Psalms 75:5

Lift not up your horn on high: speak [not with] a stiff neck.

Lift not up {H7311}{H8686)} your horn {H7161} on high {H4791}: speak {H1696}{H8762)} not with a stiff {H6277} neck {H6677}.

Don't flaunt your strength so proudly; don't speak arrogantly, with your nose in the air!

Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’”

Lift not up your horn on high; Speak not with a stiff neck.

Psalms 75:5 delivers a powerful warning against arrogance and defiance, using vivid ancient imagery. The verse commands, "Lift not up your horn on high: speak [not with] a stiff neck." It serves as a strong rebuke to those who exhibit excessive pride and stubbornness, reminding them of God's ultimate authority and judgment.

Context of Psalms 75

Psalm 75 is a psalm of Asaph, believed to be sung during a time when God's people faced threats or when there was a need to affirm divine justice and sovereignty. The psalm opens with thanksgiving to God, acknowledging His wondrous works (Psalm 75:1), and then transitions into a declaration of God's role as the ultimate judge. The immediate verses leading up to verse 5 emphasize that God is the one who brings down one and sets up another, highlighting His control over human destiny and power structures.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Warning Against Pride and Self-Exaltation: The primary message is a direct admonition against arrogance. "Lifting up your horn on high" is a metaphor for displaying excessive power, pride, or defiance. In ancient cultures, horns symbolized strength and dignity, and raising them high signified boastful self-assertion or even aggression.
  • Rebuke of Stubborn Defiance: "Speak not with a stiff neck" addresses the attitude of unyielding obstinacy and resistance to divine will. A "stiff neck" is a well-known biblical idiom for stubbornness and refusal to submit, often used to describe Israel's rebellion against God's commands (e.g., Exodus 32:9). This phrase specifically warns against expressing such defiance through one's words and demeanor.
  • God's Ultimate Judgment: Implicit in this warning is the understanding that such prideful and defiant behavior will incur God's judgment. The psalm consistently reiterates that God is the one who determines who is abased and who is exalted, asserting His divine sovereignty over all human endeavors and attitudes.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "horn" is qeren (קֶרֶן), which literally means horn but metaphorically represents strength, power, dignity, or pride. To "lift up the horn" (הַרְמִימוּ קַרְנְכֶם) means to act proudly or defiantly. The phrase "stiff neck" translates from the Hebrew 'oreph qasheh (עֹרֶף קָשֶׁה), literally "hard of neck," a potent idiom used throughout the Old Testament to denote obstinacy, rebellion, and an unwillingness to heed instruction or submit to authority. The emphasis on "speak" highlights that this defiance is manifested in one's words and communication.

Practical Application

Psalms 75:5 remains highly relevant today, serving as a timeless call to humility and submission to God. It challenges us to examine our own attitudes, particularly in moments of success, power, or disagreement. Instead of exalting ourselves or stubbornly resisting divine wisdom, the verse encourages a posture of humility and readiness to listen. It reminds believers that true strength and exaltation come from God, not from human pride or self-assertion. This principle is echoed throughout Scripture, as seen in passages like Proverbs 16:18, which states that "pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall," and James 4:6, which affirms that "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Acts 7:51

    ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.

  • 2 Chronicles 30:8

    Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers [were, but] yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

  • Exodus 32:9

    And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people:

  • Ezekiel 2:4

    For [they are] impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.

  • Deuteronomy 31:27

    For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?

  • Isaiah 48:4

    Because I knew that thou [art] obstinate, and thy neck [is] an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;

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