For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's striking here is the contrast in how God "knows" the lowly versus the proud. While He "regards" the humble, implying a personal, attentive interest and favor, His "knowing" of the proud is from a distance, suggesting observation without intimacy or approval. God sees everyone, but only the humble receive His gracious attention.
For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is declaring God's faithfulness and goodness, expressing deep gratitude for God's intervention in his life and for His promises. He's reflecting on how God has honored His word, even amidst troubles and enemies, and is confidently asserting God's sovereign power over all kings and nations. This verse then serves as a profound insight into God's character, explaining how this high and mighty God chooses to interact with humanity.
Does God's immense power and heavenly dwelling distance Him from our everyday struggles? This verse says absolutely not!
The psalmist declares a profound truth: even though the Lord is 'high'—exalted, majestic, dwelling in the heavens—He actively 'regards the lowly.' This isn't a passive awareness; it's an intentional, gracious attention. God, in His infinite sovereignty, chooses to notice and care for those who are humble, those who recognize their dependence on Him. This speaks to His incredible humility and love, that the Creator of the universe takes delight in and pays attention to the meek and unassuming.
What's the eternal consequence of human pride in the eyes of the Most High?
The verse paints a stark picture of God's relationship with the proud. While He 'regards the lowly,' the 'haughty he knows from afar.' This 'knowing from afar' signifies not intimacy or favor, but a distant, detached, and ultimately judgmental awareness. God sees their arrogance, their self-sufficiency, and their disdain for others. Their pride creates a chasm between them and God, an impassable distance that He does not bridge because they refuse His grace and humbling invitation.
Understand the original words
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YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The proper name of the God of Israel, the covenant-keeping God who revealed Himself to Moses. It signifies His eternal, self-existent, and faithful nature.
shaphal · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to those who are humble, afflicted, or in a low state, often contrasting with the proud. In Scripture, God shows special grace to those who acknowledge their need for Him.
gaboah · Hebrew Adjective
Those who are arrogant, proud, or puffed up in their own estimation. They stand in opposition to God and are spiritually distant from His favor.
yada · Hebrew Verb
In this context, to know intimately or to regard with favor and active involvement. When applied to God, it implies a relational commitment, whereas knowing from afar implies a lack of intimate fellowship or judicial distance.
This passage echoes Psalm 138:6 by stating that the LORD lowers those who are arrogant and raises those who are humble, directly illustrating God's favor for the lowly and His distance from the proud.
Isaiah 57:15This verse highlights God's concern for the humble and contrite, mirroring the 'respect unto the lowly' in Psalm 138:6, and contrasting it with His judgment on the proud.
Luke 1:48-52Mary's Magnificat directly reflects the sentiment of Psalm 138:6, declaring that God has looked on the lowliness of His servant, scattered the proud, and brought down the mighty from their thrones.
James 4:6This New Testament passage explicitly states that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, serving as a powerful parallel to the core message of Psalm 138:6 about God's disposition toward different attitudes.
Matthew 23:12Jesus' teaching here about exalting the humble and humbling the exalted directly illustrates the principle found in Psalm 138:6, showing God's consistent valuing of humility.
clarkePsalms 138:6: "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."
Though the Lord be high - Infinitely great as God is, he regards even the lowest and most inconsiderable part of his creation; but the humble and afflicted man attracts his notice particularly. But the proud he knoweth afar off - He beholds them at a distance, and has them in utter derision.
gillPsalms 138:6: "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."
Though the Lord be high,.... Above all the earth, and all the nations of it, and the highest of men in it; above the heavens, and the angels there, who are his creatures and at his command; above all the blessings and praises of his saints: the perfect knowledge of him is so high as not to be attained; and his thoughts and ways are higher than ours, as the heavens are higher than the…
What's striking here is the contrast in how God "knows" the lowly versus the proud. While He "regards" the humble, implying a personal, attentive interest and favor, His "knowing" of the proud is from a distance, suggesting observation without intimacy or approval. God sees everyone, but only the humble receive His gracious attention.
The psalmist is declaring God's faithfulness and goodness, expressing deep gratitude for God's intervention in his life and for His promises. He's reflecting on how God has honored His word, even amidst troubles and enemies, and is confidently asserting God's sovereign power over all kings and nations. This verse then serves as a profound insight into God's character, explaining how this high and mighty God chooses to interact with humanity.
The psalmist is declaring God's faithfulness and goodness, expressing deep gratitude for God's intervention in his life and for His promises. He's reflecting on how God has honored His word, even amidst troubles and enemies, and is confidently asserting God's sovereign power over all kings and nations. This verse then serves as a profound insight into God's character, explaining how this high and mighty God chooses to interact with humanity.
"For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar." — What's striking here is the contrast in how God "knows" the lowly versus the proud. While He "regards" the humble, implying a personal, attentive interest and favor, His "knowing" of the proud is fro…
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Last reviewed October 2026