22“THE LORD BROUGHT me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
23I was appointed from eternity,
from the beginning, before the world began.
24When there were no oceans, I was given birth,
when there were no springs abounding with water;
25before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26before he made the earth or its fields
or any of the dust of the world.
27I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
32“Now then, my sons, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.
34Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
35For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.
36But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death.”
PERHAPS THE MOST famous portion of the book of Proverbs is the speech personified Wisdom makes in praise of her own antiquity. Although age was more of a sign of wisdom in ancient times than it is now, more than wisdom of years is communicated here. Wisdom’s presence at creation suggests that she knows how the world was put together and therefore knows how it works, inspiring the poetry of later wisdom writers like the son of Sirach. The scene also inspired certain New Testament writers, who found fitting language to describe the exalted Christ, risen from the grave and ascended to the heavens.
Even the most casual reader will notice a shift in topic that marks the second half of Wisdom’s speech in 8:22. (1) It is the only verse in the whole speech to begin with the Hebrew yhwh, placing special emphasis on “the LORD,” who is the main actor in all that follows. Wisdom is happy to say only that she was there when Yahweh made the heavens and the earth.
(2) The scene changes from a description of the present to a recollection of the primeval past. The LXX adds a verse that reads, “If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember also to recount the things of old.” Wisdom takes her listeners back to the dawn of creation to claim that she was a witness to God’s great work of setting out the boundaries of the world. In asserting that she was there first, before any other part of creation, Wisdom continues to establish her credibility; that is, she enhances her authority to speak on behalf of God.1
It is important to keep in mind that the speech moves toward the call to listen in 8:32. More than a recap of 8:6, that final call defines the purpose of the entire speech. Wisdom speaks about her role in the founding and administration of the world so that she can make a claim that sounds like Jesus’ words, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). She states that she should not be ignored, certainly not by those who would reject Yahweh’s way, nor by those who call themselves believers.
The second half of Wisdom’s speech is organized chronologically:
Wisdom was there before anything else (8:22–26)
Wisdom was present when the orders of creation were set in place (8:27–31)
Wisdom is now the one to whom we must listen (8:32–36)
This structure highlights the authority of her ways and words (8:32–33). To ignore them is to hate them, and to hate her is to love death (8:36). Thus both chapters 7 and 8 end with the word “death” (mawet), a bitter frame surrounding the images of creation and life. This second half of Wisdom’s speech also repeats and develops images and themes from 3:13–19. If the first half of that earlier text extolled Wisdom’s worth and rewards (3:13–17; cf. 8:1–21), the second uses images of creation and life (3:18–20; cf. 8:22–36).
Wisdom Was There Before Anything Else (8:22–26)
THE FIRST CHALLENGE to the interpreter is establishing a translation of 8:22, as the NIV footnotes indicate. The first note on 8:22 tells us that “his works” translates literally as “his way,” that is, a course of action, consistent with the use of “way” in Proverbs, which may have the derived sense of divine “dominion.”2 The second note on this verse reflects the decision to translate Hebrew qanani as “brought me forth,” echoing Eve’s words in giving birth to Cain (whose name makes a pun on the word, Gen. 4:1). But the word can also mean “create” (NRSV; cf. Gen. 14:19, 22; Deut. 32:6; Ps. 139:15) or “acquire” (Gen. 25:10; 33:19; Prov. 20:14); this latter meaning is used throughout Proverbs, particularly with reference to acquiring wisdom (4:5, 7; 15:32; 16:16; 17:16; 18:15; 19:8; 23:23).3
By itself, “acquired” can imply that Yahweh acquires Wisdom like a wife or as a preexistent being, neither of which fits the context of creation or later references to Wisdom’s being born. Many interpreters find it theologically problematic that Yahweh would have a consort or that there are other uncreated eternal beings beside him. Readings that take “acquire” in this way press the imagery into service for which it was not designed; the repetition of birth images speaks against the marriage view. Most likely, some association with Proverbs’ use of “acquire wisdom” is intended, so that Yahweh himself acquires her before setting out to do anything else, a course Wisdom recommends to her human pupils. This understanding of “acquire” need not imply that Wisdom is an eternal presence, only that some association with creation and birthing imagery is intended (8:23–24).
The “first of his works” can also be translated “beginning,” for the Hebrew reʾšit appears here as it does in 1:7, but also in 4:7, as first in importance: “Wisdom is supreme [reʾšit]; therefore get [qnh] wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Two other terms describe Wisdom’s origins in 8:23–26, each set in the context of the time before creation. (1) Wisdom says in 8:23, “I was appointed [nsk] from eternity, before the world began,” using a word that in some contexts describes the casting of a mold (thus the NIV footnote “fashioned”); this verse also repeats reʾšit (“beginning”) and qedem (“before”) from 8:22. (2) Continuing the thought in 8:24, she speaks of a time when there were no oceans or gushing springs, saying that then she was “given birth” (ḥyl).4 Similarly, before the mountains, before the hills, before the earth or fields or any of the dust of the earth, she was “given birth” (again, ḥyl). The birthing, of course, is figurative, for the same word is used of bringing forth or birthing weather in 25:23: “As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks.”
Coming through every one of Wisdom’s statements is the claim that “I was here first”; Wisdom comes on the scene at the beginning, before Yahweh did anything else. This observation should guide our reading of all that follows, for the stress here is on Wisdom’s coming forth as a work of Yahweh, not on the work she herself does. Nowhere in this text does it say that Yahweh did these things by her, although this is the message of 3:19–20. Later wisdom writings such as Sirach will also make the claim, but it is not to be found in this text.
Moreover, the text apparently makes no fine distinction between Wisdom’s being created or birthed, both images ending up at the same destination of “first.” The challenge for Christian readers is to avoid overreading this text on the basis of later biblical and theological distinctions. To pre-Christian readers and hearers, the birthing image was repeated to emphasize that before doing anything else to give form to heaven and earth, Yahweh first brought forth Wisdom.
Is Wisdom who speaks here the gift to humans of skill and insight (personified as a teacher and guide), or is she a personification of divine wisdom that put the world into order, or both? Immediate context does not grant many clues, but the larger context of the speech favors the former, that the Wisdom who speaks is she who can be both acquired and passed on from generation to generation, even as she herself teaches. With the claim that she was there before the waters were gathered and hills settled, Wisdom can claim access to the knowledge she offers to teach. If she were asked the question God asked of Job, “Were you there when I laid the earth’s foundation?” (Job 38:4),5 she would answer “Yes!”
In other words, here Wisdom enhances her authority and credibility by means of an ancient motif of knowledge. Only the one who knows how the world came to be and how it works is able to claim real knowledge; all else is limited at best, puffery at worst. To summarize, in this first section of the speech, Wisdom is the focus of all the action, although the action is accomplished by “the LORD” (Yahweh), whose name is the first Hebrew word in 8:22. Yahweh is the one who brought forth Wisdom before all else, making her appearance unique.
Wisdom Was Present When the Orders of Creation Were Set in Place (8:27–31)
WISDOM NOW MOVES from her own “coming forth” in 8:22–26 to her presence as the heavens and waters were divided (cf. Gen. 1:1–13), from a time when “there was not” to the time when the waters were gathered.6 This, her second reminder to readers that “I was there,” leads them to her celebration of creation in Proverbs 8:30–31. Each line of her report turns the spotlight on Yahweh’s handiwork, a structured place for all that lives to dwell safely and thrive. The emphasis on place omits any mention of organic life apart from a side reference to humanity in 8:31. In stark contrast to the Genesis account, Wisdom’s description of creation makes no mention of the lights, the plants, or any creatures of land or sea. Instead, she focuses on the physical environment and the proper location of its component parts. Readers will also notice that the terms she uses for God’s work are assembled to create a picture of stability and order, even fixity.
Verses 27–28 move from the heights where Yahweh has set the heavens up in place and fixed the clouds to the depths where the seas are “marked.”7 The term for that marking (ḥqq) is used twice in 8:29, “when he gave the sea its boundary . . . and when he marked out the foundations of the earth,” drawing a circle the way one uses a compass, setting boundaries so that the waters do not move past his command (lit., “pass over his mouth”). So Isaiah spoke of Yahweh who sits above the circle of the earth (Isa. 40:22). As we noted previously, the same term for that marking is used in Proverbs 8:15 for the enactment of just laws; as Yahweh sets boundaries for the seas that they dare not cross, so rulers enact boundaries of life that give it order and security.8
In other words, Wisdom, who watched Yahweh set the boundaries of creation, shows kings how to do the same for the social order. By fixing of heavens and drawing a circle on the deep, Yahweh puts a limit on the waters, stopping what in times of flood seems unstoppable. This sign of orderly creation echoes what was said in 3:19–20 about making a place for life to thrive. As the heavens are fixed above the skies and the seas fixed at their boundaries, so this place of life is stable and secure.
After the long series of “when’s” comes the climax: “Then I was the craftsman at his side” (8:30), the double use of the Hebrew verb of being (“I was”) adding emphasis. Gender considerations aside, the term “craftsman” is not the only plausible translation of Hebrew ʾamon. Scholarly debate has presented three renderings (“artisan,” “counselor,” or “child/nursling”); we will first consider the larger context and then return to discuss this contested term. What is clear in 8:30–31 is that Wisdom recalls the joy of those days, for she reports having been filled with delight daily, rejoicing before Yahweh at all times and rejoicing in the whole world; the human creation (8:31; lit., “the sons of ʾadam”; cf. 8:4) is her special delight. The two terms of joy are repeated in reverse order:
A delighting day after day
B rejoicing at all times before the LORD
B′ rejoicing in the world of his earth
A′ delighting in the children of Adam9
The word “delight” (šaʿ ešuʿim) is rare, the root used most often in Psalm 119 for the delights of the torah (119:16, 24, 77, 92, 143, 174). The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah use this word for Yahweh’s delight in his children in spite of their waywardness (Isa. 5:7; Jer. 31:20). Here in Wisdom’s speech, there is some question over who takes delight. The LXX and some contemporary interpreters would translate that Wisdom is “his delight.”10 If so, Wisdom’s words might be paraphrased, “His delight was in me, my delight in his [creation of] humanity.” Either way, the central meaning of the text, delight that culminates in Wisdom’s pleasure in the “sons of ʾadam,” remains constant.11
Wisdom also rejoices (8:30–31, meśaḥeqet), the parallel lines noting her joy in God’s presence and the new world he has made. Some take the Hebrew term to mean that Wisdom is playing or frolicking like a child. In this view, Wisdom first reports her metaphoric birth and then speaks of her childhood, playing while Yahweh works on setting up the world.12 Play fits the hypothetical context of a child’s development, but simple rejoicing before the works of Yahweh is more consistent with the extended description of the creation.
Thus, the primary sense of meśaḥeqet shows Wisdom rejoicing before Yahweh, with possible secondary overtones of childhood play as a kind of wordplay. But it should also be noted that the same Hebrew verb appears in 1:26, where Wisdom “laughs” (root śḥq) at the calamity of the wicked. Just as Wisdom rejoices and celebrates the new and orderly world in chapter 8, she laughs at wicked scoundrels who disturb the social order.13 In sum, while the translation of 8:30–31 is difficult, it is clear that when the world and humankind came into being, Wisdom was beside the One who brought it about, rejoicing and taking delight in what she saw.
So is the ʾamon of 8:30 an artisan (cf. Song 7:1),14 a counselor,15 or a nursing child (cf. Lam. 4:5)?16 The strongest images of the poem show God’s setting up the boundaries of creation’s waters; this work is framed by his bringing forth Wisdom like a birth (8:24–25) and her rejoicing at Yahweh’s creation of the world and humankind (8:30–31). If she were an artisan, it would be the only case in Proverbs in which she functions as an agent of creation, for “by wisdom” at 3:20 presents her as an instrument at most; again the focus is on Yahweh’s activity. And while it is true that she speaks of her birth and that “rejoicing” can refer to play, this is slight evidence that we are watching a child busy at games or frolicking as Yahweh creates.17 But we have seen that she teaches rulers to do what Yahweh does, that is, to set out boundaries and their order for the sake of life on earth (8:14–16; cf. 3:13–20 and the repetition of “life”). We also know she rejoices in the “sons of ʾadam” (8:31) and turns to address them as “my sons” (8:33).
Therefore, the image of a sage or counselor to humankind stands out as the most fitting in the context, even while there may sound overtones of an artisan or a child who grows up to build her own house (cf. 9:1). For this reason, our comments will focus on her claims that she was there first as a counselor, expressing delight. To summarize, in this section of the speech, Yahweh is the only actor until Wisdom forcefully states “I was” twice in 8:30, artistically turning the spotlight to her role of counsel and her celebration of God’s work of creation. Because she delights in the way the world was ordered, she offers her counsel concerning that order to the humans she also finds delightful.
Wisdom Is Now the One to Whom We Must Listen (8:32–36)
WISDOM THE COUNSELOR and teacher now returns to the present. As she does, she begins to speak like the parental teachers: “Now then, my sons, listen to me” (cf. 5:7; 7:24), issuing a call to attention followed by charges and motivations. Reprising terms from the opening of her own speech, Wisdom once again calls out to the “sons of ʾadam” (cf. 8:4, 31), charging them to “listen” (šmʿ, repeated in 8:33 and 34; cf. 8:6).
Wisdom then adds that those who listen are “blessed” or happy (ʾ ašre, 8:32, 34; cf. 3:13; Ps. 1:1), and she explains what she means by listening. (1) It means keeping her ways (Prov. 8:32), practicing the ways that are pleasant and šalom (3:17). (2) It means listening to her instruction, just as in her first speech, Wisdom made special reference to those who ignored her counsel (8:33; cf. 1:25; 13:18; 15:32). (3) Those who listen watch daily at her doors, just as she daily took delight in Yahweh’s work (8:34; cf. 8:30). They are blessed as they wait (lit., “keep”; cf. 8:32) at the posts of her doorway, perhaps a wordplay on the door or opening of her lips in 8:6 (root ptḥ).
So we notice that while Wisdom begins by going to the entrance to the city to find hearers, she ends by inviting her hearers to come to her door, staying clear of the other woman’s door (5:8). In each of the three verses (8:32–34), the word “listen” reminds the reader of the activity that comes first and foremost in wisdom instruction and the life of faith.
The motivations of 8:35 and 36 begin, as most do, with the linking word “for” (ki), and the motivations also revisit words used earlier in this speech and throughout the instructions. “Whoever finds me finds life” not only recalls the seeking and finding of 8:17, it adds the cherished treasure of “life,” reminding the reader of the life she holds in her hand (3:13–18; esp. 3:13). To find Wisdom is not only to find life but favor from Yahweh. A good person finds such favor (12:2), but so does one who finds a wife (18:22)! God is pleased with all actions inspired by Wisdom, taking the same delight that Wisdom herself takes in humankind.
However, the one who fails to find her or “misses” her (ḥṭʾ, the word for sin as missing the mark) does violence to himself, reminding the reader of the violent men whom Yahweh hates (3:31–32; cf. 4:17; 10:6, 11). Violence is a term used most often by the psalmists and prophets for the one who harms another to do himself good. That violence is a form of self-hatred, and so to hate Wisdom is to hate oneself. Even as she loves those who love her (8:17), to hate her is to have another love, and that love is death. So in surprise to our ears, Wisdom ends her speech, not with an inspirational story or uplifting metaphor but with the clear and cold reality of death, using the same word that concluded the story of the other woman (mawet, 7:27) and the same image that will conclude the teaching of the next chapter and first portion of this book (9:18). Thus, the speech that traveled back in time to the origins of life also holds up the sad irony that many will choose to miss the one who makes that life available to all.
In sum, all of Wisdom’s self-description has led to this moment when Wisdom calls for a hearing, repeating many of the terms the parents used in teaching about her. In a sense, the entire speech of chapter 8 is both a recap of the parents’ exhortation to get wisdom and an introduction to the sayings of the community in chapters 10–22. As readers read the instructions that came before her speech and the collected proverbs that come after, they are hearing Wisdom’s voice through the voice of family and community. In the sages’ symbolism, the content of Proverbs is not simply shared bits of life’s lessons, it is instruction in the workings of the world from the one who watched it come into being. Together, the two parts of the speech in chapter 8 say to their readers, “Seek Wisdom, and find wealth and life as well. Seek wealth or life apart from her, and you will miss Wisdom and find death.” In many ways, the message of this speech resembles the teaching of Jesus in Mark 8:35–38 (TNIV; cf. Matt. 10:39; Luke 17:33; John 12:25).
For those who want to save their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul? If any of you are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.
Bridging Contexts
TO REVIEW OUR findings so far, we have seen that Wisdom first speaks of the time before anything was made, claiming, “I was there first” (8:22–26), asserting the right to speak authoritatively. She then speaks of the time when the boundaries of creation were drawn and says, “I was there rejoicing,” demonstrating that her knowledge of the world and its order is comprehensive (8:27–31). Finally, she turns to speak of now, saying, “I am here, speaking and teaching,” adding that her instruction is the way to life and the favor of Yahweh, that her knowledge of Yahweh is intimate (8:32–36). In all, her speech looks to God, the giver of life, and argues that she has been given the authority to offer it.
The challenge of this portion of the book of Proverbs and its presentation of personified Wisdom is the sheer volume of discussion that has been written concerning it. The task of wading through the various interpretations can leave the reader feeling lost and confused. Moreover, Christians have a special interest in the image of Wisdom present at the dawn of creation, for it was appropriated by the New Testament writers as they sought to give expression to what they saw and heard in the person of Jesus. In our own day, the scene of a female figure at God’s side, watching the earth and heavens set into place, has been of interest to those with feminist and ecological concerns. Many contemporary readers of Proverbs want to know if this text foreshadows the coming of Jesus and whether this feminine portrait has significance for our understanding of the Lord we worship.
Literary character of the speech. The place to begin in order to hear the message of this text to the church today is the literary character of the speech. In the context of Proverbs, personified Wisdom’s words are presented as quotations of one of the parental teachers, spoken as an argument for undertaking the study of wisdom. In this way the voice of the parents symbolically makes the tradition of wisdom, given by God and passed on from generation to generation, their son’s teacher. Moreover, in the context of Proverbs, Wisdom’s words of persuasion counter the manipulative invitations of the strange/other woman in chapter 7 and Folly in chapter 9.18 We must remember that the speech is part of the teacher’s strategy of quoting discourse in order to make comparisons with rival views, evaluating their claims.
We must also remember that Wisdom is a personification of the wisdom that originates in the fear of God (cf. 1:7); therefore, we continue to ask about our response to God who gave this gift. He made her first so she could watch God set boundaries in creation and teach us how to set similar boundaries, so that we, the children of ʾadam, might live in the world God made. He originated this gift of Wisdom so that she might teach us. To listen to her is to listen to Yahweh and find his favor. The prominence of creation images in this part of the speech can draw attention away from the conclusion and its clear indication of the speech’s purpose. First and foremost, then, we must understand the speech as a call to learn wisdom and view the details of creation imagery in that light.19
We must seek to understand the personification of Wisdom in terms of its primary setting, for the unnamed speaker describes her as a street preacher, a town crier, a herald of the king, who not only claims to have much to give (8:1–21) but strengthens her credibility by highlighting her experience and competence (8:22–26). The link between the two parts of the speech is the act of giving. Just as Yahweh set up an orderly world (holding back the waters) and gave it to humankind, so Wisdom speaks and “creates” an orderly world through her good teaching, a world to inhabit20 that she offers to humankind.
We also see that the two parts of Wisdom’s speech work in tandem, the testimony of her true words matched by her testimony that she witnessed Yahweh’s activity of building the ordered world. Finally, in both parts of the speech she calls hearers to “listen” (8:6, 33–34). Wisdom’s true and just speech is worth more than anything else in creation, just as she came before anything else in creation (8:10–11, 19, 22–26). She loves those who love her and seek her, just as she delights in the humans whom she invites to wait at her doors (8:17, 31–34).
In sum, what we find in the speech is a two-part invitation to learn and study wisdom, based primarily on the ethos (character) of this teacher who is older than all worlds and, by implication, the first teacher of the tradition. The parental teachers did not speak so highly of their own experience, even while they were conscious of passing on this tradition.
In chapter 4, the father looked back on his own experience of study but also remembered that his father urged him to get (qnh) wisdom and get (qnh) understanding (4:5; cf. 8:22). He realized that his father spoke of his words and Wisdom as though they were one, calling the son to choose her (and therefore, his words) over anything else he might acquire (qnh, 4:7). Each generation is in a sense taught directly by one’s forebears, yet they are also taught by the one who was present at the ordering of the world (cf. 3:20). Moreover, in contrast to the angry words of chapter 1, we see here that Wisdom delights in humankind and loves those who love her, so readers are encouraged to find her the way a man “finds” a wife (18:22; 31:10).
Wisdom’s relationship to creation. There is a sense in which each section of this second half of Wisdom’s speech makes a different association with creation, each one highlighting the rhetorical purpose. (1) The before section of the speech (8:21–26) makes an association between Wisdom and creation by establishing her presence as a witness. Like Genesis 1, the subject of the verbs is God; Wisdom does not claim to be cocreator with Yahweh,21 for throughout Proverbs he is creator of all people (14:31; 17:5; 20:12; 22:2; 29:13). We have observed that Wisdom has the answers to Yahweh’s questions that Job did not. Yahweh asked Job where he was when the earth’s foundations were set and the stars sang and the angels shouted (Job 38:1–7); Wisdom tells her listeners that she was there, rejoicing (Prov. 8:30–31). Thus, we read these statements of her presence at creation and believe her claim to speak with knowledge and authority.
(2) The when portion of the speech (8:27–32) associates the separation and binding of waters with her celebration of its order. Yahweh asked Job if he knew who put the sea behind doors and “fixed limits for it” (ḥqq, Job 38:10); Wisdom claims that she saw how the work was done, how the “boundaries” were “marked out” (ḥqq, Prov. 8:29; cf. Ps. 104:6–9; 148:4–6; Jer. 5:21–29). A key connection appears between the rulers of earth who enact (hqq) righteousness and Yahweh, who sets limit for the sea and marks the foundation of the earth (also hqq). Just as Wisdom’s activity of teaching what is right and just comes to expression in just rule (Prov. 8:15–16), so Yahweh’s act of ordering the cosmos comes to climax in the setting of stable foundations and flood wall boundaries (8:27–29). Both Wisdom’s speech and the world are marked by the inscribing (ḥqq) of boundaries.
In other contexts these boundaries are called decrees: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread [lit., “bread that is decreed,” 30:8] . . . lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights” (31:5; cf. 10:1). Certainly the association with Wisdom implies that she helps earthly rulers rule in righteousness based on the way Yahweh established the bounds of creation. Limits or boundaries, whether physical or social, are the foundations of rule and authority. As Wisdom rejoiced with Yahweh in the order of the world, so she is with rulers, helping them establish the same sort of order in the social world. Just as Yahweh set a limit for the waters, dividing them in making a space for life (Gen. 1) and setting them loose in judgment (Gen. 9), so the chaos of human sin needs limits.22 Earthly rulers set similar boundaries that make a place for life to thrive.23 So this mention of order and rule sets the stage for the individual sayings about the king (14:28, 35; 16:10–15; 20:2, 8, 26, 28; 25:2–6; 30:22–31; 31:1–4).24
(3) Wisdom’s witness to creation allows her to say, “Now then, my sons, listen to me” (8:32), associating Yahweh’s “way” of creation with her “way.” Yahweh asked Job, “Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” (Job 38:36). Wisdom offers instruction that claims to make its students wise (Prov. 8:33; cf. 8:14). Moreover, she claims that those who find her find life and Yahweh’s favor (8:35), thus fulfilling the purposes for which the orderly world was made. In so doing, she offers to share her close knowledge of God with those who seek her. Therefore, the speech, as an integral part of Proverbs, is best understood as the rhetoric of the wisdom tradition, a summons to a life of study and the knowledge of God (2:1–6).
Any discussion of Wisdom’s call must be set in this original context, and its purpose as a summons must come before any other discussion of its significance. But we cannot stop there if we wish to let Wisdom’s words speak to our contemporary situation. It is her claim to offer counsel to kings, instruction to all, and life to those who seek her that moved the first Christians to understand the life and ministry of Jesus in terms of this literary figure. Just as she claimed to have had her existence before creation and the authority to teach on behalf of Yahweh, so Jesus, the firstborn of creation, also taught and brought his followers into relationship with God (Col. 1:15–23). It is this portrait of Wisdom’s antiquity and authority to teach, even to reveal God’s will to humankind, that drew New Testament writers to the personification of Wisdom as a way of describing the life and work of Jesus. Therefore, our consideration of contemporary responses will work in reverse, beginning with the biblical teaching about Jesus, the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24, 30), then considering our responses to the voice of Wisdom herself.
Contemporary Significance
FEMALE WISDOM? When I teach in churches, I am often asked about the connection between the voice of personified Wisdom and Sophia Christology, for many local congregations and the church bodies to which they belong wrestle with the claims that Sophia is an overlooked feminine aspect of God and the person of Jesus (Sophia is the Greek translation of ḥokmah, “wisdom”). While some recommend combining Jesus and Sophia in worship or even substituting Sophia for the name of Jesus in traditional hymns,25 others question the need to “regender” the gospel and image of God for believers today.26
Feminist appropriation of Wisdom’s words here in chapter 8 take a variety of forms. For some, the image of a female counselor presents a model of wisdom and justice as a resource for women’s faith.27 Others find an identification of Wisdom with God, so that Wisdom is herself a divine being.28 The discussion is extensive and properly belongs in the field of New Testament studies. Therefore our brief discussion here can at best arrive at some sense of the afterlife of this famous text and point to references for further exploration.
The question of Sophia in contemporary theology and worship is raised by the New Testament writers’ use of creation imagery:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1–2)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Col. 1:15–18)
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. (Heb. 1:1–2)
It appears that these texts were inspired by the personified Wisdom of Proverbs, but we also know that these portraits were not informed by the Proverbs texts alone but on citations from the additional books that were included in the LXX, the Apocrypha. In these books, the portrait of Wisdom in Proverbs was developed.
Wisdom praises herself
and tells of her glory in the midst of her people.
In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth,
and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory:
“I came forth from the mouth of the Most High,
and covered the earth like a mist.
I dwelt in the highest heavens,
and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.
Alone I compassed the vault of heaven
and traversed the depths of the abyss.
Over waves of the sea, over all the earth,
and over every people and nation I have held sway.
Among all these I sought a resting place;
in whose territory should I abide?
Then the Creator of all things gave me a command,
and my Creator chose the place for my tent.
He said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob,
and in Israel receive your inheritance.’
Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me,
and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.” (Sir. 24:1–9 NRSV)
I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,
for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. . . .
For wisdom is more mobile than any motion;
because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things.
For she is a breath of the power of God,
and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
For she is a reflection of eternal light,
a spotless mirror of the working of God,
and an image of his goodness.
Although she is but one, she can do all things,
and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;
in every generation she passes into holy souls
and makes them friends of God, and prophets;
for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. (Wisd. 7:21–28 NRSV)
God did not choose them,
or give them the way to knowledge;
so they perished because they had no wisdom,
they perished through their folly.
Who has gone up into heaven, and taken her,
and brought her down from the clouds?
Who has gone over the sea, and found her,
and will buy her for pure gold?
or is concerned about the path to her.
But the one who knows all things knows her,
he found her by his understanding.
The one who prepared the earth for all time
filled it with four-footed creatures;
the one who sends forth the light, and it goes;
he called it, and it obeyed him, trembling;
the stars shone in their watches, and were glad;
he called them, and they said, “Here we are!”
They shone with gladness for him who made them.
This is our God;
no other can be compared to him.
He found the whole way to knowledge,
and gave her to his servant Jacob
and to Israel, whom he loved.
Afterward she appeared on earth
and lived with humankind. (Bar. 3:27–37 NRSV)
Analogies, typology, and later identification. The New Testament portraits of Jesus who was present and instrumental in creation did not claim one-to-one identification with these portraits of Wisdom but rather used the principle of analogy to say that Jesus, the wisdom of God, is like these various earlier portraits. Just as the writers of these Old Testament and apocryphal books did not intend to create a portrait of a coming messenger of God, neither did the New Testament writers claim that Jesus was that figure. Rather Jesus, present and instrumental at creation, was identified as sharing features in common with that literary personification of the wisdom tradition.
In other words, as we read Old Testament and New Testament texts together, we do not see that Wisdom’s speech points forward to Jesus (a concern that would have surprised the writers and those who passed it down) but that the New Testament writers looked back for analogies.29 Just as John the Baptist spoke of Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” alluding to the sacrificial texts, so Paul spoke of Jesus as the “wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24), using this Old Testament text to help his readers understand aspects of his person and work.
In other words, the writer of Proverbs did not intend to describe a messiah or the person of Jesus; rather, later inspired writers (such as Paul) saw a correspondence and used a form of typology to make it clear to their readers. Typology is a form of identification that points out similarities and correspondences to show how one person or event in Scripture is like another, also pointing to the same God at work in both. As still later generations of Christians grappled to understand the person and nature of Jesus the Christ, however, they looked to these Old Testament and apocryphal texts for further light on the New Testament teaching.
The Christological controversies of the early church used Proverbs 8 according to the practice of the time. Old Testament texts were not read according to their historical context but for Christological significance, using a typological method. Greek apologists such as Athenagoras (On Defense of the Faith 10) and Justin (Dialogue with Trypho 61) sought to prove the divinity and eternal nature of the Son. They reasoned that God was never without his wisdom, but that wisdom was begotten before all else came into being. As support they read the Latin and Greek versions of Proverbs 8:22, “the LORD created me.” Later, Athanasius claimed that the term “created” refers to Christ’s incarnation, not preexistence, contrary to Arius, who held that “created” implied inferiority.30 Thus an identification with Jesus as that person depicted in Proverbs 8 led the disputants to look to a text that did not refer to Jesus, read in languages other than the original, to draw conclusions about his nature.
In my judgment, a similar identification of Jesus with the composite picture of the Old Testament and apocryphal portraits of Wisdom is at the heart of the present controversy over the use of Sophia as an appropriate term of worship. Readers in our congregations today will ask: Is the Woman Wisdom of Proverbs an Old Testament picture of Jesus? As we interpret today, we must remember that the New Testament writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, looked back to the Old Testament to understand what had taken place in their own time. The fact that later generations used that typology in ways it was never intended (e.g., using the poetic depiction of Wisdom’s origins to defend a position on the nature of Christ) does not give us permission to make the identification that Jesus was or is Woman Wisdom of Proverbs. We can instead affirm the New Testament writers’ claim that Jesus is like Wisdom in significant ways.
In sum, it is one thing to claim that the New Testament writers used the image of a person, present at creation and a teacher of humankind, to describe Jesus; it is quite another to claim that this personification is to be identified as Jesus. Sophia was never meant to become a term of worship; rather, Wisdom was personified to direct our worship to the Father who gives wisdom, Christ who teaches and embodies the wisdom of God, and the Spirit who grants wisdom. Therefore, in seeking to appropriate the significance of Wisdom’s self-declarations, we must focus on her purposes of exhortation and invitation and take great care in making statements about the origins and nature of this literary figure for the wisdom tradition.
Example of worship. Following the intention of this Old Testament text, the church should honor the authority of Wisdom, but only as a personified voice of the wisdom tradition that teaches us how to live and love God. We should not appropriate the language of Sophia as an accolade of worship, especially when it addresses her as a real person, even a goddess,31 or so identifies her with Jesus that the identities are collapsed. Rather, the figure of Wisdom offers an example of worship; she teaches us how to offer praise to God that rejoices in the creation of physical order and humankind. Woman Wisdom is not an object of worship; rather, Wisdom is a leader of worship, and her example of worship emphasizes the creative action of God’s wisdom.
Music and liturgy that celebrates creation along with Wisdom is appropriate, as is thanksgiving for the gift of wisdom that informs us about this life-giving order. Praise to God for the gift of wisdom is always appropriate, and the personification can be used to describe the wisdom that loves truth, speaks fairly, and is worth more than silver or gold. In a word, such worship celebrates the vision of life as God created it to be, balanced and whole.
Yet that same love for truth and fair speaking will also rage like a prophet when the powers of the earth and its rulers do not follow her example. Prayers and shouts of protest are also appropriate in a worship service that cites Wisdom’s threats to those who have rejected her, even as we cite the prophets who railed against irresponsible Israel. Injustice is every bit a violation of wisdom as it is a violation of the covenant stipulations about matters of fairness and justice. The church can honor the authority of Wisdom as she leads the church in worship and directs the congregation’s attention to God, but also as she teaches32 the church concerning her ways of life and directs the church’s attention toward our responsibilities.33
Ecology. Although the depiction of creation is presented to argue for Wisdom’s authority and the authority of the social order she teaches, Wisdom’s offer of life also directs our attention to matters of justice and order with regard to the physical environment. If Wisdom rejoices in the order and beauty of creation, then we may conclude that creation is worth preserving, every bit as much as the social order it represents.
Christians will differ over how best to manage the physical resources that have been placed in our care. Some may believe the position of others is too extreme, for some will advocate use and development while others will think of preservation and limits on that development.34 My own experience of seeing abandoned bauxite minepits in Jamaica has convinced me that business organizations are not always careful to clean up after themselves. The biologist Calvin DeWitt has been a vocal proponent of preservation, arguing that there need to be untouched places where the earth and heavens can sing forth the glory of God.35 It is not coincidental that Wisdom’s offer to teach the ways of life is authenticated by her presence at the time the earth was organized into a home for living beings.
In summary, Wisdom’s offer of life is predicated on acceptance of the counsel she offers to kings and commoners, the instruction she holds out to all. To the wisdom writers who gave us her words, life can either be cut short and emptied, or it can be enriched, lived to the fullest. This gift of life can either be joined to Wisdom, she who knows the structure and plan of its Creator, or suffer the consequences of doing without it.