5) Wisdom Was With God In Creation And Rejoices In The Ongoing Of His Creation (Proverbs 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 Proverbs 3:19-20, compare Proverbs 2:5-11). It is the wisdom and understanding that God used when He created and fashioned the heavens and the earth (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 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' (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 2:11), which is found right from the beginning (Proverbs 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' (John 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 (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 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.
“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 Proverbs 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 Proverbs 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 (Proverbs 8:26-30 a). And it ends with reference to ‘the sons of men' (Proverbs 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 Proverbs 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 - Proverbs 1:5; Proverbs 4:5; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 16:16; Proverbs 17:16; Proverbs 18:15; Proverbs 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' (Proverbs 8:24-25). It is a vivid way of saying that wisdom came forth from God, that is, that God acted in wisdom.
“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 (Proverbs 3:20; Genesis 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 (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19). This ties in with the later order, waters, foundations of the earth, man (Proverbs 8:29-30 a).
“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 (Revelation 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 (Genesis 1:9-10; Job 26:10; Isaiah 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' (Proverbs 8:29). They only broke those bounds once, and that was at the Flood (Genesis 7:11), an experience that God promised would never be repeated (Genesis 8:21).
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' (Proverbs 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 Proverbs 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 Deuteronomy 32:22; 2 Samuel 22:16) Note also that in 2 Samuel 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 Jeremiah 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 (Proverbs 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 Proverbs 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 Jeremiah 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 2 Kings 25:11 has he hamon (‘multitude'). Some therefore see ha 'amown in Jeremiah 52:15 as a by-form of he hamon. This is all the more so as in 2 Kings 24:14; 2 Kings 24:16 we do find ‘artisans, craftsmen' mentioned as hecharas, so that if 2 Kings 25:11 had referred to craftsmen we would have expected hecharas to be used.
In Song of Solomon 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 (Numbers 11:12) or in the plural keepers/bringers up (ha 'omenim - 2 Kings 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.
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).