The Excellent Way #9

The ninth in our attempts to study Paul's description of love brings us to another statement he made about what love is not. When this negative exists love does not exist. Paul wrote: "...it is not proud..."(I Cor. 13:4)
The Greek word here is phusioutai. The Interlinear translates this "...is not puffed up..." W.E. Vine defines this as "...being puffed up with pride..." Arndt and Gingrich define the word as "puff up, make proud or arrogant..." Zodhiates
tells us, speaking of this word, "...in the NT spoken of only figuratively of pride or self-conceit..."
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A derivative noun form of the word is phusiosis. It means, according to Zodhiates, "a swelling of pride or ambition, arrogance, haughtiness."
Synonyms of these words mean, according to Zodhiates,: "pride, haughtiness, bragging, boasting, empty glory, vain glory, to inflate with pride, to be high-minded, to exalt, to exalt above, to elevate above others, to be vain".
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Tuphoo is one such synonym. Paul uses it with reference to qualifications of overseers when he says that he "...must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited..."(tuphotheis)(I Tim. 3:6) And Paul lists conceit as one of the conditions existing during the "...terrible times in the last days..."(II Tim. 3:4)
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Hupselophroneo is another synonym. It means to be high-minded, proud, arrogant. Paul uses it with reference to some in I Tim. 6:17: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant(hupselophronein) nor to put their hope in wealth..."
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Another listed synonym by Zodhiates is epairo. "Metaphorically, to lift up or exalt oneself." Paul spoke to the gullibility of the Corinthians in II Cor. 11:20. He told them "...you..." "...put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward..."(epairetai)
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Other words akin to the one Paul uses in I Cor. 13:4 are huperairo, huperupsoo, and huperphroneo. These words project the ideas of "to exalt above" "to elevate above others" "to be vain or arrogant."
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Such passages as II Thess. 2:4 where the context is that of the second coming of Christ and Paul is discussing events that will precede it. He speaks of the man of lawlessness doomed to destruction and he describes him as the one who "...exalts(huperairomenos) himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped..." He "...even sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." My, my, the lengths to which some would go to declare their preeminence.
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William Barclay called this collection of words "The Words of Contempt." He made some very interesting comments about them. "...usually translated pride, arrogant." "...included by Paul in his terrible list of the sinners of this world..."(Ro. 1:30) "...included among the sinners of the last days..."(II Tim. 3:2) "God...resists the proud..."(Ja. 4:6)
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Barclay indicated that this one "shows himself above others..." "...looks down..." "...on everyone else..." "...secure in his own arrogant self-conceit..."
As one delves further into Barclay's description of such a person one discovers he projects two distinct ideas of such a person. The attitude "...and wealth were apt to go hand in hand..." And the attitude "...despises men and lifts itself arrogantly against God." "Huperephanos has erected an altar to himself within his own heart, and worships there."
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One other word closely related to this idea of self-conceit and pride is alazoneia. It too is a sin of the last days.(II Tim. 3:1-2) And it is also in the list of despicable sins of Ro. 1:30. John uses the word in I Jn. 2:16 when he presents the three main areas of sins. One of them, according to John, is "...the pride of life..."(alazoneia)The Interlinear has it "...pride about...life's possessions..."
Barclay goes to great length to reveal the seriousness of this sin. He quotes the usage of this word by such men as Plutarch, Aristotle, Plato, etc. and the conclusion from their writings is that this word defines quacks who plied their cure-alls on unsuspecting people. He said that in the NT this refers to false teachers who taught others and claimed to teach truth, and did not know truth themselves and found arguments to justify about anything.
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Zodhiates gives an interesting distinction between alazoneia and huperephania, even though they both are related to pride and arrogance. Zodhiates says that alazonea is a "...sin against truth itself, to think more of oneself in spite of the fact that one knows what the truth is about himself..." He goes on to say that huperephania is a sin against love which would be aware of the needs of others and be involved in the fulfilling of those needs.
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Love "...is not proud..." And when one runs the gamut of words referring to pride and comprehends the deep, dark, selfish lifestyle some live with respect to others, it is no wonder that Paul outlines this attribute as a detriment to Christian unity. None can be had among the proud and conceited for ultimately they are not interested in others at all.