Proverbs 8:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.

NIV: "The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;

NASB: 'The Lord created me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

CSB: "The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his creation, before his works of long ago.

NLT: 'The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.

KJV: The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

NKJV: “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

Wisdom is an essential part of Who God is, so wisdom existed before God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The Lord's display of wisdom is clearly seen in creation, identified here as "the first" thing He created. This passage celebrates the eternal and fundamental truth of godly wisdom.

In His answer to Job (Job 38—41), the Lord clearly referred to His creative wisdom. He also connected that attribute to His initial creation of the world. He laid the earth's foundations (Job 38:4–6). He created the sea and clouds (Job 38:8–11); light and darkness (Job 38:12–21); snow, hail, and rain (Job 38:22–30); stars (Job 38:31–33); animals and birds (Job 38:39—41:34).

When the apostle Paul walked through Athens, he was greatly disturbed by the ignorance of supposedly wise philosophers. They had erected idols everywhere (Acts 17:16). When he had opportunity to address those philosophers, Paul identified the only wise God and referred to His creative power. Paul told the Athenians he had observed the objects of their worship as he passed through the city. He had observed an altar to the unknown god, who he proclaimed as "the God who made the world and everything in it" (Acts 17:24). Only God had the wisdom to create all things!

Proverbs 8:22–31 pays tribute to wisdom as having existed from the very beginning of beginnings. In this chapter, wisdom speaks as a woman, in a poetic style used by Solomon. Since the wisdom in question is godly truth, rooted in the knowledge and nature of God, that wisdom predates the creation of the world and everything in it. Like God's goodness and justice, His wisdom has always been part of who He is and how He creates.

In this passage, wisdom is once again imagined as a woman who cries out to be heard (Proverbs 1:20–21). Wisdom extols her own truth and value. Wisdom was part of God's creative power long before even the creation of the universe. The chapter again returns to the many benefits of godly wisdom, before completing those declarations at the start of the next chapter.

Thus far in Proverbs, Solomon has spoken about the virtues of wisdom and the need to acquire it and live by it. He has also warned about the dangers of rejecting wisdom. Chapter 7 ended with a description of a promiscuous woman seducing a foolish young man. Now, in chapter 8, he lets wisdom speak, once again personified as a woman. She speaks about her existence before creation and her gift of life to all who find her. This analogy continues into chapter 9.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.