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When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
Proverbs 8:28 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong,
  • BSB when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,
  • NKJV When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
  • NASB When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed,
  • NLT I was there when he set the clouds above, when he established springs deep in the earth.

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 present when God fixed the clouds above and strengthened the springs of the deep. The ordering of the heavens and waters happened in wisdom's presence.

Overview

The poem continues its survey of creation, picturing the clouds above and the fountains of the deep below set in their places. Wisdom is portrayed as present at each stage of this ordering work. The whole passage celebrates that the world was not made haphazardly but by the wise design of God, fulfilled in Christ, who upholds all things by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3).

Cross-references & the web

No cross-references recorded for this verse.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 8:28YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 8:28 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.