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NASB | Proverbs 8:22 ¶ "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Proverbs 8:22 ¶ "The LORD created and possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old [were accomplished]. |
Subject: What or whom is Prov 8:22 referring to? |
Bible Note: Elijah, this passage does not refer to Jesus. Such an interpretation not only violates the context of the Book of Proverbs, it also violates the whole of Scripture. Note that the first nine chapters of Proverbs deal with wisdom personified. A personification is a rhetorical figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form. In Proverbs 1-9, wisdom is figuratively endowed with human qualities. With this in mind, it is critical to discern that there is no indication in the text that Proverbs 8 should be taken any differently than chapters 1-7 and 9.. This being so, if we take Proverbs 8:22 to be speaking literally about Christ, we must also assume that Christ is a woman crying in the streets (1:20,21) who lives with someone named "Prudence" (8:12)!! Proverbs 1-9 makes absolutely no sense if one tries to read Christ into the text. I have come to the conclusion that Proverbs 8:22-23 is simply speaking metaphorically of God's eternal wisdom and how it was "brought forth" (v. 24) to take part in the creation of the universe. Proverbs 8 is not saying that wisdom came into being at a point in time (for God has always had wisdom). And it certainly is not saying that Jesus is a created being since the passage is not dealing with Jesus but with wisdom personified. |