Humility

Humility (Hebrew ʿānāwâ, meekness; Greek tapeinophrosynē, lowliness of mind) is a prominent Christian and biblical virtue, denoting a realistic and submissive estimation of oneself before God and others. It is not self-deprecation or false modesty but the accurate recognition of one's creaturely dependence on God and the consequent posture of openness to others. The Greek word tapeinophrosynē was largely a new Christian coinage: in classical Greek, lowliness of mind was a weakness; the gospel elevated it to a virtue modeled by Christ himself.

Proverbs establishes humility as the precondition for honor: Before honor is humility (15:33; 18:12), and pride goes before destruction (16:18). Jesus pronounced the poor in spirit blessed (Matthew 5:3) and himself meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), washing his disciples' feet as a practical demonstration. Paul commands believers to regard others as more significant than themselves (Philippians 2:3) and grounds this in Christ's kenotic self-emptying. James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 both cite Proverbs 3:34: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble—making humility the foundational orientation for receiving divine grace.