Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.
Parallel translations
- KJV Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
- BSB So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.
- NKJV Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
- NASB Therefore let the one who thinks he stands watch out that he does not fall.
- NLT If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Confidence in one's spiritual security can breed pride that leads to a fall. Believers must remain watchful and humble.
Overview
Having recounted Israel's failures, Paul applies the lesson directly: self-assured presumption is dangerous. The verse cautions against complacency, not genuine assurance, calling for vigilant dependence on God rather than trust in oneself. It guards the doctrine of perseverance from becoming an excuse for carelessness, reminding us that those who truly stand do so by God's keeping power, humbly and watchfully.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Rom 11:20True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don’t be conceited, but fear;
- 2 Pet 3:17You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness.
- Prov 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- 1 Cor 8:2But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know.
- Matt 26:40–41He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour?
- Matt 26:33–34But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
- Prov 28:14Blessed is the man who always fears; but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
- Rev 3:17–18Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked;
- 1 Cor 4:6–8Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 10:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.