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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8: Wisdom's public call and her account of being with the Lord before the earth

General context

The chapter opens with a question, whether wisdom does not cry and understanding put forth her voice, and places her at the top of high places, by the way, at the gates and at the entry of the city. From verse 4 she speaks in the first person for the rest of the chapter. She calls to men, to the simple and to fools, and says her mouth speaks truth and her words are plain to those who understand. She tells the hearer to receive her instruction rather than silver, since wisdom is better than rubies. She says she dwells with prudence, that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and that by her kings reign and princes decree justice. She loves those who love her, riches and honour are with her, her fruit is better than gold, and she leads in the way of righteousness so that those who love her inherit substance. She then says the Lord possessed her in the beginning of his way, before his works of old; she was set up from everlasting and brought forth when there were no depths, before the mountains and hills. When he prepared the heavens, set a compass on the depth, established the clouds and gave the sea its decree, she was there, by him, as one brought up with him, daily his delight, rejoicing before him, with her delights among the sons of men. She closes by calling the children to hearken, blessing those who keep her ways and watch daily at her gates, and saying that whoever finds her finds life and favour of the Lord, while whoever sins against her wrongs his own soul, and all who hate her love death.

Cited passages: Proverbs 8:1, Proverbs 8:2, Proverbs 8:3, Proverbs 8:4, Proverbs 8:5, Proverbs 8:7, Proverbs 8:9, Proverbs 8:10, Proverbs 8:11, Proverbs 8:12, Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 8:14, Proverbs 8:15, Proverbs 8:16, Proverbs 8:17, Proverbs 8:18, Proverbs 8:19, Proverbs 8:20, Proverbs 8:21, Proverbs 8:22, Proverbs 8:23, Proverbs 8:24, Proverbs 8:25, Proverbs 8:27, Proverbs 8:29, Proverbs 8:30, Proverbs 8:31, Proverbs 8:32, Proverbs 8:34, Proverbs 8:35, Proverbs 8:36

Proverbs 8 (KJV)

1Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?

2She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

3She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

4Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.

5O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

6Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.

7For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.

9They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.

10Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

11For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

12I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

13The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

14Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

15By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

16By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

17I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

18Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

19My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

20I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

21That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

22The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

23I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

24When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

25Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

26While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

27When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

28When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

29When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

30Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

31Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.

32Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

33Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

34Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

35For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.

36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

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Historical context

Verses 1 to 3 are the narrator's introduction; everything from verse 4 is Wisdom's own speech, and the claims about kings, riches and creation are hers, in the first person. The chapter presents Wisdom as a personified woman, as chapter 1 did, and does not explain the personification or identify her with any other figure. Her account of origins uses several verbs in the KJV, "possessed me", "set up", "brought forth", and says she was "by him, as one brought up with him"; the text does not define these terms further, and how they relate to one another is left to the reader. She says she was present when the Lord prepared the heavens, set a compass on the depth, established the clouds, strengthened the fountains, gave the sea its decree and appointed the foundations of the earth; the order of these acts in her speech is not presented as a narrative sequence and the chapter does not mention days or stages. Her claim that kings reign "By me" names no king. "The fear of the Lord" is here defined as hating evil, which is a different formulation from 1:7, where it is the beginning of knowledge. The chapter's placement after the strange woman of chapter 7 and before the two houses of chapter 9 is a feature of the text; no chapter states the connection directly.

Cited passages: Proverbs 8:1, Proverbs 8:4, Proverbs 8:22, Proverbs 8:23, Proverbs 8:24, Proverbs 8:30, Proverbs 8:28, Proverbs 8:15, Proverbs 8:13

Literary context

The chapter answers chapter 7 point for point. There a woman met a young man at a corner in the dark and spoke to him alone; here Wisdom stands in the highest and most public places and calls to all men. There the speech began "I have" and offered a bed; here her first line is "Unto you, O men, I call" and she offers instruction better than silver. Wisdom's speech has three movements. First (verses 4 to 21) she describes her words and her gifts, with a cluster of "I" statements: "I wisdom dwell", "do I hate", "I am understanding", "I love", "I lead". Second (verses 22 to 31) she describes her origin, using a chain of "When" and "Before" clauses around the refrains "I was brought forth" and "I was there", resolved in "Then I was by him", so that the sentence structure itself waits through the making of heavens, depths, mountains and sea. The passage ends with the words "rejoicing", "delight" and "delights", the only place in these chapters where Wisdom speaks of her own rejoicing. Third (verses 32 to 36) she returns to instruction with "Now therefore", a double "Blessed", and a closing antithesis of life and death. The valuation of wisdom above silver, gold and rubies closely repeats 3:14 and 15, and the image of watching at her gates and doors picks up the gates and doors of verse 3.

Cited passages: Proverbs 8:2, Proverbs 8:4, Proverbs 8:10, Proverbs 8:12, Proverbs 8:17, Proverbs 8:25, Proverbs 8:27, Proverbs 8:30, Proverbs 8:31, Proverbs 8:32, Proverbs 8:34, Proverbs 8:36, Proverbs 8:11

Key moments

  1. Wisdom at the gates (Proverbs 8:3). The narrator places Wisdom crying out at the gates and the entry of the city.
  2. Her call to all men (Proverbs 8:4). Wisdom begins her own speech by calling to men and the sons of man.
  3. Instruction rather than silver (Proverbs 8:10). She tells hearers to receive her instruction instead of silver and gold.
  4. By me kings reign (Proverbs 8:15). Wisdom claims that kings reign and princes decree justice by her.
  5. Before his works of old (Proverbs 8:22). Wisdom says the Lord possessed her in the beginning of his way.
  6. Daily his delight (Proverbs 8:30). She says she was by the Lord as one brought up with him, rejoicing before him.
  7. Life or death (Proverbs 8:35). Whoever finds Wisdom finds life; whoever hates her loves death.

For reflection

Wisdom says she was daily the Lord's delight and that her delights were with the sons of men. What does it mean for the chapter's call to the simple and to fools that the one calling them describes herself as rejoicing?