambition against this, calling that kind of wisdom “earthly, unspiritual, demonic,” and describe the wisdom from heaven as “peace-loving, considerate, submissive” (James 3:15-17).