“Yahweh possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.
Parallel translations
- KJV The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
- BSB The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old.
- NKJV “TheLord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.
- NASB ¶“The Lord created me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.
- NLT “The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Wisdom was with Yahweh at the very beginning of his work, before his ancient deeds. Wisdom is no afterthought but stands at the foundation of all God does.
Overview
This begins a majestic passage describing wisdom's primacy in relation to God and creation. The word translated 'possessed' has been understood as 'possessed,' 'created,' or 'brought forth,' and the verse was much debated in the early church regarding Christ. Faithful Christians have long seen here a foreshadowing of Christ, the wisdom of God present at creation (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17), while reading the personification carefully within its Old Testament context.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- John 1:1–2In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Col 1:17He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
- Prov 3:19By wisdom Yahweh founded the earth. By understanding, he established the heavens.
- Ps 104:24Yahweh, how many are your works! In wisdom have you made them all. The earth is full of your riches.
- Job 28:26–28When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 8:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.