That Pride Thing

You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from Your commandment. Psalm 119:21  NASB

Arrogant – We have a contemporary proverb, based on an ancient one (Proverbs 16:18-19).  It goes something like this: pride comes before a fall.  If we wanted to say it in Hebrew, we’d most likely use the word zēd.  Here it is plural encompassing all those who exhibit this form of pride.  The etymology reveals an importance nuance:

Because the root form does not appear in the ot, its spelling, whether with middle yod or waw, is not certain. The verb appears only in the Qal and Hiphil stems, with no clear distinction in meaning between them. In the sphere of the physical, it means “to boil”; in the sphere of personality, “to act in a proud manner.”^[1]

Boil.  Humm.  Do you suppose that personality boiling over is a description of arrogance?  It reminds me of the connection between anger and orgḗ, a Greek term for boiling over.  Arrogance is certainly the opposite of humility, and the biblical text clearly endorses humility (ʿănāwâ) in strong language (cf. Numbers 12:3), so much so that the Hebrew text writes the aleph smaller than usual in some verses associated with Moses (CLICK HERE ).  Some time ago we took a longer look at humility (CLICK HERE).  If arrogance is the opposite, then most of us have a pretty good idea why it is such an offense to God.  That’s why the poet considered them cursed (ʾārûrim).  We should pay attention to this word too.

A striking fact is that there is such a proliferation of words in Hebrew which have been generally all translated “to curse.” The list includes at least six: ʾārar, qālal, ʾālâ, qābab, nāqab, zāʿam. To group all of them together under the one general English equivalent, “to curse,” is much too superficial. . . On the basis of Akkadian arāru “to snare, bind” and the noun irritu “noose, sling” Brichto, following Speiser, advances the interpretation that Hebrew ʾārar means “to bind (with a spell), hem in with obstacles, render powerless to resist.” Thus the original curse in Gen 3:14, 17, “cursed are you above all cattle” and “cursed is the ground for your sake” means “you are banned/anathematized from all the other animals” and “condemned be the soil (i.e., fertility to men is banned) on your account.” Similarly, God’s word to Cain, “you are cursed from the earth” means Cain is banned from the soil, or more specifically, he is banned from enjoying its productivity.^[2]

Now we know why this verse doesn’t say, “You punish the arrogant.”  ʾārar (to curse) already includes punishment.  Not in the Christianized eternal sense, but in the sense that life becomes much harder.  The arrogant work against the grain of the universe.  Oh, clearly they can still make things happen, but they do so in opposition to God’s order, and consequently with considerably greater effort and a much higher risk of failure.  In fact, in the end, it’s all for naught, as Qohelet demonstrates.

It’s also important to note why this happens.  “Who wander” uses the verb šāgâ.  “The primary emphasis in the root šāgâis on sin done inadvertently.”^[3]  This isn’t deliberate arrogance.  It’s mistaken pride.  It’s the kind of pride that just sneaks up on you, and before you know it, you’ve fallen victim to the yetzer ha’ra and given yourself too much credit.  You forgot God’s grace.  You took Him for granted.  You let your personality have free reign.  You might not have intended to do this, but when you look back, you realize that you’ve added a few white lies here and there, you’ve exaggerated your accomplishments just a bit, you’ve allowed your public persona more accolades than were due.  You’ve wandered from the path.

And God makes things harder.  Why?  Because a fall is necessary to wake you up.

Topical Index: pride, arrogance, zēd, ʾārûrim, curse, šāgâ, wander, Psalm 119:21

^[1] Wood, L. J. (1999). 547 זִיד. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 239). Moody Press.

^[2] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 168 אָרַר. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 75). Moody Press.

^[3] Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 2325 שָׁגָה. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament(electronic ed., p. 904). Moody Press.