Romans 12:16

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Paul addresses the Roman church in the practical section (ch. 12) that follows his doctrinal argument. He moves from shared emotion (v. 15) to shared mental orientation (v. 16) to moral conduct (v. 17).

The words — φρονοῦντες (phronountes, "minding") is a present participle, making this an ongoing mental posture rather than a one-time decision. Its negative object is τὰ ὑψηλὰ (ta hypsēla, "the haughty things") — what the mind dwells on, not merely what the tongue says.

The thread — 1 Peter 3:8 pairs "like-minded" with humility; Proverbs 3:7 warns against being "wise in your own eyes"; James 3:13 ties wisdom to conduct marked by humility.

Why it lands — The command targets the mind before the mouth or hands: stop feeding your thoughts with self-elevation. It is a daily re-aiming of attention, not a single act of deference.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

τὸtothe αὐτὸautosame thing εἰςeistoward ἀλλήλουςallēlousone another φρονοῦντες,phronountesminding,μὴmēnot τὰtathe [things]ὑψηλὰhupsēlahaughty φρονοῦντες,phronountesminding,ἀλλὰallabut τοῖςtoiswith the ταπεινοῖςtapeinoislowly συναπαγόμενοι.sunapagomenoigoing along.μὴmēNot γίνεσθεginesthedo be φρόνιμοιphronimoiwise παρ᾽par᾽in ἑαυτοῖς.he'autoisyourselves.

King James Version

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Cross-references

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
Philippians 2:2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Romans 15:5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus,
1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”