“Pride goes before destruction”: This line is literally “Before destruction pride.” There is no verb in either line of the saying. “Goes” is supplied by Revised Standard Version. The English word “Pride” occurs in Revised Standard Version in 8.13 and also in 11.2, where a different Hebrew word is used. “Pride” in the context of this saying refers to an arrogant attitude of independence from God and contrasts sharply with humility. The term “destruction” does not indicate the nature of this consequence but suggests that it is the punishment somehow given to the proud person. New English Bible/Revised English Bible say “disaster,” while others say “ruin.” Contemporary English Version has “Too much pride will destroy you,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “After pride comes a downfall.”

“And a haughty spirit before a fall”: This line follows the same word order as the first, “and before falling a haughty spirit.” “Haughty” renders a word used in reference to trees and hills to describe them as high or tall. When associated with people, as in verse 5, “a haughty spirit” means a person who is “arrogant,” “disdainfully proud.” “A fall” renders a noun drawn from the verb meaning to stumble or stagger. In translation it may be necessary to say, for example, “If you are proud you will be ruined; if you look down on others, you will be brought low.”

In some languages this saying may be expressed, for example, “People who have their noses in the air will be destroyed and people who are high in their hearts will be pushed down.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .