The word, abase, is found in its various forms nine times in the English Bible.
- Four times as abase (Job 40:11Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
See All...; Isaiah 31:4For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
See All...; Ezekiel 21:26Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
See All...; Daniel 4:37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
See All...) - Four times as abased (Matthew 23:12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
See All...; Luke 14:11For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
See All...; 18:14
See All...; Philippians 4:12
See All...) - Once as abasing (2Corinthians 11:7Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
See All...)
The word is used four times in the Old Testament and five times in the New Testament.
The word, abase, came from Latin though the French to the English. To abase literally means to bring to the base (the base being the lowest part of a column); to bring down low. Historically, it referred to lowering in a physical way or to casting something down. Biblically, it means to humble or to humiliate. This often includes a lowering in rank, office, or condition; but certainly in state of mind.
According to Crabb’s Synonyms (1837), abase “expresses the strongest degree of self-humiliation… It is at present used principally in the Scripture language, or in a metaphorical style, to imply the laying aside all the high pretensions which distinguish us from our fellow-creatures, the descending to a state comparatively low and mean; to humble, in French humilier, from the Latin humilis humble, and humus the ground, naturally marks a prostration to the ground, and figuratively a lowering the thoughts and feelings.”
God challenged Job to demonstrate his abilities by abasing the proud (Job 40:11Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
See All...). Nebuchadnezzar identified God as the one who is able to abase those who walk in pride (Daniel 4:37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
See All...). When the Lord returns to earth, He will not abase Himself for those who rise up against Him (Isaiah 31:4For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
See All...), but He will abase him that is high (Ezekiel 21:26Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.
See All...).
Jesus used abase in the sense of being humiliated; that is, brought down low by an outside source. Those who humble themselves will be exalted, but those who exalt themselves will be abased (Matthew 23:12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
See All...; Luke 14:11For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
See All... 18:14
See All...). Paul learned contentment because he knew how to be abased and how to abound (Philippians 4:12
See All...). He paralleled being abased with being hungry and suffering need.
Paul complained to the Corinthians that they had been offended because he had abased himself by freely preaching the gospel (2Corinthians 11:7Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
See All...). That is, he preached the gospel to them without charge when he would have had the right to expect financial support from them. However, instead of being grateful for his act of love and kindness, they turned from him to others who would misuse them and charge them for their troubles.
Though abase is a strong word, it must be distinguished from “voluntary humility” (Colossians 2:18Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
See All...) and “neglecting of the body” (Colossians 2:23Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
See All...). Voluntary humility refers to an outward humility that demonstrates the person’s strong will (voluntary being connected to volition, which refers to the will). This is especially connected to the “neglecting of the body” as in the ascetic practices of hermits and monks. This kind of act is rejected by the Apostle Paul.
Scriptural abasement refers to the inner lowering of the mind and heart. It is the personal recognition of unworthiness and the heart of humility in the believer. It is the spirit that says with John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30He must increase, but I must decrease.
See All...). Symbolically, it is the act of taking the “lowest room” with the confidence that God will exalt in due season (Luke 14:10But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
See All...).