Pride and Arrogance

I recently heard Glenn Beck ask a group of soldiers what is the difference between pride and arrogance. I went to my Bible, Noah Webster 1828, Merriam-Webster online dictionary and Strong's Concordance to see if Glenn's comparison held up in a study of the above books.

First, I want to illuminate a fact about Bible study.

We use the KJV 1611 for many reasons. It is not my desire to go over those at this time. But I will state emphatically that I am a KJV man. I don't use, study, or refer to other versions. I have evaluated several of them, just for confirmation of their errors.

But we must realize that the KJV uses an English language that has changed a little. This is not the fault of the KJV. It is society's error. Many books written on the subject point out how much better 17th century English was.

I will give two examples of changed words:

1 Thessalonians 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Websters defines prevent as:

transitive verb

1 archaic

a : to be in readiness for (as an occasion)

b : to meet or satisfy in advance

c : to act ahead of

d : to go or arrive before

2  : to deprive of power or hope of acting or succeeding

3  : to keep from happening or existing prevent war>

4

: to hold or keep back : hinder, stop 

Most people don't even know the "archaic" definition. That was the definition in 1611.

Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary defines it as "To go before; to precede." That is the definition that matches the Greek word used in the original text.

Not knowing the proper definition changes the whole verse.

2 Thessalonians 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Noah Webster 1828 says Let- "5. To retard; to hinder; to impede; to interpose obstructions."

Notice it is definition #5, but correctly matches the Greek in the verse and is true to the context of the passage. This verse better illustrates the changing of words, because Webster adds that this usage is nearly obsolete, only 200 years after the translating of the KJV.

Today we know this word to mean allow, but in 1611, it also meant to disallow or restrain.

There are others:

1.     advertise means tell (kinda obvious, but a little different)

2.     allege means prove  

3.     conversation means behavior or life 

And there are many more.

These in NO WAY take away from the authority of the King James Bible. It is OUR fault that our language has been degraded. Our college grads have nowhere near the vocabulary of young teens from even 200 years ago in our own country, much less when compared to someone from 17th Century England.

So, what of pride?

Webster's 1828 defines pride as:  Inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office, which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve, and often in contempt of others.

It's first usage in the KJV is in Leviticus 26:19. It's meaning in the original text is "from 1342; the same as 1346:--arrogancy, excellency(-lent), majesty, pomp, pride, 

proud, swelling."

In subsequent usage, one word dominates the Strong's definitions of the original tongues: arrogance.

The modern webster dictionary defines pride as such:

1   : the quality or state of being proud: as

a : inordinate self-esteem : conceit

b : a reasonable or justifiable     self-respect

c : delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship  (parental pride) 

2   : proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : disdain

3   a : ostentatious display

     b : highest pitch : prime

4   : a source of pride : the best in a group or class

5   : a company of lions

6   : a showy or impressive group

Similar to "prevent," pride has more meanings today than in 1828/1611. However, neither meaning is considered archaic.

Notice the two meanings I underlined and made bold.

When God says "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) is he saying " a reasonable or justifiable self-respect" brings destruction? What is a "reasonable or justifiable self-respect?" This is what is meant when someone is declared to "take pride" in themselves, usually in their manner of grooming. An unshaven, filthy man who appears that way daily, regardless of whether he just worked, is said to take no pride in himself. So is God saying that having enough pride in one's self to shower daily will lead to destruction? I don't think so. That type of pride is reasonable and justifiable, and should be encouraged. 
It's similar to the carpenter telling his apprentice to take pride in his work. He's not saying "be lifted up and conceited" about your work. He's saying do a good job, have a little pride.

Let's look at the original text to see what God was referring to. The word translated as pride is:

ga'own gaw-ohn'

from 1342; the same as 1346:--arrogancy, excellency(-lent), majesty, pomp, pride,

proud, swelling.

This greek word appears twice in the KJV, not as "pride" but as "arrogancy."

While the modern word "pride" has both good and bad connotations, arrogance has only BAD connotations.

arrogance: an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions

Remember the lesson taught about the letter and spirit of the law in Matthew chapter five. Jesus kept giving the letter, but expanding it to the spirit of the law. So don't take the modern meaning as necessarily what God is saying. Which also means don't apply what God clearly means to all modern definitions.

The words God uses for pride are all of a bad connotation. But our English word "pride" has good connotations, as well as bad. 

If I say I am proud of my accomplishments, I am merely saying I am elated at the outcome. My testimony should already speak to others that I am grateful to God, but it also helps to add that. 

But which is more important: showing my thankfulness to God, or to man?

God knows my heart. He knows that I humbly acknowledge him as the source of all good in my life. Were he capable of forgetting it, I remind him daily.

I couldn't care less if someone is offended by me saying I have pride in my children. God knows that when I say that, I am not vaunting myself, or being arrogant. I am boasting, or glorying, in my child's accomplishments. 

If another Christian deems me to be arrogant for bragging on someone else, he is not only ignorant of the definition of pride, but is judging me with unrighteous judgment. that creates a problem between he and God, not me.

Every condemnation of pride in God's Word is interchangeable with the word arrogance. When God speaks against pride, he is speaking against arrogance, or hautiness. He is not speaking against every future meaning of the word pride. 

Why would God condemn a family of lions? That may sound silly, but so does applying God's condemnation of arrogancy to every modern usage of the word pride.

Take the following statement: I am proud of our nation and grateful to God that i was born in the USA.

Is that a contradiction? Pride and humility in the same sentence?

No contradiction exists. God is against arrogance, not pride in others. The true opposite of humility is arrogance, nor pride. Only some definitions of pride contradict humility, not every meaning.

I love my Noah Webster 1828, but it must be compared to newer dictionaries so we do not condemn practices which are pure, but use newer definitions.


Here is the absolute simplest illustration of meanings of words changing: In 1611, if a man built a wagon with all the latest gadgets installed, and his friend exclaimed, "That's bad!" upon first sight of the wagon, the builder would know he did something wrong. But in 1975 if another man made his Gran Torino look like the Starsky and Hutch car, and his friend exclaimed, "That's bad!" upon first sight of the car, the builder would know he did something right. Simple? Yes. Silly? Not really.
If we ran these two men together, and the 1975 man told the 1611 man that the wagon looked "groovy," the 1611 man would think he needed to sand the wood some more.
That is no different than a 2010 man thinking that every time his contemporary uses the word pride, he must be meaning arrogance, as the Bible does.


When I say "prevent" you can be assured that I mean "to stop" not to "go before." The exception is if I am quoting or describing I Thessalonians 4.

Glenn, or one of the soldiers, illustrated the difference between pride and arrogance in the following way: "Arrogance is pride without humility." I concur.