Word study
Humble
8 Hebrew and 2 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: humble, humbled, humbles. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “humble” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- כָּנַע kânabe humbletranslated this way 20 times of its 35 uses · Strong’s H3665Verb · Translated: humbled 15, subdued 10, subdue 4, humble 4Full study and all 32 verses →
Leviticus 26:41 and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies— and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity,
1 Kings 21:29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”
- עָנָה ânâhbe occupied, busied withtranslated this way 15 times of its 80 uses · Strong’s H6031Verb · Translated: afflicted 15, humble 12, oppress 5, afflict 4Full study and all 78 verses →
Exodus 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Leviticus 16:29 This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work — whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you —
- שָׁפֵל shâphêlbe or become low, be abasedtranslated this way 8 times of its 30 uses · Strong’s H8213Verb · Translated: humbled 5, humbles 2, bring 2, bring him low 2Full study and all 28 verses →
1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
Psalm 18:27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
- עָנָו ânâvpoor, afflicted, humble, meektranslated this way 7 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s H6035Adjective · Translated: humble 7, poor 5, oppressed 2, lowly 2Full study and all 19 verses →
Numbers 12:3 Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.
Psalm 10:17 You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,
- עָנִי ânîpoor, afflicted, humble, meektranslated this way 4 times of its 76 uses · Strong’s H6041Adjective · Translated: poor 33, afflicted 22, oppressed 7, humble 4Full study and all 74 verses →
Proverbs 3:34 He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble.
Isaiah 66:2 Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.
- שָׁפָל shâphâllowtranslated this way 3 times of its 17 uses · Strong’s H8217Adjective · Translated: lowly 5, beneath 4, humble 3Full study and all 16 verses →
2 Samuel 6:22 and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.”
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
- שְׁפַל shephalbe lowtranslated this way 3 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s H8214Verb · Translated: humbled 2, humble 1, subdue 1Full study and all 4 verses →
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.
Daniel 5:19 Because of the greatness that He bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.
- שָׁחַח shâchachbow, be bowed down, crouchtranslated this way 2 times of its 21 uses · Strong’s H7817Verb · Translated: brought low 5, downcast 3, humbled 2, bow 2Full study and all 21 verses →
Psalm 107:39 When they are decreased and humbled by oppression, evil, and sorrow,
Isaiah 26:5 For He has humbled those who dwell on high; He lays the lofty city low. He brings it down to the ground; He casts it into the dust.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ταπεινόω tapeinóōI humble, humiliatetranslated this way 12 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s G5013Verb · Translated: humbles 4, humbled 4, humble 4, made low 1Full study and all 11 verses →
Matthew 18:4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- ταπεινός tapeinóshumble, lowlytranslated this way 4 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G5011Adjective · Translated: humble 3, to 2, lowly 1, downcast 1Full study and all 8 verses →
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.
Luke 1:52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.