When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,
Parallel translations
- KJV When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
- BSB I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
- NKJV When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
- NASB “When He established the heavens, I was there; When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
- NLT I was there when he established the heavens, when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
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
When God established the heavens and set the horizon on the deep, wisdom was there. Wisdom was present and active at the founding of the cosmos.
Overview
Now the passage moves from wisdom's existence before creation to her presence during it. As God established the heavens and inscribed the circle of the horizon, wisdom witnessed and shared in the work. This presence at creation is one reason Christians connect this passage to Christ, by whom all things were made (Hebrews 1:2).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 40:22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;
- Job 26:10He has described a boundary on the surface of the waters, and to the confines of light and darkness.
- Prov 3:19By wisdom Yahweh founded the earth. By understanding, he established the heavens.
- Ps 136:5To him who by understanding made the heavens; for his loving kindness endures forever:
- Col 1:16For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.
- Jer 10:12He has made the earth by his power. he has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding has he stretched out the heavens.
- Isa 40:11He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.
- Heb 1:2has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.
- Ps 33:6By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth.
- Ps 103:19Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
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 8:27 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.