Proverbs 8:26-36

8:26 before he made the earth and its fields, ¹ 

or the beginning ²  of the dust of the world.

8:27 When he established the heavens, I was there;

when he marked out the horizon ³  over the face of the deep,

8:28 when he established the clouds above,

when the fountains of the deep grew strong, ⁴ 

8:29 when he gave the sea his decree

that the waters should not pass over his command, ⁵ 

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

8:30 then I was ⁶  beside him as a master craftsman, ⁷ 

and I was his delight ⁸  day by day,

rejoicing before him at all times,

8:31 rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, ⁹ 

and delighting ¹⁰  in its people. ¹¹ 

8:32 “So now, children, ¹²  listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

8:33 Listen to my instruction ¹³  so that you may be wise, ¹⁴ 

and do not neglect it.

8:34 Blessed is the one ¹⁵  who listens to me,

watching ¹⁶  at my doors day by day,

waiting ¹⁷  beside my doorway. ¹⁸ 

8:35 For the one who finds me finds ¹⁹  life

and receives ²⁰  favor from the Lord.

8:36 But the one who does not find me ²¹  brings harm ²²  to himself; ²³ 

all who hate me ²⁴  love death.”

[8:26]  ¹ tn Heb “open places.”

[8:26]  ² tn Here רֹאשׁ (ro’sh) means “beginning” with reference to time (BDB 911 s.v. 4.b).

[8:27]  ³ sn The infinitive construct בְּחוּקוֹ (bÿkhuqo, “to cut; to engrave; to mark”) and the noun חוּג (khug, “horizon; circle”) form a paronomasia in the line.

[8:28]  ⁴ tn To form a better parallel some commentators read this infinitive בַּעֲזוֹז (ba’azoz), “when [they] grew strong,” as a Piel causative, “when he made firm, fixed fast” (cf. NIV “fixed securely”; NLT “established”). But the following verse (“should not pass over”) implies the meaning “grew strong” here.

[8:29]  ⁵ tn Heb “his mouth.”

[8:30]  ⁶ tn The verb form is a preterite with vav consecutive, although it has not been apocopated. It provides the concluding statement for the temporal clauses as well as the parallel to v. 27.

[8:30]  ⁷ tn Critical to the interpretation of this line is the meaning of אָמוֹן (’amon). Several suggestions have been made: “master craftsman” (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV), “nursing child” (cf. NCV), “foster father.” R. B. Y. Scott chooses “faithful” – a binding or living link (“Wisdom in Creation: The ‘Amon of Proverbs 8:30,” VT 10 [1960]: 213-23). The image of a child is consistent with the previous figure of being “given birth to” (vv. 24, 25). However, “craftsman” has the most support (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, Tg. Prov 8:30, Song 7:1; Jer 52:15; also P. W. Skehan, “Structures in Poems on Wisdom: Proverbs 8 and Sirach 24,” CBQ 41 [1979]: 365-79).

[8:30]  ⁸ tn The word is a plural of intensification for “delight”; it describes wisdom as the object of delight. The LXX has the suffix; the Hebrew does not.

[8:31]  ⁹ tn The two words are synonymous in general and so could be taken to express a superlative idea – the “whole world” (cf. NIV, NCV). But תֵּבֵל (tevel) also means the inhabited world, and so the construct may be interpreted as a partitive genitive.

[8:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and my delights” [were] with/in.”

[8:31]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[8:32]  ¹² tn Heb “sons.”

[8:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “discipline.”

[8:33]  ¹⁴ tn The construction uses two imperatives joined with the vav (ו); this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is being expressed.

[8:34]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the man.”

[8:34]  ¹⁶ tn The form לִשְׁקֹד (lishqod) is the infinitive construct serving epexegetically in the sentence. It explains how the person will listen to wisdom.

[8:34]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “keeping” or “guarding.”

[8:34]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “at the posts of my doors” (so KJV, ASV).

[8:35]  ¹⁹ tc The Kethib reads plurals: “those who find me are finders of life”; this is reflected in the LXX and Syriac. But the Qere is singular: “whoever finds me finds life.” The Qere is generally favored as the original reading in such cases as these.

[8:35]  ²⁰ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same nuance as the perfect tense that came before it, setting out the timeless principle.

[8:36]  ²¹ tn Heb “the one sinning [against] me.” The verb חָטָא (khata’, “to sin”) forms a contrast with “find” in the previous verse, and so has its basic meaning of “failing to find, miss.” So it is talking about the one who misses wisdom, as opposed to the one who finds it.

[8:36]  ²² tn The Qal active participle functions verbally here. The word stresses both social and physical harm and violence.

[8:36]  ²³ tn Heb “his soul.”

[8:36]  ²⁴ tn The basic idea of the verb שָׂנֵא (sane’, “to hate”) is that of rejection. Its antonym is also used in the line, “love,” which has the idea of choosing. So not choosing (i.e., hating) wisdom amounts to choosing (i.e., loving) death.