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PROVERBS 8:1-36
PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
| NASB | NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB (MT versing) |
| The Commendation of Wisdom | The Excellence of Wisdom | Lady Wisdom | In Praise of Wisdom | Wisdom Speaks Again |
| 8:1-11 (1-11) |
8:1-11 (1-11) |
8:1-31 (1-31) |
8:1-10 (1-10) |
8:1-11 (1-11) |
| 8:11-21 (11-21) |
Wisdom Sings Her Own Praises. Wisdom, the Guide of Kings | |||
| 8:12-21 (12-21) |
8:12-21 (12-21) |
8:12-21 (12-21) |
||
| Wisdom As Creator | ||||
| 8:22-31 (22-31) |
8:22-31 (22-31) |
8:22-31 (22-31) |
8:22-31 (22-31) |
|
| The Supreme Invitation | ||||
| 8:32-36 (32-36) |
8:32-36 (32-36) |
8:32-36 (32-36) |
8:32-36 (32-36) |
8:32-36 (32-36) |
READING CYCLE THREE (see
"Bible Interpretation Seminar")
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:1-11
1Does not wisdom call,
And understanding lift up her voice?
2On top of the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3Beside the gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
4"To you, O men, I call,
And my voice is to the sons of men.
5"O naive ones, understand prudence;
And, O fools, understand wisdom.
6Listen, for I will speak noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.
7For my mouth will utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.
9They are all straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
10Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
11For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her."
8:1 "Does not wisdom call. . .lift up her voice" Personified Lady Wisdom (NIDOTTE, vol. 2, pp. 130-133; cf. Prov. 1:20-33) "shouts" (BDB 894, KB 1128, Qal IMPERFECT, NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 208, #2) to men from prominent places. This is in contradistinction from the temptress of Prov. 7:11-12 calling men from hidden places.
8:2-3 "the heights beside the way. . .the gates" Both of these speak of extremely public and prominent places (i.e., the gates of the city, the public square).
8:4 "men. . .sons of men" Two of the three Hebrew words for "man" are used in this passage.
8:5 "naive ones. . .fools" Both the one lacking knowledge (cf. Prov. 1:4) and the one lacking capacity for knowledge are invited to find wisdom (cf. Prov. 1:22,32; 3:35). This is an emphasis on the availability of wisdom to all humans (cf. James 1:5).
8:6-9 "right things" This is literally "straight" (BDB 449). There is a series of words in vv. 6-9 that speak of the Hebrew words for "righteousness" and "sin."
8:6 "Listen" This Qal IMPERATIVE (BDB 1033, KB 1570) occurs often in Proverbs (as well as Psalms and the Prophets). It denotes "hear so as to do" (i.e., Deut. 6:4-6). Wisdom must be received and acted on both initially and throughout the faithful follower's life. Listening precedes knowledge!
8:7 "my mouth will utter. . ." See SPECIAL TOPIC: HUMAN SPEECH.
▣ "truth" This FEMININE NOUN (BDB 54) is from the same root as the VERB "believe, trust, faith, and faithfulness."
SPECIAL TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH, AND FAITHFULNESS (OT)
▣ "abomination" See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 314-318, esp. #4.
8:9 "straightforward" This same root (BDB 647, KB 699) is used in Ps. 51:10.
8:10-11 "knowledge. . .wisdom" There seems to be a distinction between the word "wisdom" (BDB 315) and the word "knowledge" (BDB 395) in the OT.
8:11 "jewels" See full note at Prov. 3:15 or Job 28:18.
▣ "all desirable things cannot compare with her" Character and lifestyle are preferable to possessions.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:12-21
12"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
And I find knowledge and discretion.
13The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
14Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.
15By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17I love those who love me;
And those who diligently seek me will find me.
18Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring wealth and righteousness.
19My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
And my yield better than choicest silver.
20I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries."
8:13 "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" The first lesson of wisdom is the fear of the LORD (cf. Prov. 1:7; 9:10; NIDOTTE, vol. 2, pp. 527-533).
▣ "hate" In both Psalms and Proverbs "love" and "hate" are contrasted.
These are the essence of the "two ways"!
▣ "I hate" YHWH hates (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 390, #5)
Love and hate are human emotions which God uses to help humans understand His character.
SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE USED TO DESCRIBE GOD
SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)
▣ "the evil way" The evil way (cf. Prov. 15:9) is characterized as
There are two ways in the OT—one of life and one of death; one of righteousness and one of evil (cf. Deut. 30:15,19; Psalm 1; Proverbs 1). The emphasis is on lifestyle. The imagery used to describe these two ways of life is "walking in God's well worn wagon tracks" and "deviation from the clearly marked path."
8:14 Personified Lady Wisdom claims things for herself.
Because of this she personifies "understanding" (BDB 108, KB 123).
This is contrasted with the temptress of chapter 7, who offers instant gratification but not a life of peace, joy, health, and success. Only knowing God and walking in His revelation can bring these good things!
8:15-16 Wisdom is crucial for leaders.
There is no godly government without godly persons! Actions, not titles, establish a society.
There is some doubt about how many leaders are referred to (i.e., are #3 and #4 the same people). The UBS Text Project, p. 465, gives the MT a "C" rating (considerable doubt).
It should also be noted that the coming Messiah will rule with wisdom (cf. Isa. 11:1-5). Wisdom is YHWH's own character revealed in the Mosaic covenant, the prophets, and supremely in the Messiah (cf. Matt. 5:17, 20 and 21-48).
8:17 "I love those who love me
And those who diligently seek me will find me" The emphasis is on those who respond to
wisdom's call in vv. 1-4. Wisdom is not hiding; she longs to be found.
8:18 "Riches and honor are with me" When v. 18 is linked with v. 15, an example from the life of Solomon is very appropriate (cf. 1 Kgs. 3:13), but the second half of the verse does not fit him.
Wealth can be a blessing or a curse. Like so many of God's gifts, when they become ultimate, they become evil (see NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 558-561, esp. #7, 8).
8:19 Wisdom is to be preferred to wealth. The classical passage in the Bible on the value of God's truth versus possessions is Ps. 19:7-14.
8:20-21 I hear many teachings and sermons today that emphasize health, wealth, and prosperity but leave off v. 20's insistence of lifestyle covenant obedience. The OT is a performance-based covenant. Israel could never do what was required. The OT became a way to accentuate human sinfulness (cf. Romans 1-3; Galatians 3).
Proverbs 8:21 was meant to be a way to attract the nations to Israel's God but all the nations saw was YHWH's judgment on a disobedient, idolatrous covenant people.
A helpful booklet for me in this area, written by a charismatic, Gordon Fee, is The Disease of the Health, Wealth Gospels. If this is a theological issue for you, I hope you will read this small booklet.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE MOSAIC LAW AND THE CHRISTIAN
SPECIAL TOPIC: PAUL'S VIEWS OF THE MOSAIC LAW
8:20 "paths" This NOUN (BDB 677, KB 732; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 202, #1) is used in the theological sense of lifestyle (cf. Prov. 1:15; 3:17; 7:25; 8:20; 12:28; also note Ps. 119:105; 142:3).
▣ "justice" This term (BDB 1048) is parallel to "righteousness." In Proverbs (i.e., Prov. 1:3; 2:8; 8:20), like Psalm 119, it refers to walking in the way of divine wisdom.
SPECIAL TOPIC: JUDGE, JUDGMENT, and JUSTICE
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:22-31
22"The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23From everlasting I was established,
From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
24When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;
26While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27When He established the heavens, I was there,
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,
29When He set for the sea its boundary
So that the water would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
30Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of men."
8:22 "The Lord possessed me" Proverbs 8:22-31 has been the source of great controversy in the church. This is because wisdom is personified (see G. B. Caird, The Language and Imagery of the Bible, chapter 10, "Anthropomorphism," pp. 172-182) as one of the first of YHWH's creative acts.
In the Targums, the Septuagint, and the Peshitta it is translated "created." However, further linguistic study has shown that this term is used primarily in the sense of "possess" by different means, in this context it is by birth (cf. vv. 24, 25, 30). We are discussing a personification or a hypostasis in the theological setting of strict monotheism.
The VERB (BDB 888, KB 1111, Qal PERFECT) has the basic meaning of "purchase" (cf. Gen. 25:10; Deut. 32:6; Prov. 1:5; 4:5,7; 20:14), but it is used of God creating (cf. Gen. 14:19,22; Ps. 139:13) or possibly "possessing" (there are two VERBS using the same root; this is confirmed in Ugaritic, ANET, pp. 131-132; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 940-941, esp. #3).
8:23-24 "at the beginning. . .depths" Because of the use of these two terms (BDB 869, v. 23; BDB 1067, v, 24) which reminds one of Gen. 1:2, it is obvious that the author is somehow linking wisdom to creation.
8:23 "From everlasting" This is the word 'olam (BDB 761, KB 798). It has several connotations and must be interpreted in a context. Here, it denotes from creation.
SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER ('olam)
| ▣ | |
| NASB, NKJV, Peshitta | "established" |
| NRSV | "set up" |
| TEV | "made" |
| NJB | "firmly set" |
| REB | "formed" |
| JPSOA | "fashioned" |
| LXX | "founded" |
The MT has the root ( BDB 651, KB 703, Niphal PERFECT; NIDOTTE,vol. 3, p. 252, #7) which can mean
It must be remembered that this poem (i.e., vv. 22-31) is primarily about YHWH as creator (vv. 27-29 and v. 30 in NJB). Wisdom is functioning in a literary sense as the term "spirit" in Gen. 1:2. YHWH is the main actor!
8:24-27 "Nor the first dust of the world" Here, the imagery is personified Lady Wisdom. The NT clarifies this; Jesus is the wisdom of God. Jesus was God's agent in creation (cf. Gen. 2:7; John 1:3,10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2). With this truth in mind, Gen. 1:1-2 speaks of all three persons of the Godhead active in creation.
8:24 These two lines of poetry refer to
In Genesis the only thing not spoken into existence is water (i.e., Gen. 1:2).
The VERB (BDB 296, KB 297, Polal PERFECT, cf. v. 25) is birthing imagery of the pain of childbirth (NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 116). It is used here as powerful imagery of YHWH creating the physical planet (cf. Ps. 90:2). It is used of YHWH creating Israel in Deut. 32:18.
8:27 "the heavens" This refers to the atmosphere above the earth.
SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVEN (OT), #1
▣ "a circle on the face of the deep" This verse refers to God's separating the waters (i.e., salt and fresh in Gen. 1:9-10). God set a boundary beyond which the waters may not pass (cf. Job 38:8-11; Ps. 104:9; Prov. 8:29). This shows God's power in creation (NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 40).
8:28 "He made firm the skies above" This refers to ancient imagery which asserted that above the earth there was a bowl or skin stretched over the earth (i.e., the sky).
This verse may be imagery for YHWH controlling both the heavenly waters (from which floods, rain, and snow come) and waters of "the deep," which denotes the rivers and oceans. He controls the limits, boundaries, and actions of both.
8:29 YHWH's control of water is ancient imagery of His power. See John H. Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One;, The Lost World of the Flood and Genesis 1 As Ancient Cosmology. These books have really helped me interpret the biblical account of creation from an ANE worldview.
8:30 "as a master workman" There is much disagreement on the etymology of this word (BDB 54 II, KB 62).
Because of the allusion to "birth" in vv. 22,24,25,30, I believe "little child" fits best (REB). See UBS Text Project, p. 407, which suggests either #1 or #2.
| ▣ | |
| NASB, NKJV, NRSV, JPSOA, LXX, Peshitta | "rejoicing" |
| NJB, REB | "even at play" |
BDB 965, KB 1315, Piel PARTICIPLE (cf. v. 31a) can mean
Note its usage in
8:31 "in the world, His earth" The terms "world" (BDB 385, KB 1682) and "earth" (BDB 75, KB 90) are in a CONSTRUCT form. In a sense they are synonymous (cf. Jer. 10:12; Lam. 4:12). This context is discussing YHWH's creation of this planet with wisdom playing at His feet.
SPECIAL TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH (OT)
▣ "And having my delight in the sons of men" Wisdom is described as playing like a child (cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 728) while YHWH creates. She rejoices in His creation, both in the beauty of the earth and His human creatures. See SPECIAL TOPIC: NATURAL RESOURCES.
Those of us who see this chapter related to Jesus can certainly understand this emphasis.
What does not fit Jesus is Wisdom as the first creation of YHWH nor wisdom as feminine! Jesus is pre-existing, not created (cf. John 1:1,15,30; 8:56-59; 16:28; 17:5,24; 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil 2:6-7; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3; 10:5-9, which quotes Ps. 40:6-8). There has never been a time when the Christ did not exist. The incarnation was the beginning of Christ as an incarnate human. The pre-existence of Jesus presupposes His full Deity (cf. John 1:1,18; 5:18; 8:58; 10:30; 14:9; 17:11; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1). Jesus is fully God and fully human (cf. 1 John 4:1-3).
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE DEITY OF CHRIST FROM THE OT
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 8:32-36
32"Now therefore, O sons, listen to me,
For blessed are they who keep my ways.
33Heed instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34Blessed is the man who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord.
36But he who sins against me injures himself;
All those who hate me love death."
8:32 "Now therefore, O sons, listen to me" Personified Lady Wisdom begins to speak again after the poem of her origin. It must be emphasized that humans must respond to God's wisdom. Not responding is a response! Choices have consequences in time and eternity.
8:34 "Watching daily" The emphasis of biblical knowledge is on daily personal relationship. The imagery of v. 34 is attendance and worship at the Temple.
8:35 "he who finds me finds life" The MT has the PLURAL "those who find me, but the Masoretic scholars suggested the SINGULAR.
The VERB "finds" (BDB 592, KB 619, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) must be understood in light of vv. 1-4, where Lady Wisdom is shouting her truth in the public places. She is not hard to find (v. 17) but when found, one must cling to her, love her, walk in her light. Knowledge brings responsibility!
The phrase denotes the happy, healthy, prosperous result of having wisdom (i.e., Prov. 3:2,13,18; 4:22). Covenant obedience brings peace but also warnings (i.e., Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; 30).
8:36 "But he who sins against me injures himself" We do not break God's commands; we break ourselves on them!
The VERB "sin" (BDB 306, KB 305, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 87-92) basically means "to miss the mark." OT imagery presents YHWH as "straight" (i.e., righteous, BDB 842, KB 1003). He is the standard of evaluation and judgment. Most of the words for "sin" in the OT and NT refer to a deviation from this standard.
The VERB "injures" (BDB 329, KB 329, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) reminds us that sin offends YHWH but also actively causes injuries to ourselves. Judgment is both from God and from life's choices! We reap what we sow (see Gal. 6:7 notes online which has many biblical references to this truth).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
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