Proverbs 25:6
New International Version
Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men;

New Living Translation
Don’t demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great.

English Standard Version
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great,

Berean Standard Bible
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;

King James Bible
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:

New King James Version
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of the great;

New American Standard Bible
Do not boast in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the same place as great people;

NASB 1995
Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men;

NASB 1977
Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men;

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king, And in the place of great men do not stand;

Amplified Bible
Do not be boastfully ambitious and claim honor in the presence of the king, And do not stand in the place of great men;

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t boast about yourself before the king, and don’t stand in the place of the great;

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t brag about yourself before the king, and don’t stand in the place of the great;

American Standard Version
Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men:

Contemporary English Version
Don't try to seem important in the court of a ruler.

English Revised Version
Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do not brag about yourself in front of a king or stand in the spot that belongs to notable people,

Good News Translation
When you stand before the king, don't try to impress him and pretend to be important.

International Standard Version
Don't magnify yourself in the presence of a king, and don't pretend to be in the company of famous men,

Majority Standard Bible
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;

NET Bible
Do not honor yourself before the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;

New Heart English Bible
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;

Webster's Bible Translation
Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:

World English Bible
Don’t exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do not honor yourself before a king, "" And do not stand in the place of the great.

Young's Literal Translation
Honour not thyself before a king, And in the place of the great stand not.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou shalt not show thyself proud before the king, and thou shalt not stand in the place of the great.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Appear not glorious before the king, and stand not in the place of great men.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do not appear glorious before the king, and do not stand in the place of the great.

New American Bible
Claim no honor in the king’s presence, nor occupy the place of superiors;

New Revised Standard Version
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Do not glorify yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Do not boast before the king, and do not stand in the place of great men.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Glorify not thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Be not boastful in the presence of the king, and remain not in the places of princes;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
More Proverbs of Solomon
5Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 6Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men; 7for it is better that he says to you, “Come up here!” than that you should be demoted in the presence of the prince. Even what you have seen with your own eyes,…

Cross References
Luke 14:8-11
“When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited. / Then the host who invited both of you will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in humiliation, you will have to take the last place. / But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you. ...

Matthew 23:12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Luke 18:14
I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

Matthew 20:26-27
It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, / and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—

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 think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.

1 Samuel 15:17
And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel

Isaiah 2:11-12
The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. / For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—

Daniel 4:37
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Ezekiel 21:26
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.

Job 22:29
When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.


Treasury of Scripture

Put not forth yourself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men:

Proverbs 26:27
Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

Proverbs 27:2
Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

in the presence

Proverbs 16:19
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Exodus 3:11
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Exodus 1:8
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

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Proverbs 25
1. observations about kings
8. and about avoiding causes of quarrels














Do not exalt yourself
The Hebrew root for "exalt" is "רוּם" (rum), which means to lift up or raise high. In the context of ancient Israel, humility was a valued trait, especially in the presence of authority. The wisdom here is a caution against self-promotion and pride. In a conservative Christian perspective, this aligns with the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized humility and servanthood. The act of exalting oneself is contrary to the biblical principle of letting God be the one who lifts us up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

in the presence of the king
The "king" in ancient Israel was not only a political leader but also seen as God's anointed representative. The presence of the king was a place of reverence and respect. Historically, approaching a king required protocol and humility, as seen in the account of Esther, who approached King Xerxes with caution and respect. In a broader sense, this phrase reminds believers to approach God, the King of Kings, with humility and reverence, recognizing His ultimate authority.

and do not stand
The phrase "do not stand" suggests a posture of presumption or entitlement. In Hebrew, "עמד" (amad) means to stand or take one's stand. This implies positioning oneself in a place of honor without invitation. The wisdom here is to avoid assuming a position that has not been granted by rightful authority. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches a similar lesson in Luke 14:8-11, advising guests to take the lowest place at a banquet.

in the place of great men
The "place of great men" refers to positions of honor and influence. In ancient cultures, seating arrangements at banquets or gatherings were significant, reflecting one's status and honor. The warning here is against seeking honor prematurely or through self-promotion. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this aligns with the teaching that true greatness comes from serving others, as Jesus demonstrated by washing His disciples' feet (John 13:1-17). The verse encourages believers to trust in God's timing and placement, rather than seeking to elevate themselves.

Verses 6, 7. - Another proverb (a pentastich) connected with kings and great men. Verse 6. - Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king. Do not make display of yourself as though vying with the king in outward circumstances. Septuagint, "Boast not thyself (μὴ ἀλαζονεύον) in the presence of a king." Stand not in the place of great men. Do not pretend to be the equal of those who occupy high places in the kingdom (Proverbs 18:16). Septuagint, "And take not your stand (ὑφίστασο) in the places of chieftains." Says a Latin gnome, "Qui cum fortuna convenit, dives est;" and Ovid wrote well ('Trist.,' 3:4. 25, etc.) -

"Crede mihi; bene qui latuit, bene vixit; et intra
Fortunam debet quisque manere suam...
Tu quoque formida nimium sublimia semper;
Propositique memor contrahe vela tui."


Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

exalt yourself
תִּתְהַדַּ֥ר (tiṯ·had·dar)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 1921: To swell up, to favor, honour, be high, proud

in the presence
לִפְנֵי־ (lip̄·nê-)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

of the king,
מֶ֑לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

and do not
אַֽל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

stand
תַּעֲמֹֽד׃ (ta·‘ă·mōḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

in the place
וּבִמְק֥וֹם (ū·ḇim·qō·wm)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

of great [men];
גְּ֝דֹלִ֗ים (gə·ḏō·lîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 25:6 Don't exalt yourself in the presence (Prov. Pro Pr)
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