Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 8:22
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
22. possessed ] So also R.V. text: marg., “or, formed.” , LXX.; , Aquila; possedit, Vulg. This word has been a battleground of controversy since the days of the Arian heresy. But it is well to remember that, all theological questions apart, it is impossible to understand the word, whatever rendering of it we adopt, as indicating that Wisdom ever had a beginning, or was ever properly speaking created. Wisdom is inseparable from any worthy conception of Him who is “the only wise God” (1Ti 1:17), and therefore is like Him “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psa 90:1).
The Heb. word seems properly to mean, to acquire, and so to possess, (comparavit, emit, acquisivit, acquisitum possedit,” Buxtorf, ad verb.), without defining the method of acquisition. Thus Eve says on the birth of Cain, whom she named accordingly, “I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah” (Gen 4:1). Almighty God is called “the possessor of heaven and earth” (Gen 14:19; Gen 14:22) which He created; land is said to be acquired, which is bought (Gen 47:22-23); and a son to be bought (A.V. and R.V. text, or possessed or gotten, R.V. marg.) by his father (Deu 32:6; comp. Psa 139:13, “Thou hast possessed my reins,” A.V. and R.V. text, “or formed,” R.V. marg.). And so again it is used of an owner (Isa 1:3).
The rendering, Jehovah possessed me, would seem therefore most accurately to represent the original, while the idea contained in the word lends itself readily in the higher reference of the passage, to the Catholic doctrine of the Eternal Generation of the Son.
in the beginning ] There is no preposition in the Hebrew. We might therefore render, with R.V. marg., as the beginning (lit. the beginning, , LXX.). And so the same Heb. word is rendered in the next verse, or ever the earth was, lit. from the beginning of the earth. But the rendering of A.V. and R.V. text is preferable.
before ] Or, the first of, R.V. marg. The ambiguity in the Heb. is similar to that mentioned in the preceding note. But the considerations urged in the first note on this verse are decisive for the rendering, before. Comp. , Coloss. Pro 1:15, which “declares the absolute pre-existence of the Son,” Bp Lightfoot ad loc.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A verse which has played an important part in the history of Christian dogma. Wisdom reveals herself as preceding all creation, stamped upon it all, one with God, yet in some way distinguishable from Him as the object of His love Pro 8:30. John declares that all which Wisdom here speaks of herself was true in its highest sense of the Word that became flesh Joh 1:1-14 : just as Apostles afterward applied Wisd. 7:22-30 to Christ (compare Col 1:15; Heb 1:3).
Possessed – The word has acquired a special prominence in connection with the Arian controversy. The meaning which it usually bears is that of getting Gen 4:1, buying Gen 47:22, possessing Jer 32:15. In this sense one of the oldest divine names was that of Possessor of heaven and earth Gen 14:19, Gen 14:22. But the idea of thus getting or possessing involved, as a divine act in relation to the universe, the idea of creation, and thus in one or two passages the word might be rendered, though not accurately, by created (e. g., Psa 139:13). It would seem accordingly as if the Greek translators of the Old Testament oscillated between the two meanings; and in this passage we find the various renderings ektise created (Septuagint), and ektesato possessed (Aquila). The text with the former word naturally became one of the stock arguments of the Arians against the eternal co-existence of the Son, and the other translation was as vehemently defended by the orthodox fathers. Athanasius receiving ektisen, took it in the sense of appointing, and saw in the Septuagint a declaration that the Father had made the Son the chief, the head, the sovereign, over all creation. There does not seem indeed any ground for the thought of creation either in the meaning of the root, or in the general usage of the word. What is meant in this passage is that we cannot think of God as ever having been without Wisdom. She is as the beginning of His ways. So far as the words bear upon Christian dogma, they accord with the words of Joh 1:1, the Word was with God. The next words indeed assert priority to all the works of God, from the first starting point of time.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Pro 8:22-36
The Lord possessed us in the beginning of His way.
Wisdom the first creation of God
Here is the noble idea which overturns at a touch all mythological speculations about the origin of things–an idea which is in deep harmony with all the best knowledge of our time–that there is nothing fortuitous in the creation of the world; the Creator is not a blind Force, but an intelligent Being whose first creation is wisdom. He is the origin of a law by which He means to bind Himself; arbitrariness finds no place in His counsels; accident has no part in His works; in wisdom hath He formed them all. Here is a clear recognition of the principle that Gods law is a law also to Himself, and that His law is wisdom. He creates the world as an outcome of His own wise and holy design, so that nothing walks with aimless feet. It is on this theological conception that the possibility of science depends. (R. F. Horton, D. D.)
The autobiography of Wisdom
I. As having existed before all time.
II. As having been present at the creation.
III. As having been in external association with the creator.
IV. As having felt before all worlds a deep interest in man. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way] Wisdom is not acquired by the Divine Being; man, and even angels, learn it by slow and progressive degrees; but in God it is as eternally inherent as any other essential attribute of his nature. The Targum makes this wisdom a creature, by thus translating the passage: Elaha barani bereish biriteiah, “God created me in the beginning of his creatures.” The Syriac is the same. This is as absurd and heretical as some modern glosses on the same passage.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Possessed me, as his Son by eternal generation, who was from eternity with him, as is said, Joh 14:10; and in him, as he also was in me, Joh 14:10.
In the beginning; yea, and before the beginning, as it is largely expressed in the following verses.
Of his way; either,
1. Of his counsels or decrees. Or rather,
2. Of his works of creation, as it follows.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
22-31. Strictly, God’sattributes are part of Himself. Yet, to the poetical structure of thewhole passage, this commendation of wisdom is entirely consonant. Inorder of time all His attributes are coincident and eternal asHimself. But to set forth the importance of wisdom as devising theproducts of benevolence and power, it is here assigned a precedence.As it has such in divine, so should it be desired in human, affairs(compare Pr 3:19).
possessedor,”created”; in either sense, the idea of precedence.
in the beginningorsimply, “beginning,” in apposition with “me.”
before . . . of oldprecedingthe most ancient deeds.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,…. Not “created me”, as the Targum and the Septuagint version; which version Arius following gave birth to his pernicious doctrine; who from hence concluded Christ is a creature, and was the first creature that God made, not of the same but of a like nature with himself, in some moment or period of eternity; and by whom he made all others: the Word, or Wisdom of God is never said to be created; and if as such he was created, God must have been without his Wisdom before he was created; besides, Christ, as the Word and Wisdom of God, is the Creator of all things, and not created, Joh 1:1; but this possession is not in right of creation, as the word is sometimes used, Ge 4:1; it might be more truly rendered, “the Lord begat me”, as the word is translated by the Septuagint in Zec 13:5; it denotes the Lord’s having, possessing, and enjoying his word and wisdom as his own proper Son; which possession of him is expressed by his being with him and in him, and in his bosom, and as one brought forth and brought up by him; as he was “in the beginning of his way” of creation, when he went forth in his wisdom and power, and created all things; then he did possess his Son, and made use of him, for by him he made the worlds: and “in the beginning of his way” of grace, which was before his way of creation; he began with him when he first went out in acts of grace towards his people; his first thoughts, purposes, and decrees concerning their happiness, were in him; the choice of their persons was made in him; God was in him contriving the scheme of their peace, reconciliation, and salvation; the covenant of grace was made with him, and all fulness of grace was treasured up in him: the words may be rendered, “the Lord possessed me, the beginning of his way” h; that is, who am the beginning, as he is; the beginning of the creation of God, the first cause, the efficient of it, both old and new; see Col 1:18. So Aben Ezra, who compares with this Job 40:19. This shows the real and actual existence of Christ from eternity, his relation to Jehovah his Father, his nearness to him, equality with him, and distinction from him: it is added, for further illustration and confirmation’s sake,
before his works of old; the creation of the heavens and the earth; a detail of which there is in the following verses.
h “possidet me principium viae suae”, Pagninus, Michaelis, Schultens; “habuit me principium viae suae”, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Wisdom takes now a new departure, in establishing her right to be heard, and to be obeyed and loved by men. As the Divine King in Psa 2:1-12 opposes to His adversaries the self-testimony: “I will speak concerning a decree! Jahve said unto me: Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee;” so Wisdom here unfolds her divine patent of nobility: she originates with God before all creatures, and is the object of God’s love and joy, as she also has the object of her love and joy on God’s earth, and especially among the sons of men:
“Jahve brought me forth as the beginning of His way,
As the foremost of His works from of old.”
The old translators render (with Kametz by Dech; vid., under Psa 118:5) partly by verbs of creating (lxx , Syr., Targ. ), partly by verbs of acquiring (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, Venet. ; Jerome, possedit ); Wisdom appears also as created, certainly not without reference to this passage, Sir. 1:4, ; 1:9, ; 24:8, . In the christological controversy this word gained a dogmatic signification, for they proceeded generally on the identity of ( sapientia substantialis ) with the hypostasis of the Son of God. The Arians used the as a proof of their doctrine of the filius non genitus, sed factus , i.e., of His existence before the world began indeed, but yet not from eternity, but originating in time; while, on the contrary, the orthodox preferred the translation , and understood it of the co-eternal existence of the Son with the Father, and agreed with the of the lxx by referring it not to the actual existence, but to the position, place of the Son (Athanasius: Deus me creavit regem or caput operum suorum ; Cyrill.: non condidit secundum substantiam, sed constituit me totius universi principium et fundamentum ). But (1) Wisdom is not God, but is God’s; she has personal existence in the Logos of the N.T., but is not herself the Logos; she is the world-idea, which, once projected, is objective to God, not as a dead form, but as a living spiritual image; she is the archetype of the world, which, originating from God, stands before God, the world of the idea which forms the medium between the Godhead and the world of actual existence, the communicated spiritual power in the origination and the completion of the world as God designed it to be. This wisdom the poet here personifies; he does not speak of the person as Logos, but the further progress of the revelation points to her actual personification in the Logos. And (2) since to her the poet attributes an existence preceding the creation of the world, he thereby declares her to be eternal, for to be before the world is to be before time. For if he places her at the head of the creatures, as the first of them, so therewith he does not seek to make her a creature of this world having its commencement in time; he connects her origination with the origination of the creature only on this account, because that priori refers and tends to the latter; the power which was before heaven and earth were, and which operated at the creation of the earth and of the heavens, cannot certainly fall under the category of the creatures around and above us. Therefore (3) the translation with has nothing against it, but it is different from the of the heavens and the earth, and the poet has intentionally written not , but . Certainly , Arab. kna , like all the words used of creating, refers to one root-idea: that of forging ( vid., under Gen 4:22), as does to that of cutting ( vid., under Gen 1:1); but the mark of a commencement in time does not affix itself to in the same way as it does to , which always expresses the divine production of that which has not hitherto existed. comprehends in it the meanings to create, and to create something for oneself, to prepare, parare ( e.g., Psa 139:13), and to prepare something for oneself, comparare , as and , both from kshi, to build, the former expressed by struere , and the latter by sibi struere . In the , then, there are the ideas, both that God produced wisdom, and that He made Himself to possess it; not certainly, however, as a man makes himself to possess wisdom from without, Pro 4:7. But the idea of the bringing forth is here the nearest demanded by the connection. For is not equivalent to (Syr., Targ., Luther), as Jerome also reads: Ita enim scriptum est : adonai canani bresith dercho (Ep. cxl. ad Cyprian.); but it is, as Job 40:19 shows, the second accusative of the object (lxx, Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion). But if God made wisdom as the beginning of His way, i.e., of His creative efficiency (cf. Rev 3:14 and Col 1:15), the making is not to be thought of as acquiring, but as a bringing forth, revealing this creative efficiency of God, having it in view; and this is also confirmed by the ( genita sum ; cf. Gen 4:1, , genui ) following. Accordingly, (foremost of His works) has to be regarded as a parallel second object. accusative. All the old translators interpret as a preposition [before], but the usage of the language before us does not recognise it as such; this would be an Aramaism, for , Dan 7:7, frequently (Syr., Targ.), is so used. But as signifies previous existence in space, and then in time ( vid., Orelli, Zeit und Ewigkeit, p. 76), so it may be used of the object in which the previous existence appears, thus (after Sir. 1:4): (Hitzig).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Wisdom Eternal and Divine. | |
22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
That it is an intelligent and divine person that here speaks seems very plain, and that it is not meant of a mere essential property of the divine nature, for Wisdom here has personal properties and actions; and that intelligent divine person can be no other than the Son of God himself, to whom the principal things here spoken of wisdom are attributed in other scriptures, and we must explain scripture by itself. If Solomon himself designed only the praise of wisdom as it is an attribute of God, by which he made the world and governs it, so to recommend to men the study of that wisdom which belongs to them, yet the Spirit of God, who indited what he wrote, carried him, as David often, to such expressions as could agree to no other than the Son of God, and would lead us into the knowledge of great things concerning him. All divine revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, and here we are told who and what he is, as God, designed in the eternal counsels to be the Mediator between God and man. The best exposition of these verses we have in the first four verses of St. John’s gospel. In the beginning was the Word, c. Concerning the Son of God observe here,
I. His personality and distinct subsistence, one with the Father and of the same essence, and yet a person of himself, whom the Lord possessed (<i>v. 22), who was set up (v. 23), was brought forth (Pro 8:24; Pro 8:25), was by him (v. 30), for he was the express image of his person, Heb. i. 3.
II. His eternity; he was begotten of the Father, for the Lord possessed him, as his own Son, his beloved Son, laid him in his bosom; he was brought forth as the only-begotten of the Father, and this before all worlds, which is most largely insisted upon here. The Word was eternal, and had a being before the world, before the beginning of time; and therefore it must follow that it was from eternity. The Lord possessed him in the beginning of his way, of his eternal counsels, for those were before his works. This way indeed had no beginning, for God’s purposes in himself are eternal like himself, but God speaks to us in our own language. Wisdom explains herself (v. 23): I was set up from everlasting. The Son of God was, in the eternal counsels of God, designed and advanced to be the wisdom and power of the Father, light and life, and all in all both in the creation and in the redemption of the world. That he was brought forth as to his being, and set up as to the divine counsels concerning his office, before the world was made, is here set forth in a great variety of expressions, much the same with those by which the eternity of God himself is expressed. Ps. xc. 2, Before the mountains were brought forth. 1. Before the earth was, and that was made in the beginning, before man was made; therefore the second Adam had a being before the first, for the first Adam was made of the earth, the second had a being before the earth, and therefore is not of the earth, John iii. 31. 2. Before the sea was (v. 24), when there were no depths in which the waters were gathered together, no fountains from which those waters might arise, none of that deep on which the Spirit of God moved for the production of the visible creation, Gen. i. 2. 3. Before the mountains were, the everlasting mountains, v. 25. Eliphaz, to convince Job of his inability to judge of the divine counsels, asks him (Job xv. 7), Wast thou made before the hills? No, thou wast not. But before the hills was the eternal Word brought forth. 4. Before the habitable parts of the world, which men cultivate, and reap the profits of (v. 26), the fields in the valleys and plains, to which the mountains are as a wall, which are the highest part of the dust of the world; the first part of the dust (so some), the atoms which compose the several parts of the world; the chief or principal part of the dust, so it may be read, and understood of man, who was made of the dust of the ground and is dust, but is the principal part of the dust, dust enlivened, dust refined. The eternal Word had a being before man was made, for in him was the life of men.
III. His agency in making the world. He not only had a being before the world, but he was present, not as a spectator, but as the architect, when the world was made. God silenced and humbled Job by asking him, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who hath laid the measures thereof? (Job xxxviii. 4, c.). Wast thou that eternal Word and wisdom, who was the prime manager of that great affair? No thou art of yesterday.” But here the Son of God, referring, as it should seem, to the discourse God had with Job, declares himself to have been engaged in that which Job could not pretend to be a witness of and a worker in, the creation of the world. By him God made the worlds,Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2; Col 1:16. 1. When, on the first day of the creation, in the very beginning of time, God said, Let there be light, and with a word produced it, this eternal Wisdom was that almighty Word: Then I was there, when he prepared the heavens, the fountain of that light, which, whatever it is here, is there substantial. 2. He was no less active when, on the second day, he stretched out the firmament, the vast expanse, and set that as a compass upon the face of the depth (v. 27), surrounded it on all sides with that canopy, that curtain. Or it may refer to the exact order and method with which God framed all the parts of the universe, as the workman marks out his work with his line and compasses. The work in nothing varied from the plan of it formed in the eternal mind. 3. He was also employed in the third day’s work, when the waters above the heavens, were gathered together by establishing the clouds above, and those under the heavens by strengthening the fountains of the deep, which send forth those waters (v. 28), and by preserving the bounds of the sea, which is the receptacle of those waters, v. 29. This speaks much the honour of this eternal Wisdom, for by this instance God proves himself a God greatly to be feared (Jer. v. 22) that he has placed the sand for the bound of the sea, that the dry land might continue to appear above water, fit to be a habitation for man; and thus he has appointed the foundation of the earth. How able, how fit, is the Son of God to be the Saviour of the world, who was the Creator of it!
IV. The infinite complacency which the Father had in him, and he in the Father (v. 30): I was by him, as one brought up with him. As by an eternal generation he was brought forth of the Father, so by an eternal counsel he was brought up with him, which intimates, not only the infinite love of the Father to the Son, who is therefore called the Son of his love (Col. i. 13), but the mutual consciousness and good understanding that were between them concerning the work of man’s redemption, which the Son was to undertake, and about which the counsel of peace was between them both, Zech. vi. 13. He was alumnus patris–the Father’s pupil, as I may say, trained up from eternity for that service which in time, in the fulness of time, he was to go through with, and is therein taken under the special tuition and protection of the Father; he is my servant whom I uphold, Isa. xlii. 1. He did what he saw the Father do (John v. 19), pleased his Father, sought his glory, did according to the commandment he received from his Father, and all this as one brought up with him. He was daily his Father’s delight (my elect, in whom my soul delighteth, says God, Isa. xliii. 1), and he also rejoiced always before him. This may be understood either, 1. Of the infinite delight which the persons of the blessed Trinity have in each other, wherein consists much of the happiness of the divine nature. Or, 2. Of the pleasure which the Father took in the operations of the Son, when he made the world; God saw every thing that the Son made, and, behold, it was very good, it pleased him, and therefore his Son was daily, day by day, during the six days of the creation, upon that account, his delight, Exod. xxxix. 43. And the Son also did himself rejoice before him in the beauty and harmony of the whole creation, Ps. civ. 31. Or, 3. Of the satisfaction they had in each other, with reference to the great work of man’s redemption. The Father delighted in the Son, as Mediator between him and man, was well-pleased with what he proposed (Matt. iii. 17), and therefore loved him because he undertook to lay down his life for the sheep; he put a confidence in him that he would go through his work, and not fail nor fly off. The Son also rejoiced always before him, delighted to do his will (Ps. xl. 8), adhered closely to his undertaking, as one that was well-satisfied in it, and, when it came to the setting to, expressed as much satisfaction in it as ever, saying, Lo, I come, to do as in the volume of the book it is written of me.
V. The gracious concern he had for mankind, v. 31. Wisdom rejoiced, not so much in the rich products of the earth, or the treasures hid in the bowels of it, as in the habitable parts os it, for her delights were with the sons of men; not only in the creation of man is it spoken with a particular air of pleasure (Gen. i. 26), Let us make man, but in the redemption and salvation of man. The Son of God was ordained, before the world, to that great work, 1 Pet. i. 20. A remnant of the sons of men were given him to be brought, through his grace, to his glory, and these were those in whom his delights were. His church was the habitable part of his earth, made habitable for him, that the Lord God might dwell even among those that had been rebellious; and this he rejoiced in, in the prospect of seeing his seed. Though he foresaw all the difficulties he was to meet with in his work, the services and sufferings he was to go through, yet, because it would issue in the glory of his Father and the salvation of those sons of men that were given him, he looked forward upon it with the greatest satisfaction imaginable, in which we have all the encouragement we can desire to come to him and rely upon him for all the benefits designed us by his glorious undertaking.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The Eternity of Wisdom
(Pro 8:22-31)
Verse 22 reveals that wisdom was with the LORD in the beginning, before His creative works. Pro 3:19; Psa 104:24; Psa 136:5.
Verses 23-26 declare that wisdom was in place from everlasting, before the earth was (Vs. 23); when there was no waters (Vs. 24), no mountains, no hills (Vs. 25), no dry or habitable land (Vs. 26). ‘
Verses 27-29 emphasize the prior existence of wisdom with her testimony: “I was there” when He (1) prepared the heavens (Vs. 27); (2) set a compass (stretched the canopy of the heavens) above the seas (Vs. 27); (3) established the clouds above (Vs. 28); (4) set bounds beyond which the seas should not pass (Vs. 29a); Gen 1:9; Job 38:10-11; Psa 104:6-9; Job 5:22; (5) laid the foundations of the earth (Vs. 29b), Job 38:4-6.
Verse 30 is not clear in the KJV. The ARV has it, “Then I was by him as a master workman; and I was daily his delight (margin, had delight continually), rejoicing always before him.”
Verse 31 suggests even greater rejoicing experienced by wisdom as the created world was inhabited by the sons of men and the wonders of creation were displayed before them.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 8:22. Jehovah possessed me. The signification of this verb has been the subject of much discussion; ancient expositors, believing Wisdom here to be the eternal Son of God, deemed it necessary to reject the translation of the Septuagint, etc., who rendered it created, as the text then became an argument with Arians against the eternal co-existence of the Son. But most modern commentators, whatever view they take of the signification of Wisdom, agree in rejecting the reading of the authorised version. The majority render it, created; Delitzsch reads, brought me forth; Wordsworth and Miller, got possession of, or, acquired. Wordsworth says, The word occurs about eighty times in the Old Testament, and in only four places beside the present is it translated possess; viz., Gen. 14:19-22; Psa. 139:13; Jer. 32:15; Zec. 11:5; in the last two it may well have the sense of getting, and in the former of creating.
Pro. 8:23. Set up, Stuart, Miller, and early expositors render anointed; Delitzsch and Zckler prefer the authorised rendering.
Pro. 8:26. Earth, etc., the land and the plains, or the beginning of the dust of the earth.
Pro. 8:27. Set a compass, etc., marked out a circle, i.e., when He fixed the vault of heaven, which rests on the face of the ocean.
Pro. 8:30. As one brought up, as director of His work, or, as a builder at His side.
NOTE ON THE PERSONIFICATION OF WISDOM.There has been great discussion among expositors as to who, or what, is to be understood by this personification. Many modern and all ancient expositors consider that it refers exclusively to the Divine Word, the Eternal Son of God, others understand it as relating entirely to an attribute of the Divine nature. There is a middle view, which is thus put by Dr. John Harris in his sermon on Pro. 8:30-36 : Others, again reply that it refers exclusively to neitherbut partly to that wisdom which begins in the fear of the Lord, partly to the Divine attribute of wisdom, and partly to the Son of God, the second person in the Godhead. We cannot do better than give the views of a few eminent expositors and writers. Delitzsch thus comments on Pro. 8:22 : Wisdom takes now a new departure in establishing her right to be heard and to be obeyed and loved by men. As the Divine King in Psalms 2. opposes to His adversaries the self-testimony: I will speak concerning a decree! Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee; so Wisdom here unfolds her Divine patent of nobility; she originates with God before all creatures, and is the object of Gods love and joy, as she also has the object of her love and joy on Gods earth, and especially among the sons of men. (See his translation of the verb in this verseCritical Notes).
1. Wisdom is not God, but is Gods; she has personal existence in the Logos of the New Testament, but is not herself the Logos; she is the world idea, which, once projected, is objective to God, not as a dead form, but as a living spiritual image; she is the archetype of the world, which originating from God, stands before God, the world of the idea which forms the medium between the Godhead and the world of actual existence, the communicated spiritual power in the origination and the completion of the world as God designed it to be. This wisdom the poet here personifies; he does not speak of the personal Logos, but the further progress of the revelation points to her actual personification in the Logos. And since to her the poet attributes an existence preceding the creation of the world, he thereby declares her to be eternal, for to be before the world is to be before time. For if he places her at the head of the creatures, as the first of them, so therewith he does not seek to make her a creature of this world having its commencement in time; he connects her origination with the origination of the creature only on this account, because that priori refers and tends to the latter; the power which was before heaven and earth were, and which operated at the creation of the earth and of the heavens, cannot certainly fall under the category of the creatures around and above us. Wordsworth, in accordance with the principle of interpretation set forth in the note at the beginning of chapter 7 says, We should be taking a very low, unworthy, and inadequate view of the present and following magnificent and sublime chapters. If we did not behold Him who is essential wisdom, the co-eternal Son of God, and recognise here a representation of His attributes and prerogative. The arguments in favour of this view are thus summed up by Fausset: Wisdom is here personal Wisdomthe Son of God. For many personal predicates are attributed to Him: thus, subsistence by or with God, in Pro. 8:30; just as Joh. 1:1 saith, The Word was with God, which cannot be said of a mere attribute. Moreover, the mode of subsistence imparted is generation, Pro. 8:22; Pro. 8:24-25 (see CRITICAL NOTES). In Pro. 8:22 God is said to have possessed or acquired wisdom, not by creation (Psa. 104:24), nor by adoption, as Deu. 32:6; Psa. 74:2, but by generation. The same verb is used by Eve of her firstborn (Gen. 4:1). Moreover, other attributes are assigned to Wisdom, as if she were not an attribute but a personcounsel, strength, etc. Also, she has the feelings of a person (Pro. 8:17): I love them that love me. She does the acts of a person. She enables kings to rule, and invests them with authority (Pro. 8:15-16). She takes part in creation, as one brought up, or nursed, in the bosom of the Father, as the only-begotten of His love (Joh. 1:18). She cries aloud as a person (Pro. 8:1-4), and her lips and mouth are mentioned (Pro. 8:6-7). She is the delight of the Father, and she in turn delights in men (Pro. 8:30-31), answering to the rapturous delight into which the Father breaks forth concerning Messiah (Isa. 43:1; Mat. 3:17; Mat. 17:5; Eph. 1:6). She builds a house, prepares a feast, and sends forth her maidens to invite the guests (ch. Pro. 9:1-3). All which admirably applies to Messiah, who builds the Church, as His house, upon Himself the rock (Mat. 16:8, etc.), and invites all to the Gospel feast (Luk. 14:16, etc.). He is Wisdom itself absolute, and as the Archetype, from Him wisdom imparted flows to others. As such, He invites us to learn wisdom from Him who is its source, counsel and sound wisdom (Pro. 8:14), are in Him as attributes are in their subject, and as effects are in their cause. The parallel (ch. Pro. 1:20; Pro. 1:23), I will pour out my spirit unto you (see Joh. 7:38), confirms the personal view. The same truth is confirmed by the reproof (ch. Pro. 1:24), Because I have called, etc., compared with Christs own words (Mat. 11:28, etc.) So Christ is called the Wisdom of God (Col. 2:3). As Wisdom here saith I was set up, or anointed from everlasting, so the Father saith of Messiah, I have set or anointed my king etc. (Psa. 2:6). As in Pro. 8:24, Wisdom is said to be brought forth or begotten by God before the world, and to have been by Him in creating all thimgs (Pro. 8:27-30), so Messiah is called the Son of God, and is said to have been with God in the beginning, and to have made all things (Joh. 1:1-3) and to have been begotten before every creature (Col. 1:15-17); and His goings forth are said, in Mic. 5:2, to have been from of old, from everlasting. The argument for the opposite view is thus stated by Dr. Wardlaw: The objections to its meaning Christ, or the Word, are, to my mind, quite insuperable. For example:
(1) The passage is not so applied in any part of the New Testament. I do not adduce this consideration as any direct objection to the interpretation in question. I mean no more than this, that from its not being so explained there, we are relieved from any necessity of so explaining it. Such necessity, then, being thus precluded, the direct objections may be allowed to have their full force. Observe, then
(2), Wisdom here is a female personage. All along this is the case. Now, under such a view, the Scriptures nowhere else, in any of their figurative representations of the Christ, ever thus describe or introduce Him. The application, on this account, appears to me exceedingly unnatural.
(3) Wisdom does not appear intended as a personal designation, inasmuch as it is associated with various other terms, of synonymous, or, at least, of corresponding import (Pro. 8:1, chap. Pro. 3:19-20). Were it meant for a personal designation, like the Logos or Word in the beginning of Johns Gospel, this would hardly have been admissible.
(4) That the whole is a bold and striking personification of the attribute of Wisdom, as subsisting in the Deity, appears further from what she is represented as saying in Pro. 8:12 : I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. Here Wisdom is associated with prudence; and the import of the association is, that Wisdom directs to the best ends, and to the choice of the best means for their attainment; and prudence, or discretion, teaches to shun whatever might, in any way or degree, interfere with and impede, or mar their accomplishment. This is precisely what wisdom, as an attribute or quality, does. And it is worthy of remark, that this association of wisdom with prudence, is introduced by the Apostle as characterising the greatest of the Divine inventions and worksthat of our redemption. Wisdom was associated with prudence in framing and perfecting that wonderful scheme (Eph. 1:7-8).
(5). It is very true that there are many things here, especially in the latter part of the chapterindeed through the wholethat are, in a very interesting and striking manner, applicable to the Divine Messiah. But this is no more than might have been anticipated, that things which are true of a Divine attribute should be susceptible of application to a Divine person. We quote, in conclusion, the remarks of Dr. Aiken, the American editor and translator of this portion of Langes Commentary: The error in our English exegetical and theological literature with respect to our passage has been, we think, the attempt to force upon it more of distinctness and precision in the revelation of the mysteries of the Divine Nature than is disclosed by a fair exegesis If it be not unworthy of the Holy Spirit to employ a bold and graphic personification, many things in this chapter may be said of and by the personified Wisdom which these authors regard as triumphantly proving that we have here the pre-existent Christ, the Son of God. We can, to say the least, go no farther than our author has done in discovering here the foreshadowings of the doctrine of the Logos. We are inclined to prefer the still more guarded statements, e.g., of Dr. Pye Smith (Scripture Testimony to the Messiah), that this beautiful picture cannot be satisfactorily proved to be a designed description of the Saviours person; or that of Dr. John Harris (Sermon on chap. Pro. 8:30-36): At all events, while, on the one hand, none can demonstrate that Christ is here directly intended, on the other, none can prove that He is not contemplated; and perhaps both will admit that, under certain conditions, language such as that in our text may be justifiably applied to Him. One of these conditions is, that the language be not employed argumentatively, or in proof of anything relating to Christ, but only for the purpose of illustration; and another is, that when so employed, it be only adduced to illustrate such views of the Son of God as are already established by such other parts of Scripture as are admitted by the parties addressed.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPHPro. 8:22-31
THE PERSONAL WISDOM OF GOD
I. The antiquity of the Personal Wisdom of God. Wisdom in the abstract must have existed before the creation of the world, because the world bears marks of wisdom. There must have been in Solomon the wisdom to design the temple before it took the form of beauty which made it so famous. There is skill hidden in the artists mind before it is manifested upon his canvasthe very existence of the picture proves the pre-existent skill. The world is a temple of large proportions, the beauty of which man can but copy afar off, and its existence proves the pre-existence of wisdom resident in a pre-existent person. As the world bears evident marks of great antiquity it proclaims an All-wise Cause which must necessarily be older still. There is no person known to the human race who claimed to have an existence before the world except Jesus Christ. He claimedand it is claimed for Him by those who bore witness to Himto have been before the world was, and to have been conscious of His divinity before the foundation of the world. He claims to have been possessor of a glory with the Father before the world was (Joh. 17:5), a glory which included intellectual and moral wisdom. And the claim of His apostle concerning the pre-existence of the Word of God is most unmistakable (Joh. 1:3). The existence of other and inferior sons of God before the creation of this world is implied in Scripture (Job. 38:7), but we have no direct revelation concerning them. We feel that we could not apply to them, or to any creature, the words of the text, The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, etc. But, in the light of New Testament revelation, if we give them a personal application, we must apply them to the Son of God, the Eternal Word, and to Him alone. The words point to an existence distinct from God. I was by Him, and I was with Him. And yet the intimate relationship and fellowship described does not express inferiority, but finds its fulfilment only in Him who not only was in the beginning with God, but who was God. (On this subject see note).
II. The Personal Wisdom of God the delight of the Eternal Father. I was daily His delight (Pro. 8:30).
(1) Likeness in character is a foundation of delight. A man who is godly delights to see his own godly character reflected in his son. The recognition of moral likeness in the uncreated Son gave delight to the Eternal Father. Nothing gives God so much joy as goodness. Hence His joy in His only-begotten Son.
(2) Equality of nature is a source of delight to the good and true. Fellowship with an equal gives joy. Christ, when on earth, ever claimed this equality with the Father. He claimed an eternity of being. Before Abraham was, I am (Exo. 3:14; Joh. 8:58). Omniscience is claimed for Him, and He gave evidence that He possessed it. He knew what was in man (Joh. 2:25). And Jesus knowing their thoughts, etc. (Mat. 9:4). Divine energy. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work (Joh. 5:17). Independent existence. As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (Joh. 5:26). Holiness. Which of you convinceth me of sin? (Joh. 8:46). Almighty power. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Mat. 28:18). In the eternal ages, before the creation of the world, the Father looked upon this brightness of His glory and express image of His person (Heb. 1:3), and this Divine Equal gave joy to the uncreated God (Isa. 42:1).
III. The delight of the Personal Wisdom of God in the creation of the home of man. Rejoicing in the habitable parts of the earth (Pro. 8:31). The artist has joy in the thought of his completed work while it is in progress. He joys in that which is not as yet in outward form, but which is, in its completeness, within his mind. The architect, who sees day by day the building being reared which he knows will be the wonder of coming ages and the means of yielding comfort to thousands, rejoices in the thought of the blessing that is to come out of his work. He experiences an emotion with which a stranger cannot intermeddle (Pro. 14:10). And so Eternal Wisdom is here represented as regarding the future home of man. He saw its adaptibility to the wants of the creatures who were to inhabit itits inexhaustible resources for the supply of all mans physical and many of his intellectual wants, and the thought of the millions to whose happiness the earths riches and beauties would minister throughout the ages gave Him joy. The best natures among human-kind delight when they are able to produce what will increase the happiness of their fellow-creatures. The poet rejoices when he feels that his thoughts will cheer the hearts of other men. The inventor is glad when he has made a discovery which he knows will be a boon to his race. And so the Eternal Wisdom of God looked with joy upon the earth which He had called into being for the habitation of the race whom He was about to create. The joy that would be theirs gave Him joy when He looked upon creation with their eyes.
IV. The special delight of the Personal Wisdom in man himself. My delights were with the sons of men.
1. His delight in man would arise from the fact that he was a creature different from all pre-existing creatures. Man is a link between mind and matter. He is a compound of the animal and the angel, of the dust of the earth and the breath of God. The material creation was called into being before man. The angelic and spiritual creatures existed before man. Man was, as it were, the clasp which united the two, and his unique character, we may well believe, made him a special object of interest to his Creator. New combinations give joy to those who, by combining forces, or material, or thoughts for the first time, bring about a new thing in the earth. They create a power or an idea which would not have existed if these elements had remained separate. Man, as he came originally from the hand of God, was such a perfectly balanced compound of mind and matter, of body and spirit, that his Creator had joy in the contemplation of His work, and declared it to be very good (Gen. 1:31). If we apply the words of the text to the second person of the Godhead, we know, from Scripture testimony, that He was the Creator of man, for without Him was not anything made that was made. He is as rich in invention as He is in goodness.
2. The delight of Christ would be especially with men, because in His own nature God and man would meet in an eternal combination. The commander who can pluck victory out of the jaws of defeat, by the combination of certain forces not yet brought upon the field with others which have been already defeated, is allowed to give evidence of the highest military skill. The statesman who, anticipating the defeat of one measure, reserved another method of tactics in the background which he knew would ensure an ultimate success, and who used the very means by which he had been defeated as a lever to establish a better law and a more lasting benefit, would be considered to display ability of the first degree, and to be a benefactor of his race. And the contemplation of such a victory beforehand must be an occupation of the deepest interest to the mind which originates the plan and carries it into action. Christ is, beyond all comparison, the leader of men. He saw beforehand that human nature would be defeated in its first conflict with evil. He knew that Satan would enter in and spoil this new principality of God. But He had already made preparation for this defeat, and He purposed, by means of the very human nature which would be thus defeated, in combination with His own divinity, to spoil the spoiler and lead captivity captive. By the eternal union of His own nature with the human He purposed to place man on a firmer standing ground, and gain for him the power of an endless life. Christ becoming the head of the race has defeated sin in the human nature that was itself defeated, and the grace which He has thus imparted to man has lifted him to a higher level than that in which he was created. And if the first edition of man, which was of the earth, earthy (1Co. 15:47), gave joy to his Creator, how much more must He have rejoiced in the prospect of that second edition which was to be made after His own likeness, and to be the reward of the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11), although even then He knew at what a cost the work would be accomplished. (1Pe. 1:20.)
NOTE ON THE RELATION OF THE SON OF GOD TO THE FATHER. (Pro. 8:22-30 Joh. 1:1). On this subjeet Dr. John Brown says, That the Son is essentially and eternally related to the Father, in some real sense, as Father and Son; but that while distinct in person (for the Word was with God), He is neither posterior to Him in time (for in the beginning was the Word), nor inferior to Him in nature (for the Word was God), nor separate from Him in being (for the same was in the beginning with God), but One Godhead with the Father; this would seem to come as near to the full testimony of Scripture on this mysterious subject as can be reached by our finite understanding, without darkening counsel with words without knowledge.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pro. 8:22. The beginning of His way evidently means the commencement of creation, when Jehovah set out in His course of creative and consequently of providential manifestation of His eternal perfections. When this was we cannot tell. We may know the age of our own world, at least according to its present constitution. But when the universe was brought into being, and whether by one omnipotent fiat, or at successive and widely varying periods, it is beyond our power to ascertain. One thing we know for a certainly revealed fact, that there were angelic creatures in existence previous to the reduction of our globe to order and to the creation of man upon it. These holy intelligences contemplated the six days work of Divine wisdom and power in this part of the universe with benevolent transport. The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. How many other creatures, and of what descriptionshow many other worlds, and how peopled, might have existed before man and his earthly residence we are unable to affirm. When men, indeed, begin to talk of its being absurd to suppose the universe so recent as to have been only coeval with our own globe, or our own system, they forget themselves. They do not speak considerately nor philosophically. There is no lapse of ages or any point of measurement in eternity. Beginning is as inconsistent with the idea of eternity as termination is. Go as far back as imagination, or as numbers heaped on numbers, can carry you, there still remains the previous eternity, during which our speculative and presumptuous minds may wonder that Divine power had not been put forth.Wardlaw.
Pro. 8:23. It was in the last times, that the Eternal Wisdom was set forth unto us, but it was from everlasting, that He was set up to be a king over us. It was in the fulness of time that He offered Himself for us, but it was from the beginning that He was anointed to be priest unto us. It was upon the earth that His gracious lips taught us, but it was before the earth was that He was ordained to be a prophet for us. It is in Him that all are chosen who come unto eternity, and He Himself was chosen from eternity. From everlasting he was set up our King, to set us up an everlasting kingdom. From the beginning was He anointed our priest, to anoint us in a priesthood that shall never end. Before the earth was, He was ordained our prophet, to order our feet in that way which shall bring us from earth to heaven; He was chosen that we might be the chosen people of God.Jermin.
Pro. 8:24. The order of creation corresponds to that which we find in Genesis I. Still more striking is the resemblance with the thoughts and language of the book of Job, chap. 22; 26; 38. A world of waters, great deeps lying in darknessthis was the picture of the remotest time of which man could form any conception, and yet the coexistence of the uncreated wisdom with the eternal Jehovah was before that.Plumptre.
At the period referred to here, creation was not yet actually framed and executed, it was only framed and planned; the whole being at once, in all its magnificence and in all its minuteness, before the eye of the Omniscient mind, in its almost infinite complexity, extent, and variety, yet without the slightest approach to confusion! All there, in one vast and complicated, yet simple idea!Wardlaw.
Pro. 8:27. Gods setting a compass upon the face of the deep seems to refer to His circumscribing the earth when in its fluid state, assigning to it its spherical form, and fixing the laws by which that form should be constantly maintained. I think it probable that this refers to the earth in the state in which it is described previous to the beginning of the six days work, by which it was reduced to order, and fitted for and stocked with inhabitants. How was the fluid element held together in the spherical form? The answer is, God set a compass upon the face of the deep, saying, This be thy just circumference, O world! By the power of gravitation, affecting every particle, drawing it to the common centre, the equilibrium was maintained, the globular form effected and kept; which may here be meant by the poetical conception of sweeping a circle from the centre, and defining the spherical limits of the world of waters.Wardlaw.
Pro. 8:29. Though great be the noise of the roaring of the sea, great the inconstancy of the tumbling waves, great the looseness of the flowing waters; yet the voice of Gods decree is easily heard by them, constant is their obedience unto Gods commandment, firmly do they keep the bounds of His law. But in the noise of our disorders, little is Gods Word heard by us, in the lightness of our hearts, much is the will of God slighted, in the looseness of our lives every way doth a careless regard of Gods law spread itself, which could not but drown us in a sea of Gods wrath, did not He who was when the bounds of the sea were decreed, purchase by the red sea of His blood a gracious pardon for us. Fitly is God said to appoint the foundations of the earth only; for that alone founded the whole earth, no more was needful for it. But how little doth Gods appointment prevail with man, a little piece of earth. How often are Gods purposes in the means of salvation disappointed by him. To lay firm the foundations of grace in mans heart, the Eternal Wisdom, who was when the foundations of the earth were appointed, came down from Heaven, and here was pleased to work out His life thereby to accomplish the work of our redemption. And shall not this, then, make us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling?Jermin.
Pro. 8:30. To Wisdom the work was no laborious task. She sported, as it were, in the exuberance of her strength and might.Plumptre.
Pro. 8:31. What was it that here attracted His interest? Man had been created in the image of Godfree to stand or fall. This freedom was the perfection of his nature. His fall was permitted as the mysterious means of his higher elevation. His ruin was overruled for his greater security. This habitable earth was to be the grand theatre of the work that should fill the whole creation with wonder and joy. Here the serpents head was to be visibly bruised, the kingdom of Satan to be destroyed, precious spoil to be divided with the strong (Isa. 53:12). Here was the Church to be framed, as the manifestation of His glory, the mirror of His Divine perfections (Eph. 3:10; Eph. 3:21). Considering the infinite cost at which He was to accomplish this work, the wonder is that He should have endured it; a greater wonder that, ere one atom of the creation was formedere the first blossom had been put forth in Paradise, he should have rejoiced in it.Bridges.
Of all earthly creatures, Christ delights most in men.
1. Because man is the chief of Gods creatures upon earth, made after Gods image, and for whom all the rest were made.
2. Because He took on Him the nature of men, and not of angels (Heb. 2:16).
3. He conversed most familiarly with men when He was incarnate. Men only had reason and wisdom to delight in Christs company, and to give Him occasion to delight in theirs.
4. Because He gave His life for them, that they might live with Him for ever. It seems, then, that He took great delight in them, and means to do so for ever.Francis Taylor.
Did our Saviour, before His incarnation, rejoice in the habitable parts of the earth, and delight in visiting and blessing the sons of men? Then we may be certain that He still does so; for He is, yesterday, to-day, and for ever, the same. Still, He prefers earth to heaven; still, His chief delights are with the sons of men; and while, as man, He intercedes for them in Heaven, He still, as God, visits our world, to meet with and bless His people. And how great will be our Saviours happiness, after the final consummation of all things! If He loved, and rejoiced, and delighted in them before they knew and loved Him, how will He love and rejoice in them, when He sees them surrounding His throne, perfectly resembling Himself in body and soul, loving Him with unutterable love, contemplating Him with ineffable delight, and praising Him as their deliverer from sin, and death, and hell, as the author of all their everlasting glory and felicity.Payson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
TEXT Pro. 8:22-36
22.
Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way,
Before his works of old.
23.
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,
Before the earth was.
24.
When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25.
Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills was I brought forth;
26.
While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
27.
When he established the heavens, I was there:
When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,
28.
When he made firm the skies above,
When the fountains of the deep became strong,
29.
When he gave to the sea its bound,
That the waters should not transgress his commandment,
When he marked out the foundations of the earth;
30.
Then I was by him, as a master workman;
And I was his daily delight,
Rejoicing always before him.
31.
Rejoicing in his habitable earth;
And my delight was with the sons of men.
32.
Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;
For blessed are they that keep my ways.
33.
Hear instruction, and be wise,
And refuse it not.
34.
Blessed is the man that heareth me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35.
For whoso findeth me findeth life,
And shall obtain favor of Jehovah.
36.
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:
All they that hate me love death.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 8:22-36
1.
Comment on Gods wisdom (Pro. 8:22).
2.
Are we to conceive of everlasting as having existed before time was (Pro. 8:23)?
3.
What fountains are referred to in Pro. 8:24?
4.
What is meant by the mountains being settled in Pro. 8:25?
5.
Where else does the Bible tell of Gods creating the universe (besides here in this section)?
6.
What word in Pro. 8:27 is especially noticeable?
7.
What is meant by firm in Pro. 8:28?
8.
Is there a definite line where the ocean stops (Pro. 8:29)?
9.
Who is the master workman in Pro. 8:30wisdom or God?
10.
Does daily refer to the creation-days of Genesis 1 (Pro. 8:30)?
11.
What is the force of habitable in Pro. 8:31?
12.
In what ways blessed (Pro. 8:32)?
13.
Hear and be wise, but dont refuse and be ……………. (Pro. 8:33).
14.
How does watching enter in (Pro. 8:34)?
15.
What two blessings are promised in Pro. 8:35?
16.
How can one sin against wisdom (Pro. 8:36)?
PARAPHRASE OF 8:22-36
Pro. 8:22-26.
The Lord formed me in the beginning, before He created anything else. From ages past, I am. I existed before the earth began. I lived before the oceans were created, before the springs bubbled forth their waters onto the earth; before the mountains and the hills were made. Yes, I was born before God made the earth and fields, and high plateaus.
Pro. 8:27-32.
I was there when He established the heavens and formed the great springs in the depths of the oceans. I was there when He set the limits of the seas and gave them His instructions not to spread beyond their boundaries. I was there when He made the blueprint for the earth and oceans. I was always at His side like a little child. I was His constant delight, laughing and playing in His presence. And how happy I was with what He createdHis wise world and all His family of mankind! And so, young men, listen to me, for how happy are all who follow my instructions.
Pro. 8:33-36.
Listen to my counseloh, dont refuse itand be wise. Happy is the man who is so anxious to be with me that he watches for me daily at my gates, or waits for me outside my home! For whoever finds me finds life and wins approval from the Lord. But the one who misses me has injured himself irreparably. Those who refuse me show that they love death.
COMMENTS ON 8:22-36
Pro. 8:22. Wisdom is still speaking. Wisdom is not something new, something that only recently came along. It takes precedence in value over other things by virtue of its existence before there was anything here and because it is an attribute of God.
Pro. 8:23. Wisdom is from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth was. What else can claim existence that far back? Only those things that are other attributes of God (such as His power), for He alone existed.
Pro. 8:24. The Bible often divides the creation of the universe into three parts: heaven, earth and sea (Neh. 9:6; Exo. 20:11; Rev. 14:7; and others). Beginning with this verse these three are considered with being of shorter duration than wisdom: sea (this verse), earth (Pro. 8:25-26), and heaven (Pro. 8:27).
Pro. 8:25. We use the mountains and hills as a gauge for comparing something that is old in our saying, As old as the hills. But wisdom existed even before there were any hills!
Pro. 8:26. If wisdom had not been an attribute of God, earth would have been uninhabitable by man, there would have been nothing for him to eat or wear, etc.
Pro. 8:27. Isa. 40:22 also speaks of the circle of the earth.
Pro. 8:28. Ever hear a child ask, What if the sky fell down upon us? God made it firm over our heads. The fountains of the deep are the springs of the sea mentioned in Job. 38:16. Their strength mentioned here was manifested in the days of Noah when they burst forth at the special decree of God and, joined with the water that poured down for forty days and nights when the windows of heaven were opened, helped flood the earth until even the mountains were covered (Gen. 7:11; Gen. 7:19).
Pro. 8:29. Go to any beach or seacoast, and you can observe the definite line where the ocean waters stop in their ebb and flow and in their swellings during great storms. Similarly does Job. 38:8; Job. 38:10-11 say that God shut up the sea with doors and marked out for it a bound, and set bars and doors, and said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves by stayed. The foundation of the earth (or foundations of the earth in Job. 38:4) is evidently to be taken figuratively and not literally since the Bible speaks of Gods hanging the earth on nothingsuspended it in space (Job. 26:7). What, then, is meant by the foundation or foundations of the earth? Clarke takes a stab at the subject: Those irreversible laws by which all motions are governed…the principles on which it is constructed, and the laws by which it is governed.
Pro. 8:30. God has His wisdom with Him in all of His creative acts. This is what made everything good that He created. See the reference to this after the various days of creation (Gen. 1:10; Gen. 1:12, etc.). Daily in our verse is reminiscent of the creative days of Genesis 1.
Pro. 8:31. God made the earth as a dwelling place (Isa. 45:18) whereas, as far as we know, the other planets were not so prepared. The finale of Gods creation, the climax of it all, was the creation of man (Gen. 1:26), mentioned in our verse.
Pro. 8:32. If wisdom is that ancient; if wisdom is an eternal attribute of God; if wisdom was back there with God when everything was being created, then people should listen when wisdom speaks. In our verse wisdom says, Hearken unto me…keep my ways, and a blessing is pronounced upon those who do.
Pro. 8:33. Another verse connecting our being wise with hearing, and not refusing, instruction. It is the foolish, not the wise, who refuse wisdom and instruction (Pro. 1:8).
Pro. 8:34. One who seeks wisdom lives in a state of expectation and anticipation. He watches and waits. Waiting is often involved in watching as in the cat patiently watching for a mouse or as in Christians watching for their Lords return.
Pro. 8:35. A double blessing ultimately comes to those who through watching and waiting find wisdom: life (both here and hereafter, both spiritual and eternal) and the favor of Jehovah (the greatest possession that one can have).
Pro. 8:36. One can sin against wisdom in several ways: by not desiring it, by not seeking after it, by not listening when it speaks, by not believing what it says, by not doing what it commands, by not desiring what it promises, and by not heeding its warnings. In which ever way or if in all ways one sins against wisdom, he is not merely wronging wisdom: he is wronging his own soulhe will be the one who suffers for it. Put very bluntly wisdom summarizes: All they that hate me love death. This statement exemplifies the fact that truth itself is blunt, unflinching, unbending, no respecter of persons.
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 8:22-36
1.
Wisdom is not something …………… (Pro. 8:22).
2.
In order to have existed as far back as wisdom, something had to be an attribute of ……………. (Pro. 8:23).
3.
The Bible often divides the creation of the universe into what three divisions (Pro. 8:24)?
4.
What is older than the hills (Pro. 8:25)?
5.
Would the earth have been habitable by man if wisdom had not been with God in creating it (Pro. 8:26)?
6.
What other passage speaks of the circle of the earth (Pro. 8:27)?
7.
What does Pro. 8:28 assure us about the sky?
8.
Where else are the fountains of the deep mentioned (Pro. 8:28)?
9.
Cite the proof of the truth in Pro. 8:29 about the sea.
10.
Is foundation in Pro. 8:29 to be taken literally or figuratively?
11.
Tie up Pro. 8:30 with Genesis 1.
12.
Comment on Pro. 8:31.
13.
According to Pro. 8:32, why should we listen to wisdom?
14.
Who receive and who do not receive instruction (Pro. 8:33)?
15.
Give an example of waiting and watching (Pro. 8:34).
16.
According to Pro. 8:35, why should we seek wisdom?
17.
What two blunt statements does wisdom make in Pro. 8:36?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(22) The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way.The Hebrew word translated possessed in this passage (qnah) seems originally to have signified to set up or establish, and is applied (1) to the forming of the heavens (Gen. 14:19) and the begetting of a son, (Deu. 32:6); next it signifies (2) to acquire (Gen. 4:1), (3) to purchase (Gen. 25:10), and (4) to own, as in Isa. 1:3. From the fact that set up and brought forth are used just after as synonyms to it, it is most likely that (1) is the proper meaning of the word here, and that the sense of the passage is that Wisdom was formed or begotten before the Creation, comp. Psa. 104:24. This agrees with the rendering of the most important Greek translation, the Septuagint (). When in Christian times it was observed how well the description of Wisdom in Job and Proverbs harmonised with that of God the Son in the New Testament, such passages as this were universally applied to Him, and the present one was rightly interpreted as describing His eternal generation from the Father. Such was the view, for instance, of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. But when the Arian controversy arose, this phrase was seized upon by the opponents of our Lords Divinity, and claimed as teaching that He was, though the highest of created beings, still only a creature. The Catholics then changed their ground, some standing up for the rendering of Aquila, (acquired or possessed), others applying the term to Christs Incarnation (comp. first-begotten among many brethren, Rom. 8:29), or to His being appointed to be the first principle or efficient cause of His creatures, the beginning of the creation of God (Rev. 3:14). For references to the Fathers see Bishop Wordsworths note, and, for a like variation in the rendering of first-begotten of every creature, comp. Bishop Lightfoots note on Col. 1:15.
In the beginning of his way.That is, His way of acting, His activity in the Creation. But the preposition in does not occur in this passage, and from a comparison of Job. 40:19, where behemoth (the hippopotamus) is termed the beginning of the ways of God, i.e., chief of His works, it is probable that this verse should be translated, He brought me forth as the beginning of His way, as the earliest of His works from of old, i.e., before the depths, and mountains, and hills, &c
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
HEAVENLY ORIGIN OF WISDOM, Pro 8:22-31.
22. Possessed me of old Literally, from then, since. Great controversies have been held over this word. Great theological questions have been supposed involved. Hence the earnestness of the disputants. “I will also show mine opinion.”
(1.) It is an error to lay too much stress upon words, especially on their etymology, in a poetical composition, in order to deduce nice theological distinctions. Theology is a science, and requires words to be used in an accurate, well defined, scientific manner, in statements and disquisitions. The object of poetry is different, and seeks to arrange them in an ornate, esthetic mode, partly for the purpose of moving the passions. The strict etymological meaning of words is very little regarded in poetry, only as it contributes to an esthetic effect; nay, it is very frequently departed from purposely, for the same effect. These considerations are to be borne in mind in drawing theological propositions from poetic language. There are, doubtless, doctrines involved in the sacred poetic compositions, but they are not so much to be learned from the etymological or even conventional sense of individual words, as from the general scope, tenor, and drift of the passage. It is the very essence of poetic genius and inspiration to conceive of things in a mode different from the vulgar reality, and so to represent them in poetic language. Poesy, so to speak, sees things with her own eyes, invests them with her own hues and forms, and exhibits them according to her own fancies. When theology, for her own purposes, becomes interested in these esthetic creations, she must learn to distinguish the shadow from the substance; above all, she must avoid the mistake of regarding an ornament as an essential part of the building; a poetic conception of a thing for the scientific statement of an eternal verity.
(2.) The Hebrew term for “possessed,” , kanah, is a word used, in its various inflections, with a great variety of significations. As usual, these significations are related to each other, and it is, perhaps, impossible at this day to tell which is the original one; nor if we could would it help the matter, for how do we know that the royal poet used the word in that particular sense here? It is just as likely to have been used in a secondary as in a primary sense. The following are some of the meanings given to it in the dictionaries. Gesenius says, “Perhaps the primary idea is to set upright, to erect, kindred with , kun, and , khun; then, to found, to create; to get, to gain, to obtain; to own, to possess: Niphal, to be bought: Hiphil, to sell.” Bagster’s Analyt., “To form, to create; to get, acquire, obtain; to buy, purchase, redeem, possess. Hiphil, to buy.”
As to the nouns derived from it: , kinyan, (Psa 104:24,) is rendered in our version riches, (the lexicons say creatures,) also acquisition, purchase, possession, wealth; , mikneh, purchase, possession, riches, wealth, (but chiefly in cattle;) , miknah, purchase, things purchased, price of purchase, possession. The participle, , koneh, signifies owner, possessor, master, and, some think, creator.
So far as discovered there is no place where this word, ( possessed,) in any of its inflections, necessarily involves the idea of creation proper, as we understand that word. Our translators have very properly avoided giving it that sense in any case. The primary idea was probably, to hold, to contain, which, by an easy transition, as in other tongues, passed over into holding as property, or possessing; only another step takes us to the idea of getting, acquiring; and closely allied to this is that of originating, as our property: that is, as we say, making money, creating wealth. The most frequent use of the term is to express the relation of possessor and possessed, and the translators were probably right in rendering it by that term here. In this book there is no other place where the word could, with any plausibility, be translated by the verb create. Who would think of rendering Pro 4:7: Create wisdom, and with all thy creating, create understanding? The usus loquendi in this book is wholly against the translation of Pro 8:22, by our verb “created.” Stuart, Zockler, and others contend stoutly for created. In conformity with the remarks above, in (1,) we would not object to it, if the sense and usage of the word by any means required it. But they do not: rather, the reverse. There are terms in the above verses in respect to wisdom which imply and express origination; but it seems fitting that in the setting out the poet should express the idea that wisdom belongs inherently to God. That at the beginning of his creative acts, whenever that was, she was his: yea, and before his most ancient works. Stuart renders the verse thus: “Jehovah created me, the firstling of his way, before his works, long ago.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5) Wisdom Was With God In Creation And Rejoices In The Ongoing Of His Creation ( Pro 8:22-31 ).
Lest we have any doubt about what wisdom Solomon is speaking about he now makes it very clear (as he has indeed in he had in Pro 3:19-20, compare Pro 2:5-11). It is the wisdom and understanding that God used when He created and fashioned the heavens and the earth (Pro 3:19-20). It is God’s wisdom. And this Wisdom, which was necessarily present from eternity (God could never be without wisdom), and which was involved in the fashioning of all that is, is now active among mankind (Pro 8:31).
This passage has been much misused by those who have interpreted Wisdom as representing our Lord, Jesus Christ, but it has been quite apparent throughout this prologue that this Wisdom is an attribute of God, not a personal being. Indeed, Solomon can call it ‘my wisdom’ (Pro 5:1), because God has imparted to him His own wisdom, and its constant paralleling with ‘understanding’, ‘knowledge’ ‘shrewdness’, ‘disciplinary instruction’, and ‘discernment, some of them also personified (Pro 2:11), which is found right from the beginning (Pro 1:2-4) counts very much against it referring to any other than wisdom, albeit God’s wisdom. Furthermore the fact that Wisdom is always presented as a ‘she’ and not as a ‘he’ should settle the matter completely.
In this regard we should notice that there is no suggestion that Wisdom creates or fashions anything. It is YHWH Who creates and fashions. Wisdom is there as a kind of assistant. In contrast it is said of Jesus Christ as the Word that ‘all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made’ (Joh 1:3). He was the Creator, not an assistant.
The subsection is presented chiastically:
A YHWH possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old, I was set up (poured out, woven) from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth was (Pro 8:22-23).
B When there were no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled (or planned), before the hills was I brought forth, while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world (Pro 8:24-26).
C When he established the heavens, I was there, when he set a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above (Pro 8:27-28 a).
B When the fountains of the deep became strong, when he gave to the sea its bound, that the waters should not transgress his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth (Pro 8:28-29).
A Then I was by him constantly (or ‘as a master craftsman’), and I was daily wholly delighting, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his habitable earth, and my delight was with the sons of men (Pro 8:30-31).
Note that in A YHWH possessed wisdom from the beginning, before He began His work of creation, and in the parallel wisdom was with Him continually (or was His master workman), rejoicing in that work of creation. In B her bringing forth was before the waters were brought forth or the earth was planned and made, and in the parallel the waters were brought forth and He marked out the foundations of the earth. Central in C is the establishing of the heavens.
Pro 8:22-23
“YHWH possessed me in the beginning of his way,
Before his works of old,
I was set up (poured out, woven) from everlasting, from the beginning,
Before the earth was.”
Wisdom portrays herself as ‘possessed by YHWH in the beginning of His way, before His works of old’. His ‘works of old’ spoken of here are outlined in Pro 8:27-30 a. Thus from the very beginning, before ever creation took place, YHWH possessed wisdom. This was necessarily so, for YHWH without wisdom is inconceivable. But the aim of the passage is not to inform us about YHWH’s attributes. It is in order to establish the status of wisdom (and in the light of the parallel passage in Pro 3:19-20, the status of understanding and knowledge). Along with God they are eternal, for God is all-wise, all-understanding and all-knowing.
But even while establishing her own status as involved with YHWH from the beginning, Wisdom stresses the pre-eminence of YHWH. For YHWH is the first word in the text, underlining His importance, and is pre-eminent throughout. Thus she says reverently ‘ YHWH possessed me’. He was all-important. She is insistent that what she is must not in any way take our eyes off YHWH.
So the subsection commences here with the Name of YHWH, Who is seen as the Creator and Fashioner of heaven and earth (Pro 8:26-30 a). And it ends with reference to ‘the sons of men’ (Pro 8:31), the climax and aim of YHWH’s creative work, with whom God’s wisdom is to be seen as directly involved (as made clear throughout the prologue). For one of Solomon’s aims is to bring out that wisdom, which is as old as God Himself, and was present with Him with regard to every aspect of creation, is now at work in man bringing him into conformity with God’s ways.
In this passage it is Wisdom who is portrayed as speaking, and she describes herself as ‘possessed’ by YHWH ‘before His works of old’ (portrayed in Pro 8:27-30 a) and ‘from the beginning of His ways’. This was necessarily so, as God could never be, or act, without wisdom. Thus His wisdom was ‘possessed’ and ‘poured forth’ and ‘brought forth’ from of old, from the beginning’. In our terminology Wisdom is eternal (as is understanding), and proceeds forth from God in His creative work.
The attempts to indicate that wisdom had to be created must be firmly resisted. It will be noted that none of the verbs used in Genesis 1 are used of wisdom, and it is certainly not the primary meaning of the verbs used here. What is more, to suggest that God was ever without wisdom would be illogical (if wisdom was created God would need wisdom in order to create it). Solomon’s whole point about wisdom is that it issues forth from God, older than creation itself. It is His wisdom.
The verb rendered ‘possessed’ also means ‘bought, obtained’ (this is its regular meaning in Proverbs – Pro 1:5; Pro 4:5; Pro 4:7; Pro 16:16; Pro 17:16; Pro 18:15; Pro 23:23). It was as a consequence of this latter that it came to mean ‘possessed’, but, as it is quite clear that God neither needed to buy or obtain wisdom, the meaning is clearly ‘possessed’. Using our terms, ‘God was wise from eternity’. This is confirmed in Job 28:20-28. ‘From where does wisdom come, and where is the place of understanding? — then (while creating) did He see it and declare it, He established it, yes, and searched it out. And to man He said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil, that is understanding.’ Here Job portrays God as seeing and searching out an already existing wisdom during His activity in creation. He then also significantly relates that wisdom to the fear of the Lord, linking God’s wisdom and understanding in creation with His wisdom and understanding imparted to man, which is Solomon’s idea also.
The root meaning of the verb rendered ‘set up’, is ‘poured out’, and it is the latter which fits better with the parallel ‘brought forth’ (Pro 8:24-25). It is a vivid way of saying that wisdom came forth from God, that is, that God acted in wisdom.
Pro 8:24-26
“When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
When there were no springs 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 beginning of the dust of the world.”
Solomon is not here saying that wisdom was created prior to anything else, indeed the very verb ‘brought forth’, indicating birth not creation, militates against that. The point is that God ‘brought forth’ wisdom from Himself, a wisdom that He already possessed. It was an essential part of what God is. Then He exercised that wisdom in the creation of the world. So important is wisdom that it existed prior to all things.
The importance of water to mankind is brought out in that it is His first-mentioned creation. He created the depths (Pro 3:20; Gen 1:2) and the springs which abound with water and enable the growth of vegetation and the satisfaction of man’s thirst. They are essential to man’s very existence. He also created the mountains and hills, the earth and the fields (the countryside), the last named being the source of man’s provision.
‘Nor the beginning of the dust of the world’ The dust of the world was important because from it God formed man (Gen 2:7; Gen 3:19). This ties in with the later order, waters, foundations of the earth, man (Pro 8:29-30 a).
Pro 8:27-28
“When he established the heavens, I was there,
When he marked out a circle on the face of the deep,
When he made firm the skies above,
When the fountains of the deep became strong,
Wisdom now turns her thought to the heavens. She was there, and therefore in use, when YHWH established the heavens, and when He made firm the skies above. Through His wisdom the heavens were established, and therefore made secure in their place. Through His wisdom the skies were made firm above. Man has thus no fear of the sky falling in on him. Indeed when such does happen it will be a sign of the end of time (Rev 6:13). Here was a sign of God’s wisdom.
The ‘circle on the face of the deep’ probably refers to what man sees as he looks to the horizons, land surrounded by water. It was established when the seas were thrust back and dry land appeared (Gen 1:9-10; Job 26:10; Isa 40:22). That this is the meaning comes out in that it is in contrast to the establishment of the heavens, and parallels the fountains of the deep becoming strong. YHWH pushed back the deep in order to provide a place for man to dwell in, another sign of His wisdom. This militates against the idea that the circle refers to ‘the vault of heaven’ as suggested by some, for this would not fit in with the parallel or with the contrasts. ‘When the fountains of the deep became strong’ contrasts with the ‘making firm of the skies above’, and this suggests that it means that the deeps were allotted, and firmly settled in, their own fixed place, just as the skies above were. That was when ‘He gave to the sea (and waters) its bound’ (Pro 8:29). They only broke those bounds once, and that was at the Flood (Gen 7:11), an experience that God promised would never be repeated (Gen 8:21).
Pro 8:29-30
When he decreed to the sea its bound,
That the waters should not transgress his commandment,
When he marked out the foundations of the earth,
Then I was by him constantly (or ‘as a master craftsman’,
YHWH’s sovereignty and wisdom was involved in His making a decree, giving the sea its bound, in order that the waters ‘might not transgress His commandments’ (literally ‘might not go beyond His mouth’). They may at times be unruly and fierce, but they are restrained for the benefit of man, and limited in what they can do. As Job points out, God says to them ‘here shall you come and no further’ (Job 38:11). Here was another example of His wisdom.
As YHWH had ‘marked out a circle on the face of the deep’ (Pro 8:27 b), now He ‘marks out the foundations of the earth’. All was determined by His wisdom who was there with him, either ‘constantly’ (compare ‘daily’, ‘always before Him’ in Pro 8:30 b, c) or ‘as a kind of master craftsman’ (or should we say craftswoman). For these alternatives see note below. If we take the latter as correct (see below) it must not be overplayed. It is highly figurative. There is no hint in the narrative that wisdom actually directly participated in creation. She was rather with God as an attribute of His as He Himself created. In other words all was planned and ordered by God’s wisdom.
The ‘foundations of the earth’ is a vague term indicating what man saw below him. He knew that the earth was firmly established on ‘foundations’, because he saw a firm earth below him, but he did not speculate about what those foundations consisted of (compare Deu 32:22; 2Sa 22:16) Note also that in 2Sa 22:8 heaven was also seen as having ‘foundations’, something even more figurative. He could have asked with Job, ‘on what were the foundations of the earth fastened?’ (Job 38:6), expecting the answer, ‘we do not know, only God knows’. To speak of foundations was a description of what he saw and experienced, (just as we speak of the sun rising and setting), not an attempt at a scientific reconstruction.
Note on The Translation Of ’amown.
There is disagreement about whether we should translate ’amown as ‘continually’, or as ‘master workman/craftsman’ (RV; NIV), or as ‘one brought up with Him’ (AV). The word only occurs in one other place and that is in Jer 52:15 where its meaning is also in doubt (but there it is with the definite article).
In this regard we should note that the description of Wisdom as a master craftsman or workman would, in fact, come in unexpectedly here, for all through the passage creation has been seen as the work of YHWH (Pro 8:26-30 a), not of Wisdom. Wisdom has rather been seen as alongside Him as an attribute, as something ‘possessed’, ‘poured out’, ‘brought forth’. She has been a personified attribute which was there from the beginning. Indeed, in Pro 3:19-20, where the same idea is in mind, Wisdom is specifically paralleled with Understanding and Knowledge in the fashioning of creation, and as therefore being one of YHWH’s attributes used in the work of fashioning His creation.
The truth, therefore, is that the meaning of ’amown (’mwn) is in doubt. As stated above it is found only once elsewhere, in Jer 52:15, and there it is with the article (ha ’amown). But its meaning there is also in doubt. Indeed, there we would expect it to be a collective noun and AV/RV translate as ‘multitude’ because the parallel passage in 2Ki 25:11 has he hamon (‘multitude’). Some therefore see ha ’amown in Jer 52:15 as a by-form of he hamon. This is all the more so as in 2Ki 24:14; 2Ki 24:16 we do find ‘artisans, craftsmen’ mentioned as hecharas, so that if 2Ki 25:11 had referred to craftsmen we would have expected hecharas to be used.
In Son 7:1 a similar word, ’amman (’mmn), does mean craftsman, but it is unique (and it lacks the waw). A possible alternative ha ’omen (’mn) can mean a keeper/nursing-father (Num 11:12) or in the plural keepers/bringers up (ha ’omenim – 2Ki 10:1) of children. (Thus the AV’s ‘then I was by Him as one brought up with Him’). But if that was in mind here we might have expected a feminine form because Wisdom is feminine.
However, elsewhere ’amen (’mn) means ‘surely’, and therefore ‘faithfully, continually’ (from the verb ’mn – ‘to be sure, reliable’), and ‘continually’ fits well in the context here, paralleling ‘daily and ‘always’. This translation therefore would tie in well with the context, and must possibly be preferred.
In the end, the truth is that we are not sure of the meaning of ’amown, and the wisest thing therefore is to translate it in such a way that it is not influential on the meaning of the whole passage.
End of note.
Pro 8:30-31
And I was daily wholly delighting,
Rejoicing always before him,
Rejoicing in his habitable earth,
And my delight was with the sons of men.”
‘I was daily wholly delighting.’ This is literally, ‘daily I was delights’. So Wisdom is declaring that daily she ‘was delights’, that is, that day by day she was ‘wholly delighting’ as YHWH continued His work of creating (day by day possibly reflecting Genesis 1). In other words that she wholly approved of, and was thoroughly pleased with, all that YHWH had done and was doing. She was wholly in alignment with YHWH and His activities as just described. In her view they were in accordance with wisdom.
She rejoiced ‘in His presence’ (‘before Him’) always. She was wholly in accord with Him. To put it more mundanely God’s wisdom approved of what God had done. And especially and continually she ‘rejoiced in His habitable earth’, the place that He had made for men to dwell in, for her delight was especially with the sons of men. They were the final pinnacle of God’s wisdom as revealed in creation. This was a powerful way of saying that all that YHWH had done was wise, and especially His creation of the sons of men who could participate in His wisdom (by hearing Solomon’s words).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Wisdom’s Divine Characteristics are Reflected in Creation – Not only can we find wisdom’s characteristics reflected in the lives of people, but we can find it in God’s Creation. Pro 8:22-31 deals with the eternal nature of wisdom. We are told of its eternal power (Pro 8:22-26) as well as its divine characteristic as godhead (Pro 8:27-31). These two aspects of God’s divine character are also mentioned in Rom 1:19-20.
Rom 1:19-20, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
First, the testimony of creation reveals that God is all-powerful and eternal because wisdom existed before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Secondly, the testimony of creation reveals that there is a God who is overseeing His creation as the Godhead. The amazing intricacies of nature tell us that creation has a purpose and a divine Creator who is intervening in His creation to insure that it fulfills its purpose.
In the story of creation (Gen 1:1 to Gen 2:3), we have the testimony of the Father’s role as the One who has planned all things. We have the testimony of the Son’s role in Joh 1:1-14 as the Word of God. In this passage in Pro 8:22-31, we have the testimony of the Holy Spirit in creation as the Wisdom and Power of God. Thus, Moses, the author of Genesis, received the greatest revelation of the Father regarding His role in creation, while John the apostle, the author of the Gospel of John, received the greatest revelation of Jesus regarding His role in creation. Solomon, the author of Proverbs, received the greatest revelation of the Holy Spirit regarding His role in creation. Note that the book of Genesis is the foundational book of the Old Testament while the book of John is the foundational book of the New Testament.
The verses in Pro 8:22-26 refer to a time before the heavens and the earth were created, back to the beginning of God’s “way.” In Pro 8:27-28 we see a reference to the first two days of creation as the passage contrasts the height and depth of God’s creation as He establishes the heavens and the earth. Then in Pro 8:29, wisdom refers to the third day of creation in which the land was divided from the sea. In Pro 8:30-31, we see a reference to the fourth, fifth and sixth days of creation in which God made all the living creatures.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. Its Eternal Power Pro 8:22-26
2. Its Divine Godhead Pro 8:27-31
Pro 8:22-26 The Testimony of Wisdom’s Eternal Power We find from Pro 8:22-26 that wisdom is eternal, existing before the worlds were made. We are told that there was a time when the heavens and earth did not exist, an era before they were created. Therefore, according to the book of Proverbs, wisdom existed with God before He began to create anything. When God created, He did so with wisdom by His side (Pro 8:30).
The YLT translates this passage in Proverbs to state that there were former states of the earth, “Jehovah possessed me–the beginning of His way, Before His works since then. From the age I was anointed, from the first, From former states of the earth .” (Pro 8:22-23)
The NIV reads, “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began .” (Pro 8:22-23)
References to the Dimensions of Time and Space Pro 8:22-23 refers to wisdom’s role before God created the dimension of time, while Pro 8:24-26 refers to wisdom’s role before God created the dimension of space.
Pro 8:27-31 The Testimony of Wisdom’s Divine Nature as Godhead – It was by wisdom that God created the heavens and the earth. The fact that wisdom was with God in the process of creation supports the fact that God is still overseeing His creation. Thus, wisdom is a part of the Godhead.
In Pro 8:27-28 we see a reference to the first two days of creation as the passage contrasts the height and depth of God’s creation as He establishes the heavens and the earth. Then in Pro 8:29, wisdom refers to the third day of creation in which the land was divided from the sea. In Pro 8:30-31, we see a reference to the fourth, fifth and sixth days of creation in which God made all the living creatures.
Pro 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
Pro 8:29
Gen 1:9-10, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
Pro 8:32-36 Choose Life or Death Wisdom has reveals herself in society in the hearts and lives of people (Pro 8:1-21) and she has revealed her eternal power and Godhead in the story of creation (Pro 8:22-31). “Now therefore,” one should heed here call and not reject it (Pro 8:32-36). Based upon these truths set forth by wisdom, everyone has a choice of receiving wisdom and her blessings (Pro 8:32-35) or refusing and being cursed (Pro 8:32).
This passage deals with the blessings of wisdom as well as the consequences of rejecting it. Wisdom gives us a choice because God created man with a free will. In contrast, the adulteress presses her victims in order to avoid giving them a choice. This passage tells us that when man hears the voice of wisdom, he must make a choice whether to accept it or to reject it. He cannot remain neutral. In a similar way, just before the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land, Moses set before them the choice of life or death (Deu 30:15).
Deu 30:15, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;”
Pro 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Pro 8:32
Based upon these truths set forth by wisdom, everyone has a choice of receiving wisdom and her blessings (Pro 8:32-35) or refusing and being cursed (Pro 8:32).
Pro 8:32 Comments – Wisdom will lead us into a path that is a part of God’s overall divine plan for the redemption of mankind.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Origins and the Blessings of the Personal Wisdom
v. 22. The Lord possessed Me, v. 23. I was set up from everlasting, v. 24. When there were no depths, I was brought forth, v. 25. Before the mountains were settled, v. 26. while as yet He had not made the earth nor the flelds, v. 27. When He prepared the heavens, I was there; when He set a compass upon the face of the depth, v. 28. when He established the clouds above, v. 29. when He gave to the sea His decree, v. 30. then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him, v. 31. rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth, v. 32. Now, therefore, hearken unto Me, O ye children; for blessed are they that keep My ways, v. 33. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not, v. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth Me, v. 35. For whoso findeth Me findeth life, v. 36. But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 8:22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning All this, says Calmet, respects the Eternal Wisdom, the Word of the Father. This verse is very similar to Joh 1:1. The LXX render it, He created me the beginning of his ways; which many interpreters refer to the Incarnate wisdom. The word which Calmet renders, from the LXX, created, is , which may certainly as well signify, agreeably to the Hebrew and Aquila, He possessed, or established, or ordained, or created.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
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; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
In these few verses are contained very many of the most sublime truths of the gospel, if we consider (as I have been all along considering through the chapter), that it is Jesus as Mediator, God and man in one person, here speaking to his church of himself and of his Father. In this sense Christ was as indeed possessed, set up, constituted and determined upon in the beginning of his ways. Set up secretly, not as yet openly to the church, but secretly in the divine decrees. And set up, not as God only, for then in this case the expression would not be suited to the divine nature, for how can God be said to be set up, who inhabiteth eternity. Neither as man only, for how could man be set up as man from everlasting. But in both natures as God-man Mediator he might be said to be set up, and possessed in the divine mind from all eternity. And in this sense also Christ might be said to be set up as the Wisdom-Christ, the pattern and sampler of the future creation of man. Paul, speaking to the same effect saith, that he is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. Col 1:15 Intimating that though there is nothing visible in God, yet there was an holy thing, so called, Luk 1:35 , to be openly born in after ages, which subsisted in the Son of God; and in this union of character, the Wisdom-Mediator elect stood by, when there were no depths, nor fountains abounding with water, and before an atom of the dust of the world was made. And in this sense also the expression as one brought up with him, is plain and intelligible. For the sacred persons of the God-head had not then gone forth in acts of creation. The Son of God had not then taken into union with himself the manhood. But the contemplation of the future event of this mysterious union with, all the blessed consequences of it, in the glories of the Mediator, and Jehovah’s glory in him, together with all the salvation of his church; these made the Mediator Jehovah’s delight, and the Mediator’s delights were in contemplating his love and duty to his Father in redemption-work, and the final happiness of his church, thus rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and his delights were with the sons of men: The same word rendered brought up in this chapter, is in the book of the Canticles, (Son 7:1 ) translated cunning workmen; meaning, jointly concerned in the works of creation, redemption, providence, and grace. As one brought up with him; wrapt up in the very bosom of the Father, embosomed, if the expression be allowable. So that there are two most blessed and glorious truths here contained. The sacred persons were unceasingly enjoying and solacing themselves in one another. This is one sweet thought. And the other is, that one, of their enjoyments arose from the salvation they had determined for our nature: I was daily his delight, said Jesus; and my delights were with the sons of men.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Ver. 22. The Lord possessed me. ] Not created me, a as the Arians out of the Septuagint pressed it, to prove Christ a creature.
Before his works of old.
a .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 8:22-31
God’s Relationship to Wisdom (Pro 8:22-31):
“Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before 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 beginning of the dust of the world” (8:22-26). Wisdom has ever been (everlasting). Jehovah possessed wisdom before the world was even created. Before there was fountains of water, mountains, hills, the earth and its fields wisdom was. Before any part of the dust of the world was made wisdom existed. Wisdom is identified as being “everlasting” as is the Lord Jesus Christ (see Joh 1:1 ff). The identity of wisdom is prudence, discretion, righteousness, justice, and the fear of Jehovah. These principles were established with the Lord before the creation. Thereby the apostle Paul could refer to these eternal principles as a standard that must be met for one to be considered saved from the eternal wrath of God (see Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:3 ff).
“When he established the heavens, I was there: when he set a circle upon the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the deep became strong, when he gave to the sea its bound, that the waters should not transgress his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth; then I was by him, as a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his habitable earth; and my delight was with the sons of men” (Pro 8:27-31). Wisdom stood beside Jehovah as He established the heavens and set a “circle upon the face of the deep.” Isa 40:22 speaks of Jehovah sitting above the “circle of the earth” which indicates an early divine understanding of the shape of the earth. Here; the “circle” is not the earth as a whole but the confining of the waters upon the earth as is commented on at Job 26:10. Wisdom was by Jehovah as a “master workman” (i.e., she was involved in the creative process). Wisdom was Jehovah’s daily delight and wisdom’s delight was Jehovah. Man too delighted in wisdom.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Finding Wisdom, Finding Life
Pro 8:22-36
The world did not come into being by chance. It was created by an intelligent Creator. Nothing is arbitrary or by accident. Law is the expression of the perfect will of God. It is founded on the inherent necessity which is at the heart of all things; and it is according to unchanging law that all things subsist. Yet never forget that God is Redeemer, as well as Creator, and reserves to Himself the right of suffering the infliction of a broken law, that He may step in to redeem those who are penitent and believing.
It would seem as if in Luk 7:35 our Lord appropriated these sublime words as applicable to Himself. How glorious it is that He appropriates Pro 8:31! He does not delight in us after we are redeemed, but before; and it is on this that He bases His appeal: Blessed are they that keep My ways, Pro 8:32. Let us watch daily at His gates, and wait at the posts of His doors. For to find Him is to find eternal life, 1Jn 4:19.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
The Lord possessed me
That wisdom is more than the personification of an attribute of God, or of the will of God as best for man, but is a distinct adumbration of Christ, is sure to the devout mind. Pro 8:22-36; Joh 1:1-3; Col 1:17 can refer to nothing less than the Eternal Son of God.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Pro 3:19, Joh 1:1, Joh 1:2, Col 1:17
Reciprocal: Gen 1:1 – beginning Job 15:7 – or wast thou Job 28:27 – he prepared it Job 38:4 – Where Psa 93:2 – Thy Psa 104:24 – in wisdom Psa 136:5 – General Mic 5:2 – whose Joh 1:15 – he was Joh 5:20 – and showeth Joh 8:58 – Before Joh 17:5 – glorify 1Co 1:24 – the wisdom Heb 1:2 – by whom 1Jo 1:1 – That which 1Jo 1:2 – which was Rev 14:7 – worship
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 8:22-26. The Lord possessed me As his eternal Wisdom and Word, which was in the beginning with him, Joh 1:1, and in him, Joh 14:10, and was afterward made flesh, and dwelt among men, as the only begotten of the Father, full of truth and grace, Joh 1:14. Before his works of old His works of creation, as it follows. He is before all things, says the apostle, and by him all things consist, Col 1:17. I had glory with the Father, says this eternal wisdom, before the world was, Joh 17:5. I was set up from everlasting Hebrew, , I was anointed, ordained, or constituted, to be the person by whom the Father resolved to do all his works, first to create, and then to uphold, and govern, and judge, and afterward to redeem and save the world; all which works are particularly ascribed to the Son of God, as is manifest from Joh 1:1, &c.; Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:3, and many other places. From the beginning Before which there was nothing but a vast eternity; or ever the earth was Which he mentions, because this, together with the heaven, was the first of Gods visible works. When there were no depths No abyss or deep waters, either mixed with the earth, as they were at first, or separated from it; I was brought forth Begotten of my Father. Before the mountains were settled Or fixed by the roots in the earth. While as yet he had not made the earth That is, the dry land, called earth, after it was separated from the waters, Gen 1:10. Nor the fields The plain and open parts of the earth, distinguished from the mountains and hills, and the valleys enclosed between them; nor the highest part Hebrew, the head; the first part, or beginning; or, the best part; that which exceeds other parts in riches or fruitfulness; which he seems to distinguish from the common fields. Of the dust of the world Of this lower part of the world, which consists of dust.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, {k} before his works of old.
(k) He declares by this the divinity and eternity of this wisdom, which he magnifies and praises through this book: meaning by this the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ our Saviour, whom John calls the Word that was in the beginning Joh 1:1.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Wisdom and creation 8:22-31
As Creator, God counted wisdom most important. Wisdom is older than the universe, and it was essential in its creation. Nothing came into existence without wisdom. Wisdom leads to joy because creation produces joy (Pro 8:30-31) both for the Creator and for the creature. God made and did nothing without wisdom. Therefore it is very important that we obtain it. That is the point.
"What has the voice of wisdom to say concerning the integration debate in Christian counseling? The wisdom literature of the Old Testament invites the study of human nature, behavior, and change from sources outside the canon of Scripture as well as in Scripture itself. Wisdom also exemplifies the use of methods that neither emerge exegetically from the Bible nor utilize the words of Scripture itself. Even when Scripture is used, wisdom often dictates which texts are most appropriate for a given situation and how application needs to take shape. At the same time, wise counselors recognize that the Bible is the only perfect authority for guiding faith and practice. Since the essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, a heart of adoration and submission to God is the foundation for skillful living, especially in the face of life’s most severe experiences. Not only in counseling, but in all aspects of life, wisdom calls for a deeper reverence for God in conforming one’s life to the Creator’s design." [Note: John W. Hilber, "Old Testament Wisdom and the Integration Debate in Christian Counseling," Bibliotheca Sacra 155:620 (October-December 1998):422.]
"The beginning of God’s way" (Pro 8:22) probably refers to the beginning of His creative work (Genesis 1), since that is what Solomon described in the verses that follow. [Note: See Hans-Jurgen Hermission, "Observations on the Creation Theology in Wisdom," in Israelite Wisdom: Theological and Literary Essays in Honor of Samuel Terrien, pp. 43-47, 54-55.] Wisdom always existed as an attribute of God. [Note: William A. Irwin, "Where Shall Wisdom Be Found?" Journal of Biblical Literature 80 (1961):142.] Pro 8:30 pictures wisdom as God’s constant and intimate companion. As such we should value it highly. One writer concluded that wisdom is a link or bond between the Creator and His creation. [Note: R. B. Y. Scott, "Wisdom in Creation: The ’AMON of Proverbs VII 30," Vetus Testamentum 10 (1960):211-23.]