"The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old." (Prov 8:22, KJV)
"The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago." (Prov 8:22, NRSV)
1. Wisdom in Proverbs is personified as a woman, using feminine pronouns. In this very chapter 8, wisdom is referred to with feminine pronouns in vs. 1, 2, 3, 11. One verse refers to wisdom as "sister":
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, (Prov 7:4, NRSV)
*If wisdom is personified as female, wisdom cannot be the male Jesus Christ personified
2. There are 10 quotations from Proverbs in the New Testament and none from chapter 8.
3. Proverbs is poetry, not prose. Poetry has much more figurative speech, and the figures bolder and more imaginative, even gross extravagance if compared to prose. Poetry has license or freedom to depart from customary forms of expression.
4. Wisdom is an attribute of God thus must be eternal as God is eternal, never literally "created" for that would be ridiculous. You cannot have Yahweh existing without wisdom prior to his creating wisdom!
5. Since wisdom is an attribute of Yahweh, it is natural to find the following statements since Jesus Christ is God the Son, Yahweh:
"but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1Cor 1:24, NRSV)
"He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption," (1Cor 1:30, NRSV)
6. Since poetry often is bold and imaginative, the use of "possessed" or "created" is of little importance. But other renderings of qanah in various translations are:
CSB “The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his creation
EXB “The Lord ·begot [or acquired; possessed] me
NIV “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works
TPT “In the beginning I was there, for God possessed me
TLV “Adonai brought me forth, the first of His way
WYC The Lord wielded me in the beginning of his ways
From the 1828 Webster’s “WIELDED, pp. Used with command; managed."
"The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago." (Prov 8:22, NRSV)
1. Wisdom in Proverbs is personified as a woman, using feminine pronouns. In this very chapter 8, wisdom is referred to with feminine pronouns in vs. 1, 2, 3, 11. One verse refers to wisdom as "sister":
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, (Prov 7:4, NRSV)
*If wisdom is personified as female, wisdom cannot be the male Jesus Christ personified
2. There are 10 quotations from Proverbs in the New Testament and none from chapter 8.
3. Proverbs is poetry, not prose. Poetry has much more figurative speech, and the figures bolder and more imaginative, even gross extravagance if compared to prose. Poetry has license or freedom to depart from customary forms of expression.
4. Wisdom is an attribute of God thus must be eternal as God is eternal, never literally "created" for that would be ridiculous. You cannot have Yahweh existing without wisdom prior to his creating wisdom!
5. Since wisdom is an attribute of Yahweh, it is natural to find the following statements since Jesus Christ is God the Son, Yahweh:
"but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1Cor 1:24, NRSV)
"He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption," (1Cor 1:30, NRSV)
6. Since poetry often is bold and imaginative, the use of "possessed" or "created" is of little importance. But other renderings of qanah in various translations are:
CSB “The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his creation
EXB “The Lord ·begot [or acquired; possessed] me
NIV “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works
TPT “In the beginning I was there, for God possessed me
TLV “Adonai brought me forth, the first of His way
WYC The Lord wielded me in the beginning of his ways
From the 1828 Webster’s “WIELDED, pp. Used with command; managed."