Proverbs 8:22–30

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^8:22The Lord created³⁸ me as the beginning³⁹ of his works,⁴⁰

before his deeds of long ago.

^8:23From eternity I was appointed,⁴¹

from the beginning, from before the world existed.⁴²

^8:24When there were no deep oceans⁴³ I was born,⁴⁴

when there were no springs overflowing⁴⁵ with water;

^8:25before the mountains were set in place—

before the hills—I was born,

^8:26before he made the earth and its fields,⁴⁶

or the beginning⁴⁷ of the dust of the world.

^8:27When he established the heavens, I was there;

when he marked out the horizon⁴⁸ over the face of the deep,

^8:28when he established the clouds above,

when the fountains of the deep grew strong,⁴⁹

^8:29when he gave the sea his decree

that the waters should not pass over his command,⁵⁰

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

^8:30then I was⁵¹ beside him as a master craftsman,⁵²

and I was his delight⁵³ day by day,

rejoicing before him at all times,

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Footnotes

38 There are two roots קָנָה (qanah) in Hebrew, one meaning “to possess,” and the other meaning “to create.” The earlier English versions did not know of the second root, but suspected in certain places that a meaning like that was necessary (e.g., Gen 4:1; 14:19; Deut 32:6). Ugaritic confirmed that it was indeed another root. The older versions have the translation “possess” because otherwise it sounds like God lacked wisdom and therefore created it at the beginning. They wanted to avoid saying that wisdom was not eternal. Arius liked the idea of Christ as the wisdom of God and so chose the translation “create.” Athanasius translated it, “constituted me as the head of creation.” The verb occurs twelve times in Proverbs with the meaning of “to acquire”; but the Greek and the versions have the meaning “create.” Although the idea is that wisdom existed before creation, the parallel ideas in these verses (“appointed,” “given birth”) argue for the translation of “create” or “establish” (R. N. Whybray, “Proverbs 8:22–31 and Its Supposed Prototypes,” 15 [1965]: 504–14; and W. A. Irwin, “Where Will Wisdom Be Found?” 80 [1961]: 133–42).
39 Verbs of creation often involve double accusatives; here the double accusative involves the person (i.e., wisdom) and an abstract noun in construct ( §10.2.3c).
40 Heb “his way” (so , ). The word “way” is an idiom (implied comparison) for the actions of God. The claim of wisdom in this passage is that she was foundational to all that God would do.
41 The first parallel verb is נִסַּכְתִּי (nissakhti), “I was appointed.” It is not a common word; it occurs here and in Ps 2:6 for the coronation of the king. It means “installed, set.”
42 The verb “existed” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation in the light of the context.
43 The summary statements just given are now developed in a lengthy treatment of wisdom as the agent of all creation. This verse singles out “watery deeps” (תְּהֹמוֹת, téhomot) in its allusion to creation because the word in Genesis signals the condition of the world at the very beginning, and because in the ancient world this was something no one could control. Chaos was not there first—wisdom was.
44 The third parallel verb is חוֹלָלְתִּי (kholalti), “I was given birth.” Some (e.g., , , , ) translate it “brought forth”—not in the sense of being presented, but in the sense of being “begotten, given birth to.” Here is the strongest support for the translation of קָנָה (qanah) as “created” in v. 22. The verb is not literal; it continues the perspective of the personification.
45 Heb “made heavy.”
46 Heb “open places.”
47 Here רֹאשׁ (ro’sh) means “beginning” with reference to time ( 911 4.b).
48 The infinitive construct בְּחוּקוֹ (békhuqo, “to cut; to engrave; to mark”) and the noun חוּג (khug, “horizon; circle”) form a paronomasia in the line.
49 To form a better parallel some commentators read this infinitive בַּעֲזוֹז (ba’azoz), “when [they] grew strong,” as a Piel causative, “when he made firm, fixed fast” (cf. “fixed securely”; “established”). But the following verse (“should not pass over”) implies the meaning “grew strong” here.
50 Heb “his mouth.”
51 The verb form is a preterite with vav consecutive, although it has not been apocopated. It provides the concluding statement for the temporal clauses as well as the parallel to v. 27.
52 Critical to the interpretation of this line is the meaning of אָמוֹן (’amon). Several suggestions have been made: “master craftsman” (cf. , , , ), “nursing child” (cf. ), “foster father.” R. B. Y. Scott chooses “faithful”—a binding or living link (“Wisdom in Creation: The ‘Amon of Proverbs 8:30,” 10 [1960]: 213–23). The image of a child is consistent with the previous figure of being “given birth to” (vv. 24, 25). However, “craftsman” has the most support (, , , , ; ; also P. W. Skehan, “Structures in Poems on Wisdom: Proverbs 8 and Sirach 24,” 41 [1979]: 365–79).
53 The word is a plural of intensification for “delight”; it describes wisdom as the object of delight. The has the suffix; the Hebrew does not.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,

the first of his acts of old.

Ages ago I was set up,

at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there were no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains had been shaped,

before the hills, I was brought forth,

before he had made the earth with its fields,

or the first of the dust of the world.

When he established the heavens, I was there;

when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

when he made firm the skies above,

when he established the fountains of the deep,

when he assigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

then I was beside him, like a master workman,

and I was daily his delight,

rejoicing before him always,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,

before his deeds of old;

I was formed long ages ago,

at the very beginning, when the world came to be.

When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,

when there were no springs overflowing with water;

before the mountains were settled in place,

before the hills, I was given birth,

before he made the world or its fields

or any of the dust of the earth.

I was there when he set the heavens in place,

when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

when he established the clouds above

and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

when he gave the sea its boundary

so the waters would not overstep his command,

and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Then I was constantly at his side.

I was filled with delight day after day,

rejoicing always in his presence,

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“The Lord acquired me

at the beginning of his creation,

before his works of long ago.

I was formed before ancient times,

from the beginning, before the earth began.

I was born

when there were no watery depths

and no springs filled with water.

Before the mountains

were established, prior to the hills, I was given birth—

before he made the land, the fields,

or the first soil on earth.

I was there when he established the heavens,

when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,

when he placed the skies above,

when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,

when he set a limit for the sea

so that the waters would not violate his command,

when he laid out the foundations of the earth.

I was a skilled craftsman beside him.

I was his delight every day,

always rejoicing before him.

NLTNew Living Translation

“The Lord formed me from the beginning,

before he created anything else.

I was appointed in ages past,

at the very first, before the earth began.

I was born before the oceans were created,

before the springs bubbled forth their waters.

Before the mountains were formed,

before the hills, I was born—

before he had made the earth and fields

and the first handfuls of soil.

I was there when he established the heavens,

when he drew the horizon on the oceans.

I was there when he set the clouds above,

when he established springs deep in the earth.

I was there when he set the limits of the seas,

so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.

And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,

I was the architect at his side.

I was his constant delight,

rejoicing always in his presence.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“Yahweh created me, the first of his ways,

before his acts of old.

From eternity, I was set up from the first,

from the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth,

when there were no springs of abounding water.

Before mountains had been shaped,

before hills, I was brought forth.

When he had not yet made earth and fields,

or the first dust of the world,

when he established the heavens, there I was,

when he drew a circle upon the face of the deep,

when he made skies from above,

when he founded fountains of the deep,

when he assigned his limits to the sea,

that waters shall not transgress his command,

when he marked the foundations of the earth,

I was beside him, a master workman,

and I was delighting day by day,

rejoicing before him always,

KJV 1900King James Version

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,

Before his works of old.

I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,

Or ever the earth was.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth;

When there were no fountains abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled,

Before the hills was I brought forth:

While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,

Nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

When he prepared the heavens, I was there:

When he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

When he established the clouds above:

When he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

When he gave to the sea his decree,

That the waters should not pass his commandment:

When he appointed the foundations of the earth:

Then I was by him, as one brought up with him:

And I was daily his delight,

Rejoicing always before him;

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