The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. "Possessed me" х qaanaaniy (H7069)]. The Septuagint translates it 'created me' [ektise me]: so the Chaldaic, Arabic, and Syriac. This has been made an argument by Arians to prove that Christ is but a creature. But the Vulgate supports the English version. The Christian fathers generally understand this passage of the humanity of Christ. The Lord created me, in respect to my humanity (i:e., in His predestined purpose), in the beginning of His way - i:e., of His work of creation: Christ's predestined humanity was the meritorious cause, the archetype, and final cause of all God's works. But the parallel (John 1:1-3) makes it more likely that Christ is here viewed, not in His predestined humanity, but in His uncreated essence as the Word eternally with God. "The Lord possessed me" - namely, by the right of paternity, as the same Hebrew word, "gotten" or "possessed," is used in Genesis 4:1 - "I have gotten a man" - namely, by parentage.
This is confirmed by Proverbs 8:24-25, "I was brought forth" or "begotten;" and Psalms 2:7, "Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee." Micah 5:2, He shall come forth unto me, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Paternity is expressed by the same Hebrew word, Deuteronomy 32:6, "Is not He the Father that hath bought," or rather, 'possessed thee'-namely, by spiritual as well as creative and national generation. The "beginning of God's way" is that time when first God passed from His inscrutable way to active operation. The first of "His ways" (Isaiah 55:8) was creation. The Word was with God already, as "possessed" by the Father from eternity, and did not then first begin to be "in the beginning" (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1) of creation. Nay, He was Himself "the Beginning of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14). Indeed, as there is no "in" before "the beginning of His way" in the Hebrew, it is most likely that the Son is here termed х ree'shiyt (H7225)] the "beginning of His way," in the same sense as in Revelation 3:14 and Colossians 1:15, "the First-born of every creature" (see notes on both passages) - namely, not as if He were the first created, but the Beginner of all creation; its originating instrument, prior to it, and possessing superlative dignity above it; the Archetype from everlasting of that creation which was in due time to be created by Him.
Before his works of old. "Before" х qedem (H6924)] - literally, '(in) priority to His works from then' х mee'aaz (H227)], (Psalms 93:2, margin) The Hebrew for "before," or priority, is the same as is translated "eternal" in Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God," the God of antiquity or anteity. It is explained in Proverbs 8:23, "or (i:e., before) ever the earth was."