Proverbes 8:22

Darby's French Translation

L'Éternel m'a possédée au commencement de sa voie, avant ses oeuvres d'ancienneté.

Parallel Translations

La Bible David Martin (1744)
L'Eternel m'a possédée dès le commencement de sa voie, même avant qu'il fît aucune de ses œuvres.

La Bible Ostervald (1996)
L'Éternel m'a possédée dès le commencement de ses voies, avant qu'il fît aucune de ses œuvres.

Louis Segond (1910)
L'Eternel m'a créée la première de ses oeuvres, Avant ses oeuvres les plus anciennes.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 3:19, John 1:1, John 1:2, Colossians 1:17

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:1 - beginning Job 15:7 - or wast thou Job 28:27 - he prepared it Job 38:4 - Where Psalms 93:2 - Thy Psalms 104:24 - in wisdom Psalms 136:5 - General Micah 5:2 - whose John 1:15 - he was John 5:20 - and showeth John 8:58 - Before John 17:5 - glorify 1 Corinthians 1:24 - the wisdom Hebrews 1:2 - by whom 1 John 1:1 - That which 1 John 1:2 - which was Revelation 14:7 - worship

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way,.... Not "created me", as the Targum and the Septuagint version; which version Arius following gave birth to his pernicious doctrine; who from hence concluded Christ is a creature, and was the first creature that God made, not of the same but of a like nature with himself, in some moment or period of eternity; and by whom he made all others: the Word, or Wisdom of God is never said to be created; and if as such he was created, God must have been without his Wisdom before he was created; besides, Christ, as the Word and Wisdom of God, is the Creator of all things, and not created, John 1:1; but this possession is not in right of creation, as the word is sometimes used, Genesis 4:1; it might be more truly rendered, "the Lord begat me", as the word is translated by the Septuagint in Zechariah 13:5; it denotes the Lord's having, possessing, and enjoying his word and wisdom as his own proper Son; which possession of him is expressed by his being with him and in him, and in his bosom, and as one brought forth and brought up by him; as he was "in the beginning of his way" of creation, when he went forth in his wisdom and power, and created all things; then he did possess his Son, and made use of him, for by him he made the worlds: and "in the beginning of his way" of grace, which was before his way of creation; he began with him when he first went out in acts of grace towards his people; his first thoughts, purposes, and decrees concerning their happiness, were in him; the choice of their persons was made in him; God was in him contriving the scheme of their peace, reconciliation, and salvation; the covenant of grace was made with him, and all fulness of grace was treasured up in him: the words may be rendered, "the Lord possessed me, the beginning of his way" h; that is, who am the beginning, as he is; the beginning of the creation of God, the first cause, the efficient of it, both old and new; see Colossians 1:18. So Aben Ezra, who compares with this Job 40:19. This shows the real and actual existence of Christ from eternity, his relation to Jehovah his Father, his nearness to him, equality with him, and distinction from him: it is added, for further illustration and confirmation's sake,

before his works of old; the creation of the heavens and the earth; a detail of which there is in the following verses.

h קנני ראשית דרכו "possidet me principium viae suae", Pagninus, Michaelis, Schultens; "habuit me principium viae suae", Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A verse which has played an important part in the history of Christian dogma. Wisdom reveals herself as preceding all creation, stamped upon it all, one with God, yet in some way distinguishable from Him as the object of His love Proverbs 8:30. John declares that all which Wisdom here speaks of herself was true in its highest sense of the Word that became flesh John 1:1-14 : just as Apostles afterward applied Wisd. 7:22-30 to Christ (compare Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).

Possessed - The word has acquired a special prominence in connection with the Arian controversy. The meaning which it usually bears is that of “getting” Genesis 4:1, “buying” Genesis 47:22, “possessing” Jeremiah 32:15. In this sense one of the oldest divine names was that of “Possessor of heaven and earth” Genesis 14:19, Genesis 14:22. But the idea of thus “getting” or “possessing” involved, as a divine act in relation to the universe, the idea of creation, and thus in one or two passages the word might be rendered, though not accurately, by “created” (e. g., Psalms 139:13). It would seem accordingly as if the Greek translators of the Old Testament oscillated between the two meanings; and in this passage we find the various renderings ἔκτισε ektise “created” (Septuagint), and ἐκτήσατο ektēsato “possessed” (Aquila). The text with the former word naturally became one of the stock arguments of the Arians against the eternal co-existence of the Son, and the other translation was as vehemently defended by the orthodox fathers. Athanasius receiving ἔκτισεν ektisen, took it in the sense of appointing, and saw in the Septuagint a declaration that the Father had made the Son the “chief,” the “head,” the “sovereign,” over all creation. There does not seem indeed any ground for the thought of creation either in the meaning of the root, or in the general usage of the word. What is meant in this passage is that we cannot think of God as ever having been without Wisdom. She is “as the beginning of His ways.” So far as the words bear upon Christian dogma, they accord with the words of John 1:1, “the Word was with God.” The next words indeed assert priority to all the works of God, from the first starting point of time.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 8:22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way — Wisdom is not acquired by the Divine Being; man, and even angels, learn it by slow and progressive degrees; but in God it is as eternally inherent as any other essential attribute of his nature. The Targum makes this wisdom a creature, by thus translating the passage: אלהא בראני בריש בריתיה Elaha barani bereish biriteiah, "God created me in the beginning of his creatures." The Syriac is the same. This is as absurd and heretical as some modern glosses on the same passage.