Month: March 2026

March 31: Proverbs 8:25

This is a series of exegetical notes supplemental to the study on Proverbs 8 (cf. Part 1, 2, 3), covering verses 22-31.

Proverbs 8:25

“In (the time) before (the) mountains were sunk in,
before (the) hills, I came forth with writhing.”

This couplet matches the prior v. 24 (see the previous note), referencing the pre-existent ‘birth’ of Wisdom in relation to the creation of the earth. In v. 24, the focus was on the territory below the surface of the earth (i.e., the “depths”), while here it is on the territory above the surface—namely, the mountains and high hills. In both verses, the verb lyj! (“twist, writhe”) is used in the passive Polel, referring to a person’s birth through the mother’s labor pains. In this case, YHWH is the ‘mother’ who is in labor and gives birth to Wisdom. The verb hn`q* in v. 22 also is used in the sense of God ‘giving birth’ (cf. also Es^n`, “weave”, in v. 23). The application of such female imagery to YHWH may seem a bit strange, but it is attested in a number of poetic passages; in particular, lyj! is used, similarly with YHWH as the subject, in Psalm 90:2 and Deut 32:18.

Indeed, the wording here seems to allude specifically to Psalm 90:2. Both verses beginning with the words <yr!h* <r#f#B= (“In [the time] before [the] mountains…”), in the context of YHWH’s work as Creator, and with the specific motif of giving birth—verbs dl^y` and lyj!. Moreover, the nouns Jr#a# and lb@T@, which refer to the earth and the inhabitable land, occur both in Ps 90:2 and here in v. 26. This allusion to the Psalm further serves to position Wisdom with YHWH at the beginning of the Creation. The temporal-relational indicator <r#f#B= (“in [the time] before”) is matched by yn@p=l! (“before”) in the second line; in the previous v. 24, the indicator was /ya@B= (“in there being no”, i.e., “when there was no[t yet]”).

The verb ub^f* means “sink in”, i.e., into the surface of the earth. The earth (and its depths, v. 24) serves as the ‘foundation’ for the mountains (Ps 18:8[7], 17[16]) which YHWH fixed in place (like pillars in their sockets); see Job 38:6; cf. Fox, p. 283; Schipper, p. 310; Baumann, p. 125.

Christological Significance

See the previous notes on v. 22, 23, and 24. Like the “depths” below (i.e., the seas, connected to the primeval waters), the mountains above have special cosmological-theological significance. Indeed, in the Sumerian cosmology, the cosmos (“heaven-earth”, an-ki), was envisioned as a great mountain. The cosmic-mountain type features in many traditions; in Canaanite mythic-religious tradition, the Creator El (= Hebrew la@) resided in/on a great mountain (also pictured as a domed tent), as also did Baal-haddu. In Israelite tradition, El-YHWH is frequently portrayed as dwelling on a similar mountain, manifest locally at sites such as Sinai/Horeb and the hilltop locale of Zion (Jerusalem). Mountains feature in a number of Gospel narratives, in association with the person of Christ, the most significant and notable being the mountain locale where the transfiguration took place (Mark 9:2-8 par). In this episode, Jesus shone with glory and was overshadowed by the cloud of God’s own presence, with a voice from heaven (as at the Baptism) declaring him to be the Son of God. Even though, in the immediate Gospel context, this Divine Sonship was understood primarily in Messianic terms—viz., the royal Messiah as the ‘son’ of God (Ps 2:7), and the Prophet as the child/servant of God (Isa 42:1)—eventually it came to carry a deeper and more profound Christological meaning, which found its pinnacle of expression (in the New Testament) in the Johannine theology (viz., Jesus Christ as the incarnation of the eternal and pre-existent Son).

      • References above marked “Fox” are to Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9, Anchor Bible [AB], vol. 18A (Yale University Press: 2000). Those marked “Fox, Textual Commentary” are to idem, Proverbs: An Eclectic Edition with Introduction and Textual Commentary, The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition 1 (Society of Biblical Literature [SBL] Press: 2015). 
      • References marked “Schipper” are to Bernd U. Schipper, Proverbs 1-15, Hermeneia Commentary Series (Fortress Press: 2010). See also his monograph on Proverbs 2: Hermeneutik der Tora: Studien zur Traditionsgeschichte von Prov 2 und zur Komposition von Prov 1-9, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft [BZAW] 432 (Walter de Gruyter: 2012).
      • Those marked “Baumann” are to Gerlinde Baumann, Die Weisheitsgestalt in Proverbien 1-9: Traditionsgeschichtliche und Theologische Studien, Forschungen zum Alten Testament 16 (Mohr Siebeck: 1996).

March 31: Job 8:18-19

Job 8:16-19, continued
Verse 18

“If he should engulf it (away) from his place,
then it denies him (saying) ‘I have not seen you!'”

This couplet is admittedly difficult, though it almost certainly continues the comparative illustration from vv. 16-17 (see the previous note). Particularly problematic is the use of the verb ul^B* (I, “swallow”), along with the ambiguity of reference for both the subject and object: “he swallows him” (WNu#l=b^y+). The verb can be used as a metaphor for destruction (i.e., consume, devour), often with YHWH as the subject (e.g., Psalm 21:10); the examples elsewhere in the book of Job (2:3; 10:8) seem particularly relevant. A similar reference may be discerned here: “If He [i.e., God] should swallow [i.e., destroy] him from his place”. Other commentators (e.g., Seow, p. 535; Clines, p. 200) prefer to see here an indefinite subject: “If one should swallow [i.e., destroy] him from his place”. Perhaps the scenario is that of a person, who finds the spreading and overgrown plant to be intrusive and offensive, and thus decides to tear it out/down. The portrait would then be an illustration of judgment against the wicked. Michel (p. 194f), following a suggestion by M. Dahood, rather improbably reads <a as a Divine title (from the root <ya, “be fearson/terrifying”), i.e., “(The) Fearsome (One) swallows him from his place”, which solves the problem by making God the explicit subject.

I have taken a different approach to the line, based on the assumption that the subject of the verb ul^B* is the same as throughout vv. 16-17—namely, the plant of the illustration, symbolizing the wicked. Then, the masculine singular suffix would naturally refer back to the “mound” (lG~) and/or the “house (of stones)” (ty]b^) in v. 17. The verb ul^B* can mean “engulf”, which is appropriate to the image of a spreading/overgrown plant (such as a vine). The expression “from his place” then means “away from his place” —that is, beyond the garden spot where he was intended to grow. This “place” becomes the subject of the verb in the second line: “then it [i.e., his place] denies him…”. This seems to be an echo of 7:10: “his place will not recognize him any more”. In that earlier verse, the context was a person’s death, and so the parallel could add support to the view that v. 18 here illustrates God’s judgment against the wicked. At the very least, there is an allusion to coming judgment.

Verse 19

“See—this (is the) dissolving of his path,
and from the dirt other(s) will sprout up!”

The MT apparently reads “this (is the) joy [cocm=] of his path”, but it seems better to regard cwcm as a by-form of swsm (from the verbal root ss^m*, “melt”, i.e., “dissolve”), viz., the infinitive construct sosm= (“[the] dissolving of”), with “dissolve” in the sense of “destroy” (cf. Clines, p. 200). If v. 18 describes God’s judgment against the wicked, i.e., a person tearing out/down the plant, then this process is summarized in the first line here. I interpret the scene a bit differently, following my understanding of v. 18 (see above). The denial made against the plant by his ‘place’ (in the garden) marks the beginning of his destruction; up to this point, his “path” (Er#D#) was prosperous, since the plant had been growing prodigiously, but now it begins to ‘dissolve’ —viz., the plant ceases to prosper and grow, and it eventually dies out.

Either way, the second line describes the aftermath of the plant’s destruction: in the dirt where it had previously taken root and grown, other plants will sprout up in its place. The position of the adjective rj@a^ (“following after/behind”, probably in the generic sense of “[an]other”) is ambiguous; it could modify the noun rp*u* (“dust, dirt”), but most commentators understand it as a substantive that is the subject of the verb jm^x* (“sprout”). The singular form, which does not agree with the plural form of the verb (“they will sprout”), can be explained by reading rj@a^ as a collective (“other[s]”); cf. Seow, p. 536; Clines, p. 200). The verb has also been explained as a singular yaqtulu form (cf. Pope, p. 67; Blommerde, p. 52).

In the context of Bildad’s speech, applying the illustration to Job’s situation (cf. verses 4ff), the plant represents a person who had prospered greatly, presumably because he had lived in a pious and proper manner; eventually, his growth led him to move away from the ‘place’ in which he had prospered—viz., by turning away from devotion to God and right conduct, his ‘shoots’ spreading into improper and sinful ways. This (i.e., Job’s sin) has led to the judgment against him. God’s justice is fair and right, and Job would not have been punished severely if it was not warranted. Bildad makes this point again in the closing verses (vv. 20-22) of his speech, to be discussed in the next note.

    • References above (and throughout these notes) marked “Seow” are to C. L. [Choon Leong] Seow, Job 1-21: Interpretation and Commentary, Illuminations Commentary Series (Eerdmans: 2013).
    • Those marked “Clines” are to David J. A. Clines, Job 1–20, Word Biblical Commentary [WBC] vol. 17 (1989).
    • Those marked “Pope“ are to Marvin H. Pope, Job, Anchor Bible [AB] vol. 15 (1965, 1973).
    • Those marked “Michel” are to Walter L. Michel, Job in the Light of Northwest Semitic, Biblica et Orientalia 42 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute Press: 1987).
    • Those marked “Blommerde” are to Anton C. M. Blommerde, Northwest Semitic Grammar and Job, Biblica et Orientalia 22 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute Press: 1969).

March 30: Proverbs 8:24

This is a series of exegetical notes supplemental to the study on Proverbs 8 (cf. Part 1, 2, 3), covering verses 22-31.

Proverbs 8:24

“When there were no depths, I came forth with writhing,
when there were no springs, heavy with waters.”

The pre-existence of Wisdom—that is, her birth in the beginning, prior to the Creation—mentioned in vv. 22-23 (see the previous note) is described in vv. 24-26 specifically in relation to YHWH’s work as Creator. The temporal indicators in the prior verses are thus explained in reference to the creation of the cosmos. The focus in vv. 24-26 is on the earth (v. 23)—that is, the habitable region of the surface (of the flat-disc/cylinder) of the earth (v. 26), along with the territory below (viz., watery depths, v. 24) and above (mountains/hills, v. 25).

A different temporal-relational indicator is used in each verse. Here, in verse 24, it is the negative particle (of absence/non-existence), /y]a^ (“there is no[t]”), prefixed by the preposition B=. Literally, this is rendered “in/with there being no”, but English rather requires a temporal particle “when” (i.e., “when there was no…”). There were not yet any waters below the surface of the earth when Wisdom was born. The actual noun in line 1 is <ohT= (“deep”, plur., “depths”), which, in the Genesis 1 Creation account (v. 2), refers to the primeval waters that existed prior to the creation of the ordered universe (cf. also Ps 77:17[16] and 148:7, in which the plural is also used). If that is the point of reference here, then v. 24 would be a truly rare instance in ancient Near Eastern literature where something is said to have existed prior to the primeval waters. However, as indicated above, the focus here seems to be on the water beneath the earth’s surface, which is part of the cosmos, rather than the primeval waters that are outside of (i.e., surrounding) the cosmos (heaven-earth). The primeval waters are mentioned (or alluded to) here only insofar as they represent the source of the earth’s waters—specifically the seas (and their depths, line 1) and the springs (line 2, cf. Ps 104:10).
The LXX makes the orientation clearer through inclusion of an additional line at the start of the verse: “Before the making of the earth…”. 

The depths below the earth are associated with the creation/birth of human beings in Psalm 139:15 (cf. verse 13), and here they are similarly mentioned in relation to the birth of Wisdom. The verb lWj/lyj! means “twist, writhe”, often in the specific context of a woman’s labor pains; here a passive Polal form is used (as in Job 15:7; Ps 51:7[5]), and thus the reference is clearly to the birth of Wisdom, just as was indicated by the use of the verb hn`q* (“acquire [through giving birth]”) in v. 22 and Es^n` (“weave”) in v. 23. A literal translation is difficult, and most translators use a generic rendering like “I was brought forth”, which almost entirely obscures the allusion to labor pains. YHWH is similarly described as giving birth (through the writhing of labor pains) to the earth (Ps 90:2) and the people Israel (Deut 32:18); in this regard, the verb lyj! is precisely parallel to the earlier usage of hn`q* (cf. the note on v. 22).

Given the aforementioned parallel to Psalm 139:13, 15, it seems at least possible that there is an allusion here to the waters within the mother’s womb, and this may help to explain the use of the db^K* (“be heavy, weighty”) in the second line. A Niphal participle is used in a construct expression, “being heavy of [i.e., with] waters”. It has been argued that MT yD@B^k=n] represents a scribal error for yk@b=n] (“bubbling [well-spring]s”), a plural form of the noun Eb#n@ (cf. Ugaritic nbk), as in Job 38:16; see Fox, Textual Commentary, p. 157. This reading seems to be supported by the LXX (“before the coming forth [of] the springs [phga/$] of waters”). Other commentators (e.g., Waltke, p. 390; Schipper, p. 284; Müller, p. 234) maintain the MT, finding yD@B^k=n] to be quite acceptable in context as a verbal adjective (i.e., “[heavy-]laden”, “abounding”).

The use of a negative temporal indicator (as here, /ya@B=, cf. above) is attested in other ancient Near Eastern texts referring to the beginnings of Creation (cf. Meinhold, p. 145). Perhaps the most famous example is the opening of the Babylonian-Akkadian Creation Epic (known by its first words in transliteration, Enuma elish):

“When skies above were not yet named
Nor earth below pronounced by name,
Apsu, the first one, their begetter
And maker Tiamat, who bore them all,
Had mixed their waters together,
But had not yet formed pastures, nor discovered reed-beds;
When yet no gods were manifest,
Nor names pronounced, nor destinies decreed,
Then gods were born within them.”
(translation S. Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia [Oxford University Press: 1989])

There is a similar example from the Egyptian Pyramid Texts (PT486, Pepi II 548, §1040):

“Greetings, waters….who were born in Nu when the sky had not yet come into being, when the earth had not yet come into being, when the establishment (of the world) had not yet come into being…” (ellipses mine)
(translation James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, vol. 23, Writings from the Ancient World [Society of Biblical Literature: 2005], p. 297; cf. Schipper, p. 309f)

Christological Significance

On Jesus Christ as the offspring (Son) of God, who was in existence prior to the creation, cf. the previous notes on v. 22 and 23. Though Christ (the Son) is clearly understood as God’s offspring, with the use of the noun monoge/nh$ ((cf. John 1:14, 18 [v.l.]; 3:16, 18; 1 Jn 4:9) implying that he came to be born, an actual birth of the Son from God the Father is never explicitly stated. In the Johannine writings, the verb genna/w (“come to be [born]”) + e)k [tou=] qeou= (“out of God”) is always used of believers (as the offspring/children of God, Jn 1:13, et al.), not Christ (with the possible exception of 1 Jn 5:18 [second occurrence of the idiom]). The use of the pronoun pro/$ (“toward”) in John 1:1 (second phrase) suggests a dynamic relationship between the Logos (Son) and the Father in the beginning, and conceivably the wording in v. 18 (“in the lap/bosom [ko/lpo$] of the Father”) could imply birth imagery. However, it was only at a later time that Christians began to speculate as to just how the pre-existent Son came to be ‘born’ (in God’s eternity). Birth imagery (and the specific use of the water-motif) is applied to the spiritual birth of believers in John 3:3-8, but otherwise this water-motif is associated with the Son in terms of the gift of the Spirit—which the Father gives to the Son, and the Son, in turn, gives to believers (3:34-35).

      • References above marked “Fox” are to Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9, Anchor Bible [AB], vol. 18A (Yale University Press: 2000). Those marked “Fox, Textual Commentary” are to idem, Proverbs: An Eclectic Edition with Introduction and Textual Commentary, The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition 1 (Society of Biblical Literature [SBL] Press: 2015). 
      • Those marked “Waltke” are to Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament [NICOT] (Eerdmans: 2004).
      • Those marked “Meinhold” are to Arndt Meinhold, Die Sprüche, Teil I: Sprüche Kapitel 1-15, Zürcher Bibelkommentare AT 16.1 (Theologischer Verlag Zürich: 1991).
      • Those marked “Müller” are to Achim Müller, Proverbien 1-9: Der Weisheit neue Kleider, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft [BZAW] 291 (Walter de Gruyter: 2000).

March 30: Job 8:16-17

Job 8:16-19
Verse 16

“Moist he (is) before the face of (the) sun,
and over his garden sends out his sucker;”

The proverbial illustration in vv. 16-19 draws from the same line of imagery as vv. 11-12 (see the prior note)—comparing the wicked person with an otherwise well-watered plant that meets with an unexpected calamity. In the earlier illustration, the comparison was with the reed, which thrives in the marshland, but when it is deprived of water it withers. Here, the plant is described as “moist” (bf)r*)—that is, it does have sufficient water and is able to grow prodigiously (implying the temporary success/prosperity of the wicked). This adjective occurs only here in the Scriptures, along with the verb (“be moist/wet”) in 24:8. The root is attested in other Semitic languages (e.g., Akkadian raṭābu[m], Arabic raṭiba/raṭuba), including an occurrence in the Transjordanian Deir ʿAllā inscription (rṭb, I 5). Seow (p. 534) notes that the Akkadian adjective ruṭṭubu may be used of plants in well-irrigated or even water-logged land (quite fitting to the context here), occurring in the expression iṣṣu raṭbu, “a well-watered tree”; cf. HALOT, p. 1222f; Chicago Assyrian Dictionary [CAD], R, pp. 437–38. The plant described is moist and fresh (‘juicy’), to the extent that it does not dry out in the sun’s heat (“before the face of [the] sun”), but rather grows abundantly; cf. Sutcliffe, p. 371.

The noun tq#n#oy (fem. of qn@oy) literally means “sucker” (vb qny), often in the specific sense of a suckling child/offspring. In the case of a plant, the ‘offspring’, which sucks the nutrients from the root/stalk, is the branch/tendril, i.e., the ‘shoot’ that is sent forth (vb ax*y`). The noun occurs in the same context in 14:7; 15:30; Ps 80:12[11]; Hos 14:7; Ezek 17:22; one can read the singular here in a collective sense (so Clines, p. 200; Anderson, p. 142). Seow (p. 534) may be correct in the view that the preposition lu^ (“over, upon”) in the expression otN`G~ lu^ (“over his garden”) means “beyond” (cf. Exod 16:5; Num 3:46; Josh 3:15), though perhaps “(all) over” is meant; in any case, an abundant growth is indicated.

Verse 17

“over (the) mound his roots are entwined,
(and) a house of stones he sees.”

The extensive growth of the well-watered plant (v. 16) is further described here in this couplet, which is a rather difficult to translate, due, it seems, to some significant wordplay. The initial expression “over (the) mound” (lu^ + the noun lG~) is parallel to “over his garden” (lu^ + hN`G~ [fem. of /G~]) in v. 16b (note the alliteration). The image seems to be that of a plant growing beyond its garden spot to reach over a nearby mound. The rare verb Eb^s* (“entwine”) enhances the growth-image (viz., the numerous shoots/tendrils that become entwined), and yet it can also mean “entangle” (cf. Nah 1:10) and thus may be foreshadowing the plant’s coming destruction (cf. Sutcliffe, p. 373). It is likely that the noun lG~ was used earlier in 3:22 (see the note), in the context of a burial mound, and thus in an allusion to death.

The second line plays on this dual meaning even more fully. The MT reads “a house of stones he sees”, though tyb can also represent a form of the preposition /yB@ (“between”, i.e., tyB@ < tyn~B@, cf. Prov 8:2 [note]). Thus, as the plant grows and spreads out its shoots, it grows between the stones, but also instinctively ‘looks for’ (vb hz`j*) any raised structure of stones (such as a house) to spread over. In the use of the verb hz`j* there may be some allusive wordplay with the root zj^a* (I, “grab hold of”; II, “cover”); at least one commentator (Budde) proposed that the verb here is actually zj^a* with elision of the initial (quiescent) a. Other commentators have suggested an identification with the verb zz~j* (“cut through”, Ewald, Hitzig) or a link with Arabic ḥāda (“be opposite,” Driver); cf. Seow, p. 535. The rendering of the line as “a house of stones he sees” is preserved, since it captures the likely allusion to the wicked man seeing the loss/destruction of his house (cf. verses 4, 6, 14-15, and earlier in 4:19-21). The imagery particularly seems to echo 5:3ff, with the idea of the foolish/wicked person “taking root” (i.e., seeming to flourish), but then ultimately having his abode destroyed (and left desolate).

The following verses, which deal with the conclusion of the illustration, are particularly difficult, and will be discussed in the next note.

    • References above (and throughout these notes) marked “Seow” are to C. L. [Choon Leong] Seow, Job 1-21: Interpretation and Commentary, Illuminations Commentary Series (Eerdmans: 2013).
    • Those marked “Clines” are to David J. A. Clines, Job 1–20, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 17 (1989).
    • Those marked “Anderson” are to Francis I. Anderson, Job, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Inter-Varsity Press: 1976).
    • Those marked “Sutcliffe” are to E. F. Sutcliffe, “Further Notes on Job, Textual and Exegetical: 6,2–3.13; 8,16–17; 19,20–26″ Biblica 31 (1950), pp. 365–78.

March 28: Proverbs 8:23

This is a series of exegetical notes supplemental to the study on Proverbs 8 (cf. Part 1, 2, 3), covering verses 22-31.

Proverbs 8:23

“From (the) distant (past), I was woven,
from (the) beginning, (time)s before (the) earth.”

This couplet develops the thought expressed in v. 22 (see the previous note), building upon the temporal expression (za*m@, “from then”) at the end of the verse. The same prefixed preposition (/m!, “from”) occurs three times here in v. 23, and with the same temporal significance (i.e., from a time in the past). In order to distinguish the occurrences of /m! here with those of B= in v. 24, I have retained the normal translation “from”, even though the renderings “in (the) distant (past)” and “at (the) beginning” are more appropriate to the English idiom.

Dahood (p. 514) recommends that za*m@ be counted as the first word of v. 23 rather than the last of v. 22. This has the advantage of evening out the rhythm/meter of both couplets (3+3, six words each) as well as creating a consistent parallelism for the usage of the temporal indicators with prefixed /m!:

“From (back) then, | from (the) distant (past), | I was woven,
from (the) beginning, | from (time)s before | (the) earth (was made).”

His proposal should be given serious consideration; strangely, very few commentators even mention it. 

The terms tyv!ar@ (here var)) and <d#q# are repeated from v. 22, only now they carry a clearer temporal meaning. To these is added (in line 1) the frequently used temporal-durative indicator <l*ou, which can refer either to the distant past or the distant future; it tends to be used in reference to the distant future (usually with the preposition l=, “into/unto the distant future”), while here the reference is to the distant past (with the preposition /m!, “from the distant past”).

The expressions /m! + var) and /m! + <d#q# are set in apposition: “from (the) beginning, from (the time)s before”. For poetic concision, I have compressed this to “from (the) beginning, (time)s before”. The plural of <d#q# here is rendered as “(time)s before”; the plural noun is linked in a construct chain with Jr#a# (“earth”), “from (time)s before (the) earth”, i.e., “…before (the) earth was made”. The statement in v. 22 is thus made more precise: Wisdom came into existence (was ‘born’) before the creation of the cosmos (heaven and earth).

The verb used in line 1 is best identified as Es^n` II, “weave”, rather than Es^n` I, “pour out, cast [down]”. This verb (Es^n` II) is related to Ek^s* II, with the same meaning (“weave”), sometimes in the more general sense of “form, fashion, shape”. The verb Ek^s* II is used in Ps 139:13 and Job 10:11, in a similar context, referring to the creation/formation of a person (human being) in the mother’s womb. Thus, the reference is to the birth of a human being, even as Es^n` here refers to the ‘birth’ of Wisdom (cf. the verb hn`q* in v. 22, discussed in the previous note). The verb Es^n` I (“pour out”) would not be entirely out of place in a creation context, since it can be used of the casting of a statue or the laying of a foundation (cf. Akkadian nasāku, “throw down flat”, HALOT, p. 703)—i.e., building metaphors that could apply to the creation/foundation of the earth, etc.
The verb form here could be derived from Ek^s* II rather than from the synonymous by-form Es^n` II, but this would require vocalizing differently than the MT—viz., yt!K)s^n+, rather than yT!k=S^n]; cf. Fox, p. 281; Waltke, p. 390. 

The conjunction of the verb Es^n` (“weave”) with the mention of the “earth” (Jr#a#) could allude to Psalm 139 (vv. 13 + 15); in that Psalm (study), the traditional parallelism of the mother’s womb with the ‘womb’ of the earth (i.e., ‘Mother Earth’), viz., the regions below the surface of the earth, is utilized, though it is hard to say whether the author of our poem here had anything of the sort in mind (cf. Meinhold, p. 144; Müller, p. 244f).

Christological Significance

The main point of Christological significance reiterates one of the key components of v. 22 (cf. the previous note)—namely, that Wisdom, as the offspring of God, existed prior to the creation/foundation of the earth. As applied to the person of Christ, the pre-existent Son of God, this is most clearly expressed in John 17:5, 24, where it is specifically indicated that the Son was present with God the Father before the world (ko/smo$) came into existence. In v. 5, the wording is “before [pro/] the world coming to be [ei@nai]”, while in v. 24 it is “before [pro/] (the) casting down [katabolh/] of (the) world”. The noun katabolh/ alludes to the idea of the laying down of a foundation (cf. on the use of the verb Es^n` above); the expression “casting down of the world” (katabolh\ [tou] ko/smou) occurs 8 more times in the New Testament (Matt 13:35; 25:34; Lk 11:50; Heb 4:3; 9:26; 1 Pet 1:20; Rev 13:8; 17:8). The specific phrase “before [pro/] (the) casting down of (the) world” also occurs, in a comparable Christological context (though without necessarily the idea of pre-existence), in 1 Pet 1:20; cf. also Rev 13:8 (“from [apo/] the casting down…”). The general idea that Christ, as the Son (and/or Wisdom) of God, existed before the creation of the world, is also found in John 1:1-2ff (being implied and alluded to throughout the Gospel), and Col 1:15f, 17 (cf. 1 Cor 8:6; Rom 11:36); Heb 1:2-3, 10ff. These references were also mentioned in the previous note and will be discussed again as we proceed through the remainder of Prov 8:22-31 (v. 24 to be discussed in the next note).

    • References above marked “Fox” are to Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9, Anchor Bible [AB], vol. 18A (Yale University Press: 2000). Those marked “Fox, Textual Commentary” are to idem, Proverbs: An Eclectic Edition with Introduction and Textual Commentary, The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition 1 (Society of Biblical Literature [SBL] Press: 2015). 
    • Those marked “Waltke” are to Bruce K. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament [NICOT] (Eerdmans: 2004).
    • Those marked “Meinhold” are to Arndt Meinhold, Die Sprüche, Teil I: Sprüche Kapitel 1-15, Zürcher Bibelkommentare AT 16.1 (Theologischer Verlag Zürich: 1991).
    • Those marked “Müller” are to Achim Müller, Proverbien 1-9: Der Weisheit neue Kleider, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft [BZAW] 291 (Walter de Gruyter: 2000).
    • Those marked “Dahood” are to Mitchell Dahood, “Proverbs 8,22-31: Translation and Commentary”, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly [CBQ] 30 (1968), pp. 512-21.
    • Those marked “HALOT” are to Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brill: 1994–2000).

March 27: Job 8:14-15

Job 8:11-15, continued
Verse 14

“(He is one) whose confidence shall be cut short,
even like (the) house of a spider (is) his secure place—”

As mentioned in the previous note, the saying in verse 13 serves as the lesson for both the illustration prior (vv. 11-12) and following (vv. 14-15). Syntactically, it is probably better to read vv. 14-15 as a continuation of v. 13; in any case, the relative particle rv#a& (“the [one] who”) refers to the wicked/impious person described in v. 13. Literally, the first line here reads “the (one) who his confidence shall be cut short”; but practically in English this use of the relative particle + possessive suffix requires the rendering “the (one) whose…”.

The noun ls#K# (II) is a Wisdom term that occurs only in the Psalms (49:14[13]; 78:7), Proverbs (3:26), Qohelet (7:25), and Job (here, and 31:24); the related noun hl*s=K! was used earlier in 4:6 (cf. Ps 85:9[8]). The root lsk means “be thick”, often in the intellectual sense of “be stupid, foolish”, and indeed the adjective lys!K* (I) occurs frequently in the Wisdom literature with the meaning “foolish, stupid”. The characteristic ‘thickness’ can also connote ‘firmness’, and this is presumably the aspect of meaning that informs the noun ls#K# as “confidence”, though at times it can imply specifically a foolhardy kind of self-confidence (cf. Ps 49:14[13]; Qoh 7:25). Here it is parallel with jf*b=m! (“secure place”, “[place of] security”). Both roots lsk and jfb carry the meaning be firm—that is, secure, something to be relied upon; the latter root occurs frequently (in the Psalms) in the context of one’s trust in YHWH (for protection, etc.), i.e., as a place of refuge, but here the false and unreliable ‘secure place’ of the wicked is like the “house” of a spider (i.e., as fragile as a spider’s web).

The verb form foqy` occurs only here in the Scriptures, but it is best understood as a form of the verb ff^q* (or a synonymous by-form foq [II]), with the meaning “be short/small, cut short”. The verb ff^q* does not occur in Biblical Hebrew, but it is attested in later Hebrew (cf. Jastrow, p. 1347) as well as through cognates in other Semitic languages (e.g., Arabic qaṭṭa). In point of fact, there are a number of Hebrew roots with the initial characters fq—bfq, /fq, [fq—that cover this basic semantic range (viz., of “be short/small”, “cut short, cut off”, “pluck off”), suggesting an original Semitic bi-consonantal root fq (qṭ) denoting “be short/small” (cf. the adjective fq^ in Ezek 16:47). In the immediate context of vv. 12-13, with the verb [f^q* (“cut off/down”) and the allusion to the “thread” (hw`q=T!) of a person’s life/fate that is ‘cut’, a meaning “cut short” seems to be required. Many commentators concur with this view—see especially the discussion by Grabbe (pp. 58-60); cf. also Michel (p. 192), Clines (p. 199), and Seow (p. 534, who however prefers the meaning “be slender/flimsy/fragile”).

The use in v. 13 of the noun hw`q=T!, which (as discussed in the previous note), has both the meaning “hope” and “thread”, is particularly suitable to the illustration here in v. 14f, referring both to the false confidence (i.e., hope) of the wicked, and the image of the fragile ‘thread’ of the spider’s web which can easily be cut. When the thread is cut, the “house” is destroyed (cf. 4:19-21 [note]), meaning that the wicked suffer loss and ruin/destruction; cf. also the allusion to the loss of Job’s ‘house’ in vv. 4, 6.

Verse 15

“he shall lean upon his house, but it will not stand;
he shall grab hold on it, but it will not stand up!”

The secure place (and “house”) of the wicked is actually as flimsy and easily destroyed as a spider’s web (v. 14). The wicked person thinks he can rely upon it, but it actually offers no support. The verbs /u^v* (“lean on for support”) and qz^j* (Hiphil, “grab/hold firmly [on]”) are used, in parallel, for this idea of relying upon something for security/support. Similarly, the near-synonymous verbs dm^u* (“stand [in place]”) and <Wq (“stand [up]”) are parallel. The house of the wicked will not stand; in time of distress and affliction, it will quickly collapse and be cut/broken to pieces (cf. Matt 7:26-27 par).

A tiny portion of verses 15-16 is preserved in one of the small fragments of the Qumran manuscript 4QJobb. Nothing of the book of Job prior to 8:15 survives. In the small bit of v. 15 that is preserved, there are no variant readings; indeed, the Qumran text here confirms the MT. 

    • References above (and throughout these notes) marked “Seow” are to C. L. [Choon Leong] Seow, Job 1-21: Interpretation and Commentary, Illuminations Commentary Series (Eerdmans: 2013).
    • Those marked “Clines” are to David J. A. Clines, Job 1–20, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 17 (1989).
    • Those marked “Michel” are to Walter L. Michel, Job in the Light of Northwest Semitic, Biblica et Orientalia 42 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute Press: 1987).
    • Those marked “Grabbe” are to Lester L. Grabbe, Comparative Philology and the Text of Job: A Study in Methodology, Society of Biblical Literature [SBL] Dissertation Series 34 (Scholars Press: 1977).

March 27: Proverbs 8:22

This is a series of exegetical notes supplemental to the study on Proverbs 8 (cf. Part 1, 2, 3), covering verses 22-31.

Proverbs 8:22

“YHWH created me (at the) beginning of His path,
in front of (all) His works (done) back then.”

As throughout chapter 8 (beginning with verse 4), Wisdom personified is speaking. Since the noun hm*k=j* (“wisdom”), along with the synonymous/similar terms hn`yB, hn`WbT= (“understanding”), etc., is feminine, Wisdom is personified as a female. This personification has featured prominently throughout chapters 1-9, as we have seen and discussed (cf. Parts 1-3 of this study). Wisdom is treated as a Divine figure; in the previous section (vv. 12-21), the focus was on the Divine attributes of Wisdom (cf. 3:13-18), while here it is the Divine origin of Wisdom (along with her role in the Creation, cf. 3:19-20, and the brief discussion in Part 3).

In vv. 22-26 (and particularly the first two couplets, vv. 22-23), it is emphasized that Wisdom came into existence (and was present with YHWH) prior to the start of Creation (viz., YHWH’s work as the Creator). In theological parlance, this means the pre-existence of Wisdom. This theological point is established here in the first couplet of the section, stated quite clearly in the first line:

“YHWH created me (at the) beginning of His path”
oKr=d^ tyv!ar@ yn]n`q* hwhy

The statement is clear in the main, yet there are certain interpretive difficulties regarding the individual components. First, there is the verb hn`q*, which means “acquire”, but which can also be used with a meaning something like “create” (particularly, when used of God). The primary meaning and basic denotation is “acquire” as can be seen by the early cognate evidence from Akkadian (qanû[m]), Ugaritic (qny), and even in personal names from Ebla that include the element iq-na* “the god acquired” (cf. HALOT, p. 1111). At the same time, the dual meaning of “acquire” / “create” is attested as early as the mid-second millennium from Ugarit. Unless separate hnq roots are involved, it would seem that the meaning “create” is secondary (and contextual), having developed from the primary meaning of “acquire”.
Bruce Vawter, in a pair of articles— “Prov 8:22: Wisdom and Creation”, Journal of Biblical Literature [JBL] 99 (1980), pp. 205-16, and “Yahweh: Lord of the Heavens and the Earth”, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly [CBQ] 48 (1986), pp. 461-7—makes a strong argument that hn`q*, both in Hebrew and its Semitic cognates, means simply “acquire”, and that the usage applied to El-YHWH refers to his possession of creation (as its Lord and Master) rather than to His work as Creator.

In particular, it would seem that the meaning of “create” (or “make, produce”) is more or less limited to the context of giving birth to a child, perhaps in the sense of “acquire (by giving birth)”. We see this in Gen 4:1, but it would appear to apply also to the usage with God (El-YHWH) as the subject, in several specific contexts: (1) creation of the cosmos (“heaven and earth”), Gen 14:19, 22; (2) creation of human beings, Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; also Gen 4:1; and (3) the ‘creation’ of Israel as God’s own people (and His prized possession), Deut 32:6. The idea of the creation of the cosmos as ‘birth’ is derived from ancient mythic-polytheistic cosmology—viz., nature in terms of personified ‘powers’ (deities) who are viewed as the children/offspring of the primeval Creator (El). In the Ugaritic texts, the goddess Asherah (the wife/mate of El) is called qnyt ilm (“creator of [the] mighty [one]s [i.e., gods]”), i.e., the one who gave birth to the generations of the gods. YHWH/El similarly produced the cosmos in the manner of a Father (“Creator of [hn@q)] [the] heavens and earth”, Gen 14:19, 22), even as He is the Father of all human beings, and of the people Israel (i.e., the ‘son[s] of God’, Exod 4:22-23; Deut 32:19; Hos 1:10[2:1]; 11:1; Isa 43:6, etc.).

However, it should be noted that elsewhere in the Proverbs hn`q* unquestionably means “acquire”, particularly here in chaps. 1-9 where Wisdom is the object, i.e., “acquire wisdom” (1:5; 4:5, 7). Thus, for consistency, it might be better to translate hn`q* as “acquire” here in v. 22 as well, as long as the connotative meaning of “acquire (by giving birth)” is clearly understood. The verbs that follow in vv. 23-25—Es^n` II (“weave”), lyj! I (“writhe”, signifying the labor pains of the mother)—show unquestionably that creation (by giving birth), i.e., producing offspring, is in view (cf. Müller, p. 243f). Wisdom is thus portrayed the offspring of YHWH.
The ancient Versions show the same uncertainty modern translators face (cf. Müller, p. 232), whether to render the verb hn`q* as “acquire” or “create”. The majority text of the LXX (e&ktisen), the Targum (ynarb), and the Syriac translate as “created”, while a few manuscripts of the LXX and the other Greek versions (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion) translate “acquired” (e)kth/sato), along with Vulgate (possedit). Cf. Fox, Textual Commentary, p. 156.

The phrase “beginning of His path” is also a bit ambiguous, particularly since it is not immediately clear how the construct noun tyv!ar@ (“first/beginning of”) should be taken; cf. Fox, p. 280. It can mean first in position/status, time, or sequence. In favor of a temporal meaning, one naturally thinks of the first word of Gen 1:1 (“In [the] beginning…”, tyv!r@B=), in reference to El-YHWH’s work as Creator. However, other occurrences of the noun in Proverbs (esp. 1:7; 4:7) suggest rather that a sequence is in view—viz., acquiring Wisdom is the beginning of a process (i.e., the first step/stage). The terminology applies to human beings in those verses, while here it applies to YHWH; yet the meaning is the same, even if the significance differs. YHWH gives birth to Wisdom at/as the beginning of His work as Creator. It is not clear whether the phrase should be glossed “(at the) beginning of His path” or “(as the) beginning of His path”; both are possible, but I have opted for the former, since the relational aspect (viz., giving birth to Wisdom in relation to the creation of the cosmos) seems to be in view in the wording of vv. 22b-25. Cf. Schipper, p. 308; Müller, p. 232f.

This helps us to understand the use of the noun Er#D# (“path”) here. Throughout chapters 1-9 (as in the Wisdom Tradition generally), Er#D# is consistently used in the ethical-religious sense of a person’s regular and characteristic behavior. Here, the focus is on YHWH’s characteristic behavior as Creator. At the same time, the “path of YHWH” has special religious significance, as referring to the thought and actions of the righteous, who conduct themselves according to the righteousness of God. Here in chapters 1-9, the path of God is also the path of Wisdom—the teaching of Wisdom being in alignment with the Instruction (i.e., Torah) of YHWH (cf. especially the repeated use of the path/walking idiom throughout Psalm 119). Thus, Wisdom stands at the head (var)) of this path, even as she stands at the head of the pathways of human activity (vv. 2-3, cf. verse 20) calling on people everywhere to follow her instruction. In Jewish tradition, there was a close association between the Torah and the (pre-existent) Divine Wisdom, even as early Christians made the same association between the person of Christ and the Wisdom/Word of God (cf. below).
The LXX reads plural “His paths/ways [o(dw=n]”, and the Syriac similarly has a plural form (“His creations”, noun cognate with the verb “create”), perhaps in anticipation of the plural “works/deeds” in the second line.

The sequential-relational aspect of the statement in line 1 is clarified in line 2:

“in front of (all) His works (done) back then”
za*m@ wyl*u*p=m! <d#q#

The noun <d#q# (“front, fore[most] part”) is parallel to tyv!ar@ and likewise can be used in either a positional, temporal, or sequential sense; it tends to function adverbially or as a preposition (i.e., “in front, before”). Also parallel are the suffixed nouns oKr=D^ (“His path”) and wyl*u*p=m (“his works”, i.e., deeds/actions); as noted above, Er#D# (“path”) is being used in the sense of a person’s regular/characteristic behavior (i.e., actions). Here the deeds/actions are those of YHWH as Creator (i.e., His acts of creating [the universe]). The rather rare noun lu*p=m! is similarly used of YHWH in Ps 46:9[8]; 66:5, while the verb lu^P* (“work, act, do, make”) frequently has YHWH as the subject (in the Psalms and Wisdom literature [cf. Prov 16:4]). When the verb is used of YHWH as verbal noun (participle) it expresses the idea of His characteristic actions (as Creator and King of the universe)—e.g., Ps 44:2[1]; 74:12; Job 36:3; Hab 1:5.

The temporal aspect of the Creation is captured by the final expression za*m@, lit. “from then”, but translated above as “back then” (i.e., in primordial time, at the beginning, cf. Gen 1:1). There is a certain chiastic structure to the couplet:

    • “YHWH created…
      • (at the) beginning of His path
      • in front of (all) His deeds/works
    • back then”
Christological Significance

Early Christians gradually came to identify Jesus Christ with the pre-existent Wisdom of God, and Prov 8:22-31 played an important role in that identification. The clearest expressions of this Wisdom Christology in the New Testament Scriptures are found in: (i) the Prologue of the Gospel of John (1:1-18), (ii) the ‘Christ-Hymn’ of Colossians (1:15-20), and (iii) the preface of Hebrews (1:1-4). The background of this Christology will be discussed here in these notes, though more detailed treatment can be found in other articles (such as the studies in the series “God Sent Forth His Son…” [cf. the recent article on the Colossians hymn]). The role of Prov 8:22-31 in the development of this Christology is the particular focus of these notes. Here, it is possible to isolate several seminal features or elements of verse 22 which relate to the Christological development:

    • The birth of Wisdom as the offspring of God (cf. on the verb hn`q* above); on Jesus Christ as the pre-existent Son of God, see esp. John 1:1ff, 14ff (and throughout the Gospel); Gal 4:4 (cf. Rom 8:3); Col 1:13, 15ff; Heb 1:2, 5ff.
    • Wisdom’s presence “(at/in) the beginning”; cf. John 1:1ff.
    • Wisdom existed prior to (“before”, <d#q#) the creation of the universe; cf. John 1:2-3; 17:5; Col 1:17.
    • Wisdom is associated (implicitly) with God’s acts as Creator; cf. John 1:2-3 (to be discussed further).

Verse 23 will be discussed in the next note.

    • References above marked “Fox” are to Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9, Anchor Bible [AB], vol. 18A (Yale University Press: 2000). Those marked “Fox, Textual Commentary” are to idem, Proverbs: An Eclectic Edition with Introduction and Textual Commentary, The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition 1 (Society of Biblical Literature [SBL] Press: 2015). 
    • References marked “Schipper” are to Bernd U. Schipper, Proverbs 1-15, Hermeneia Commentary Series (Fortress Press: 2010). See also his monograph on Proverbs 2: Hermeneutik der Tora: Studien zur Traditionsgeschichte von Prov 2 und zur Komposition von Prov 1-9, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft [BZAW] 432 (Walter de Gruyter: 2012).
    • Those marked “Müller” are to Achim Müller, Proverbien 1-9: Der Weisheit neue Kleider, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft [BZAW] 291 (Walter de Gruyter: 2000).
    • Those marked “HALOT” are to Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Brill: 1994–2000).

March 26: Job 8:13

Job 8:11-15, continued
Verse 13

“So (are the) ways of all (those) forgetting (the) Mighty—
even (the) hope of (the) impious shall perish!”

This couplet serves as the lesson that is to be derived from the illustration in vv. 11-12 (see the previous note), but also for the illustration that follows in vv. 14-15. As previously mentioned, the verse joins together the two illustrations, tying them both back to the religious-theological argument of Bildad’s speech (vv. 5-7, 20-22, cf. also v. 4)—the point being that those faithful to God will be blessed and protected by Him, while the unfaithful ones (i.e., wicked/sinners) are cursed and punished.

In the first line, the MT has the plural noun tojr=a* (“ways”, viz., pathways of a journey), but a good number of commentators (e.g., Duhm, Fohrer, Pope, Gordis) would emend this to tyr!j&a^ (“that which comes behind”, i.e., “end, outcome”, sometimes in the sense of “fate, destiny”, cf. Ugaritic iḫryt). That the text may have originally read tyrja (or trja) is certainly possible, and the emendation plausible, given the context (i.e., the fate of the wicked) and the use of tyrja elsewhere in Scripture (cf. Jer 29:11; 31:17; Prov 23:18; 24:14, where it is similarly paired with hw`q=T!). On the other hand, in the Wisdom tradition, the path-idiom is frequent and widespread (with jr^a) being one of the regular terms), and can refer specifically to where the path ultimately leads—viz., life and blessing for the righteous, death and destruction for the wicked. Note, in particular, the specific wording in Prov 1:19, which is formally identical with the usage here: “So [/K@] (are the) ways of [tojr=a*] all (those)…” (cf. also the construct plural tojr=a* in Ps 17:4). Moreover the noun jr^a) (plur.) occurs a number of times elsewhere in Job (6:18-19; 13:27; 30:2; 33:11), and there may be a specific intertextual allusion back to the occurrences in Job’s previous speech (6:18-19); cf. Seow (p. 533), who also notes the use of the cognate Akkadian urḫu (“path”) in association with a person’s fate.

The wicked are characterized as those who “forget [vb jk^v*] God” (cf. Deut 4:23, 31; 8:11, 14, 19; 9:7; Ps 9:18[17]; 50:22; 78:7; 119:16, etc.; Prov 2:17); Bildad’s speech uses the regular la@ (“Mighty [One]”, i.e., ‘God’) rather than H^ola$ (“Mightiest”, = <yh!l)a$) as throughout much of the rest of the Dialogue. In the second line, the rather rare term [n@j* is used (of the 13 Scriptural occurrences, 8 are in Job [13:16; 15:34; 17:8; 20:5; 27:8; 34:30; 36:13], cf. also Ps 35:16; Prov 11:9; Isa 9:16[17]; 10:6; 33:14). The exact meaning of this noun is not entirely certain. It derives from the verbal root [nj (I), apparently cognate with Ugaritic ḫnp (used in the sense of haughtiness of spirit/attitude, cf. Aqhat II.col.i., line 17), while in Amarna Canaanite (cf. Letter 162.74 and 288.8) the verbal root seems to denote improper social and/or religious conduct. In Middle Hebrew and Jewish-Palestinian Aramaic, the verb [nj denotes a feigned homage or flattery, and thus the meaning of the derived noun [yn]j* (Aram. ap*n+j*) as ‘hyocrite’ or (in a religious context) false believer/worshiper; cf. Arabic ḥanīf and the verb ḥanafa (“turn sideways”); HALOT, p. 335. For the Hebrew, especially as used here in Job, a general meaning such as “impious” seems suitable, entailing the particular Wisdom-aspect of foolish/reckless speech and behavior characteristic of the wicked. Cf. Seow, p. 533.

The fate of the wicked is expounded further in the second line (the initial w-conjunction seen as expository and emphatic), where it is stated that the “hope” (hw`q=T!) of the wicked will perish (vb db^a*). The noun hw`q=T!, used earlier in 4:6; 5:16; 6:8; 7:6, refers to that on which a person hopes or relies (vb hw`q*); but it also carries the concrete meaning of “cord, thread” (cf. wq^ I), and so there is almost certainly a bit of double-meaning wordplay here even as also in 7:6 (see the earlier note). The meaning “hope” is more suitable to the illustration in vv. 11-12, but “thread” is quite appropriate to the following illustration in vv. 14-15 (to be discussed in the next note) involving a spider’s web. For the specific idiom of “cutting off” the thread of hope, see Prov 23:18; 24:14; cf. Blommerde, p. 52. The use of the verb db^a* (“perish”) in this regard is also attested, Ps 9:19[18]; Prov 10:28; 11:7; Ezek 37:11.

    • References above (and throughout these notes) marked “Seow” are to C. L. [Choon Leong] Seow, Job 1-21: Interpretation and Commentary, Illuminations Commentary Series (Eerdmans: 2013).
    • Those marked “Blommerde” are to Anton C. M. Blommerde, Northwest Semitic Grammar and Job, Biblica et Orientalia 22 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute Press: 1969).

Wednesday Wisdom: Proverbs 8 (Part 3)

Third Wisdom Poem: Proverbs 8:1-36, continued

Section 3: Verses 22-31

As discussed in Part 1, the second section of the poem (vv. 12-21, cf. Part 2) corresponds largely to the main portion of the previous Wisdom-poem (3:13-18), while the third section (vv. 22-31) corresponds to 3:19-20. The second section describes the Divine attributes of Wisdom, while the third section deals with the Divine origin of Wisdom, focusing particularly on Wisdom’s role in the Creation.

It is worth touching again upon the summary of Wisdom’s role in Creation in 3:19-20 (cf. the earlier study):

“YHWH with wisdom founded (the) earth,
(and) set firm (the) heavens with understanding;
with His knowledge (the) depths were split apart,
and the clouds (made to) drip down dew.”

The nouns hm*k=j* (“wisdom”) and hn`WbT= (“understanding”, cf. hn`yB!) are used in tandem, as largely synonymous wisdom-terms; here in chapter 8 (vv. 1, 12a/14b), the terms function as synonymous names for the figure of Wisdom personified. To these, tu^D^ (“knowledge”) is added (3:20). All of these nouns (esp. hn`WbT=) can carry the contextual connotative meaning “skill, ability”, which is particularly appropriate in reference to YHWH’s work as Creator (viz., as a skilled architect and craftsman/builder). Wisdom works with YHWH, as indicated by the use of the preposition b=—i.e., “with Wisdom YHWH founded the earth…”. The preposition could also be understood instrumentally (“by Wisdom…”), that is, the means by which YHWH created. The verbs rs^y` I (“found, lay/set a foundation”) and /WK (Polel, “make/set firm”) are regularly used in this cosmological context; the specific idiom of YHWH “making firm” the heavens also occurs here in 8:27.

The final couplet of the previous poem (3:20) alludes to the cosmological-mythic tradition of YHWH’s subduing of the primeval waters, so that an ordered and well-regulated universe could be produced (habitable for human beings and animals); cf. the earlier article “Conflict with the Sea in Ancient Near Eastern Myth”. YHWH’s control over the waters is manifested by His ability to send down rain, etc., in its proper season (and in the proper amount), in order to make the earth fertile and capable of supporting life.

This cosmological thematic focus, as related to Wisdom’s role in the Creation, is developed more extensively here in 8:22-31. In many ways, these verses serve as a Wisdom-poem in their own right, and on many occasions have been read and interpreted quite apart from their context in chapter 8. It is possible to delineate a thematic-dramatic structure (cf. Fox, pp. 279ff, 291f; Schäfer, pp. 219-24):

    • Wisdom’s existence and relationship to YHWH prior to the Creation (vv. 22-26)
      • Her pre-existent ‘birth’ from YHWH (vv. 22-23)
      • Her ‘birth’ at the beginning of (i.e., prior to) the creation of the universe (vv. 24-26)
    • Wisdom’s relationship to YHWH and to Creation (vv. 27-31)
      • Her presence/activity during YHWH’s work as Creator (vv. 27-29)
      • Her relationship to YHWH’s Creation [esp., humankind] (vv. 30-31)

In order to avoid overpacking this portion of the study on chapter 8, I have decided to treat each couplet (and line) in detail through a set of daily notes, parallel to the main series of daily notes (currently on the book of Job), that will run through Holy Week. In addition to the regular exegetical analysis and interpretation, I will be including some consideration (appropriate to the season), on the Christological significance of these verses. This additional interpretive focus is warranted, in light of the tendency of early Christians to identify the personified Wisdom (of the Scriptural and Jewish philosophical tradition) with the person of Christ—that is, Jesus as the unique embodiment and manifestation of the Divine Wisdom.

    • References above marked “Fox” are to Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9, Anchor Bible [AB], vol. 18A (Yale University Press: 2000). Those marked “Fox, Textual Commentary” are to idem, Proverbs: An Eclectic Edition with Introduction and Textual Commentary, The Hebrew Bible: A Critical Edition 1 (Society of Biblical Literature [SBL] Press: 2015). 
    • Those marked “Schäfer” are to Rolf Schäfer, Die Poesie der Weisen: Dichotomie als Grundstruktur der Lehr- und Weisheitsgedichte in Proverbien 1-9, Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament 77 (Neukirchener Verlag: 1999).

March 25: Job 8:11-12

Job 8:11-15

Verses 11-15 represent the first of two main sections of proverbial Wisdom-material at the heart of the Bildad speech (cf. the summary of the rhetorical structure of the chapter in the previous note). This section itself is comprised of two proverbial illustrations (vv. 11-12, 14-15) joined together by a linking saying/lesson (v. 13) that ties the illustrations to the main religious-theological argument of the chapter (vv. 5-7, 20-22, cf. verse 4).

Verse 11

“Can (the) reed grow high without a marsh?
Can a reed-bed grow large without water?”

The pair of rhetorical questions here in v. 11 are variations upon a basic observation from nature—namely, that reeds cannot grow and thrive without a suitable watery marshland. Two different reed-terms are employed, both of which are apparently Egyptian loanwords. The first (line 1) is am#G) (Egyptian qmʾ), referring to the papyrus reed, mentioned also in Exod 2:3; Isa 18:2; 35:7; the second (line 2) is Wja* (Egyptian iḫ), a tall reed that can spread rapidly to form extensive reed-beds (cf. Gen 41:2, 18). The noun hX*B! denotes a watery, marshy ground (cf. 40:21; Ezek 47:11), parallel with <y]M* (“water”) in line 2. The generally synonymous verbs ha*G` (“be[come] high/tall”) and hg`c* (“be[come] large”) are also parallel. In spite of the Egyptian terminology, the observational illustration itself does not require an Egyptian provenance, since, as has been noted by a number of commentators (e.g., Michel, p. 189f; Seow, p. 532f), reeds have been known to exist in the marshy swamps of Lake Huleh (Šamak) in northern Israel.
Note the alliteration in the first line: vb gā’â + gōme’, and belō’ + biṣâ. 

Different terminology is used to express the idea of being “without”; in line 1, the negative particle al) is used with the preposition B= (i.e., “with no”), while in line 2 the negative adverbial particle yl!B= is used. The terms are alliterative—belō’ / belî.

Verse 12

“(While) it is still in its fresh (stalk and) not plucked,
even before all (the) green (grass) it would dry up.”

The observational illustration of v. 11 is extended here, to make the further point that, without water, the marshland reed would wither (“dry up”, vb vb^y`), even more quickly than other green (ryx!h*) grasses, etc., of the main-land. Without water, even a fresh young (ripening) stalk would wither; the rare noun ba@ (cf. Ugaritic ib, Akkadian inbu) is used to express this idea of the fresh green shoot, cf. the only other Scriptural occurrence in Song 6:11 (cf. also Aramaic aB*n+a!, Dan 4:9[12], 11[14], 18[21]). The verb [f^q* (Akkadian qatāpu[m]; Arabic qaṭafa) is also relatively rare (cf. 30:4; Deut 23:26; Ezek 17:4, 22), denoting the “plucking”, i.e., of branches or grain, etc., particularly in a harvesting context.

The first line is a bit awkward syntactically, and this has led to alternative explanations for al (MT al), the negative particle “no, not”). It has been proposed that al here represents the full (plene) writing of the emphatic l (cf. Blommerde, p. 51; Michel, p. 190, citing earlier studies by I. Eitan and F. Noetscher), so that the line might be read, “(While) it is still in its fresh (stalk), it is surely plucked”. This, however, seems to run contrary to the entire thrust of the illustration in vv. 11-12—namely, that it is due to the lack of water that the reed perishes (Clines, p. 199 makes the same point). Dahood (cf. RSP, III, 1.16, adopted by Michel, p. 191) suggests that al should be read here as a separate substantive (related to the Ugaritic verb l’y, “be strong, prevail”), used as a Divine title (i.e., “Strong/Victorious [One]”). The viability of such an explanation aside (and Dahood locates a number of such identifications of al in Job, 15:11; 21:14+16; 23:16-17; 32:13-14; 33:14; 34:23; 37:4f), it seems quite implausible here on a number of grounds, primarily because it renders the force of the argument less effective by mentioning the judgment action of God ahead of the key reference in verse 13 (to be discussed in the next note). It is much better to read al as the ordinary negative particle, governing a circumstantial clause (“not [yet] plucked”).

    • References above (and throughout these notes) marked “Seow” are to C. L. [Choon Leong] Seow, Job 1-21: Interpretation and Commentary, Illuminations Commentary Series (Eerdmans: 2013).
    • Those marked “Clines” are to David J. A. Clines, Job 1–20, Word Biblical Commentary [WBC] vol. 17 (1989).
    • Those marked “Michel” are to Walter L. Michel, Job in the Light of Northwest Semitic, Biblica et Orientalia 42 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute Press: 1987).
    • Those marked “Blommerde” are to Anton C. M. Blommerde, Northwest Semitic Grammar and Job, Biblica et Orientalia 22 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute Press: 1969).
    • Those marked “Dahood, RSP” are to Stan Rummel ed., Ras Shamra Parallels: The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible, vol. 3, Analecta Orientalia, vol. 51 (Rome, Pontifical Biblical Institute: 1981). Chapter 1: Ugaritic-Hebrew Parallel Pairs, by Mitchell Dahood, pp. 1-206.