When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
Parallel translations
- WEB When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,
- 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 that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
- Job 26:10He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
- Prov 3:19The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
- Ps 136:5To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
- Col 1:16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
- Jer 10:12He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
- Isa 40:11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
- Heb 1:2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
- Ps 33:6By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
- Ps 103:19The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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.