'Honor' in the Bible

Then to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given this brother of yours a thousand pieces of silver; it is to compensate you [for all that has happened] and to vindicate your honor before all who are with you; before all men you are cleared and compensated.”

Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying: “Jacob has taken away everything that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has acquired all this wealth and honor.”

“O my soul, do not come into their secret council;Let not my glory (honor) be united with their assembly [for I knew nothing of their plot];Because in their anger they killed men [an honored man, Shechem, and the Shechemites],And in their self-will they lamed oxen.

I will harden (make stubborn, defiant) Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will be glorified and honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians shall know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

As for Me, hear this: I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in [the sea] after them; and I will be glorified and honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and his war-chariots and his horsemen.

And the Egyptians shall know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I am the Lord, when I am glorified and honored through Pharaoh, through his war-chariots and his charioteers.”

“Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.

You are to make sacred garments [official clothing reserved for holy services] for Aaron your brother, for honor and for beauty (ornamentation).

“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics and sashes and [ornamental] caps, for glory and honor and beauty.

‘You shall rise before the gray-headed and honor the aged, and you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; I am the Lord.

For I will give you a very great honor and I will do whatever you tell me; so please come, curse these people [of Israel] for me.’”

Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send word to you to call you? Why did you not come to me [immediately]? Am I really unable to honor (pay) you?”

Therefore now flee to your place! I had intended to honor you greatly, but behold, the Lord has held you back from honor.”

You shall put some of your authority and honor on him, so that all the congregation of the Israelites will obey him.

‘Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that your days [on the earth] may be prolonged and so that it may go well with you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

and that He will set you high above all the nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor: and that you shall be a holy people [set apart and consecrated] to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”

Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that when your words come true, we may honor you?”

Why then do you kick at (despise) My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, by fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel?’

Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and that of [Aaron] your father would walk [in priestly service] before Me forever.’ But now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be insignificant and contemptible.

The servant said to him, “Look here, in this city there is a man of God, and the man is held in honor; everything that he says comes true. Now let us go there; perhaps he can advise us about our journey [and tell us where we should go].”

Saul said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”

Yet I will demean myself even more than this, and will be humbled (abased) in my own sight [and yours, as I please], but by the maids whom you mentioned, by them I shall be held in honor.”

I have also given you what you have not asked, both wealth and honor, so that there will not be anyone equal to you among the kings, for all your days.

Splendor and majesty are [found] in His presence;Strength and joy are [found] in His place (sanctuary).

Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand is power and might; and it is in Your hands to make great and to give strength to everyone.

He died in a good old age [his seventy-first year], full of days (satisfied), riches and honor. Solomon his son reigned in his place.

God replied to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart and you did not ask for riches, possessions or honor and personal glory, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself so that you may rule and administer justice to My people over whom I have made you king,

wisdom and knowledge have been granted you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor will those who will come after you.”

They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the City of David, and they laid him on a bier which he had filled with various kinds of spices blended by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great fire in his honor.

Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great wealth and honor.

Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and was allied by marriage with Ahab.

Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his disease and he died in excruciating pain. And his people did not make a funeral fire to honor him, like the fire for his fathers.

They opposed King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who have been consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God.”

Now Hezekiah had immense wealth and honor; and he made for himself treasuries for silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of delightful articles,

So Hezekiah slept with his fathers [in death] and they buried him in the upper section of the tombs of the descendants of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. And his son Manasseh became king in his place.

So when the king’s great decree is proclaimed throughout his [extensive] kingdom, all women will give honor to their husbands, from the great to the insignificant.”

The king said, “What honor or distinction has been given Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”

So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”

So Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor,

and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let him dress the man whom the king delights to honor [in the royal robe] and lead him on horseback through the open square of the city, and proclaim before him, ‘This is what shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.’”

So Haman took the royal robe and the horse and dressed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the open square of the city, proclaiming before him, “This is what shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.”

For [at this time] the Jews had light [a dawn of new hope] and gladness and joy and honor.

“His sons achieve honor, and he does not know it;They become insignificant, and he is not aware of it.

‘My glory and honor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed],And my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.’

“Terrors are turned upon me;They chase away my honor and reputation like the wind,And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.

“Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity [since you question the Almighty],And array yourself with honor and majesty.

O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] shame?How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? Selah.

Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;And let him trample my life to the groundAnd lay my honor in the dust. Selah.

Yet You have made him a little lower than God,And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Then the King will desire your beauty;Because He is your Lord, bow down and honor Him.

But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure;He is like the beasts that perish.

A man [who is held] in honor,Yet who lacks [spiritual] understanding and a teachable heart, is like the beasts that perish.

Call on Me in the day of trouble;I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”

For You have heard my vows, O God;You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name [with reverence].

Sing of the honor and glory and magnificence of His name;Make His praise glorious.

My mouth is filled with Your praiseAnd with Your glory all day long.

May You increase my greatness (honor)And turn to comfort me.

You will guide me with Your counsel,And afterward receive me to honor and glory.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,I will walk and live in Your truth;Direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].

“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble;I will rescue him and honor him.

Splendor and majesty are before Him;Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul!O Lord my God, You are very great;You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

Thus they exchanged [the true God who was] their gloryFor the image of an ox that eats grass.

He has given freely to the poor;His righteousness endures forever;His horn will be exalted in honor.

To execute on them the judgment written.This is the honor for all His godly ones.Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Honor the Lord with your wealthAnd with the first fruits of all your crops (income);

Long life is in her right hand;In her left hand are riches and honor.

The wise will inherit honor and glory,But dishonor and shame is conferred on fools.

“Prize wisdom [and exalt her], and she will exalt you;She will honor you if you embrace her.

Or you will give your honor to others,And your years to the cruel one,

“Riches and honor are with me,Enduring wealth and righteousness (right standing with God).

A gracious and good woman attains honor,And ruthless men attain riches [but not respect].

Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant,Than he who [boastfully] honors himself [pretending to be what he is not] and lacks bread.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the instruction for wisdom [its starting point and its essence];And before honor comes humility.

Before disaster the heart of a man is haughty and filled with self-importance,But humility comes before honor.

It is an honor for a man to keep away from strife [by handling situations with thoughtful foresight],But any fool will [start a] quarrel [without regard for the consequences].

He who earnestly seeks righteousness and loyaltyFinds life, righteousness, and honor.

The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LordIs riches, honor, and life.

Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest,So honor is not fitting for a [shortsighted] fool.

Like one who [absurdly] binds a stone in a sling [making it impossible to throw],So is he who [absurdly] gives honor to a fool.

A man’s pride and sense of self-importance will bring him down,But he who has a humble spirit will obtain honor.

a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the power or capacity to enjoy them [all those things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] enjoys them. This is vanity and it is a [cause of] great distress.

Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.

“It is the Lord of hosts whom you are to regard as holy and awesome.He shall be your [source of] fear,He shall be your [source of] dread [not man].

I [the Lord] have commanded My consecrated ones,I have even called My great warriors,My proudly exulting ones [the Medes and the Persians who triumph for My honor]—To execute My anger.

“I will drive him like a peg in a firm place,And he will become a throne of honor and glory to his father’s house.

“So they will hang on him all the honor and glory [the complete responsibility] of his father’s house, offspring and issue [of the family, high and low], all the least of the articles, from the bowls to all the jars.

Then the Lord said,“Because this nation approaches [Me only] with their wordsAnd honors Me [only] with their lip service,But they remove their hearts far from Me,And their reverence for Me is a tradition that is learned by rote [without any regard for its meaning],

“The beasts of the field will honor Me,Jackals and ostriches,Because I have given waters in the wildernessAnd rivers in the desert,To give drink to My people, My chosen.

“If you turn back your foot from [unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath,From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,And honor it, not going your own wayOr engaging in your own pleasureOr speaking your own [idle] words,

You will also be [considered] a crown of glory and splendor in the hand of the Lord,And a royal diadem [exceedingly beautiful] in the hand of your God.

They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom (son of Hinnom), to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire [to honor Molech, the fire god]—which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart (mind).

You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for [the memory and honor of] your fathers, the former kings who reigned before you, so shall a [ceremonial] burning be made for you; and people will lament (grieve) for you, saying, “Alas, lord (master)!”’ For I have spoken the word,” says the Lord.

And said the wives, “When we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without [the knowledge and approval of] our husbands that we made cakes [in the shape of a star] to represent her and pour out drink offerings to her?”

The crown has fallen from our head [our honor is covered with dust]!Woe to us, for we have sinned!

“And I will bring [and manifest] My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment and justice [in the punishment] which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them.

But if you tell [me] the [content of the] dream along with its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell face downward and paid respect to Daniel [as a great prophet of the highest God], and gave orders for an offering and fragrant incense to be presented to him [in honor of his God].

The king said thoughtfully, ‘Is not this the great Babylon which I myself have built as the royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and glory of my majesty?’