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class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/proverbs/8.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/proverbs/8.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/proverbs/8.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />before he had made the earth and fields and the first handfuls of soil.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/proverbs/8.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/8.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />before He made the land or fields, or any of the dust of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/proverbs/8.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/proverbs/8.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/proverbs/8.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/proverbs/8.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/proverbs/8.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/proverbs/8.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />While He had not yet made the earth and the <i>fields</i> outside, Nor the first dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/proverbs/8.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Or the first of the dust of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/proverbs/8.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />before he made the land, the fields, or the first soil on earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/proverbs/8.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />before He made the land, the fields, or the first soil on earth. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/proverbs/8.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/proverbs/8.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />It happened long before God had made the earth or any of its fields or even the dust. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/proverbs/8.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/proverbs/8.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />when he had not yet made land or fields or the first dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/proverbs/8.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />before God made the earth and its fields or even the first handful of soil. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/proverbs/8.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Even though he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the world's first grains of dust,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/proverbs/8.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />before He made the land or fields, or any of the dust of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/proverbs/8.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />before he made the earth and its fields, or the beginning of the dust of the world. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/proverbs/8.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/proverbs/8.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/proverbs/8.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/proverbs/8.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />While He had not made the earth, and out-places, "" And the top of the dusts of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/proverbs/8.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> While He had not made the earth, and out-places, And the top of the dusts of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/proverbs/8.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Yet he made not the earth and the fields, and the head of the clods of the habitable globe.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/proverbs/8.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/proverbs/8.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Still he had not made the earth, and the rivers, and the poles of the globe of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/proverbs/8.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />When the earth and the fields were not yet made, nor the first clods of the world. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/proverbs/8.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first bits of soil.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/proverbs/8.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />While as yet he had not made the earth nor the valleys nor the best soil of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/proverbs/8.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Before he would make the Earth and the floods and the beginning of the dust of the world<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/proverbs/8.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/proverbs/8.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />The Lord made countries and uninhabited <i>tracks</i>, and the highest inhabited parts of the world.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/proverbs/8-26.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kpUA5ZltBeQ?start=1457" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/8.htm">The Excellence of Wisdom</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">25</span>Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth, <span class="reftext">26</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/5704.htm" title="5704: ‘aḏ- (Prep) -- As far as, even to, up to, until, while. Properly, the same as ad; as far as, whether of space or time or degree.">before</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles."></a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ‘ā·śāh (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">He made</a> <a href="/hebrew/776.htm" title="776: ’e·reṣ (N-fs) -- Earth, land. From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth.">the land</a> <a href="/hebrew/2351.htm" title="2351: wə·ḥū·ṣō·wṯ (Conj-w:: N-mp) -- The outside, a street. Or chuts; from an unused root meaning to sever; properly, separate by a wall, i.e. Outside, outdoors.">or fields,</a> <a href="/hebrew/7218.htm" title="7218: wə·rōš (Conj-w:: N-msc) -- Head. From an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head, whether literal or figurative.">or any</a> <a href="/hebrew/6083.htm" title="6083: ʿå̄·p̄ə·rōṯ (N-mpc) -- Dry earth, dust. From aphar; dust; hence, clay, earth, mud.">of the dust</a> <a href="/hebrew/8398.htm" title="8398: tê·ḇêl (N-fs) -- From yabal; the earth; by extension, the globe; by implication, its inhabitants; specifically, a partic. Land, as Babylonia, Palestine.">of the earth.</a> </span><span class="reftext">27</span>I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-1.htm">John 1:1-3</a></span><br />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, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/1-16.htm">Colossians 1:16-17</a></span><br />For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/1-2.htm">Hebrews 1:2</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1-2</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. / Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/90-2.htm">Psalm 90:2</a></span><br />Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/38-4.htm">Job 38:4-7</a></span><br />Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. / Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? / On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone, ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/40-21.htm">Isaiah 40:21-22</a></span><br />Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth? / He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/4-11.htm">Revelation 4:11</a></span><br />“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-6.htm">Nehemiah 9:6</a></span><br />You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/10-12.htm">Jeremiah 10:12</a></span><br />The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/104-5.htm">Psalm 104:5</a></span><br />He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Isaiah 45:18</a></span><br />For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/11-36.htm">Romans 11:36</a></span><br />For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/8-6.htm">1 Corinthians 8:6</a></span><br />yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ephesians/3-9.htm">Ephesians 3:9</a></span><br />and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.</p><p class="hdg">as yet</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1</a></b></br> In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/proverbs/8-23.htm">Beginning</a> <a href="/psalms/147-16.htm">Dust</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-23.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/psalms/144-13.htm">Fields</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-23.htm">First</a> <a href="/psalms/148-4.htm">Highest</a> <a href="/job/5-10.htm">Out-Places</a> <a href="/psalms/144-5.htm">Part</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-2.htm">Top</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-23.htm">World</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/proverbs/9-10.htm">Beginning</a> <a href="/proverbs/10-7.htm">Dust</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-29.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/proverbs/13-23.htm">Fields</a> <a href="/proverbs/18-17.htm">First</a> <a href="/proverbs/9-3.htm">Highest</a> <a href="/isaiah/15-3.htm">Out-Places</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-31.htm">Part</a> <a href="/proverbs/23-34.htm">Top</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-31.htm">World</a><div class="vheading2">Proverbs 8</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-1.htm">the fame</a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-6.htm">and evidence of wisdom</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-10.htm">The excellence</a></span><br><span class="reftext">12. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-12.htm">the nature</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-15.htm">the power</a></span><br><span class="reftext">18. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-18.htm">the riches</a></span><br><span class="reftext">22. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-22.htm">and the eternity of wisdom</a></span><br><span class="reftext">32. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/8-32.htm">Wisdom is to be desired for the blessedness it brings</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/8.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/proverbs/8.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>before He made the land or fields</b><br>This phrase emphasizes the pre-existence of wisdom before the creation of the physical world. In biblical context, it highlights the eternal nature of wisdom, which is personified in this chapter. The land and fields represent the organized and cultivated aspects of creation, suggesting that wisdom was present before any human activity or civilization. This aligns with the idea in <a href="/john/1.htm">John 1:1-3</a>, where the Word (Logos) is described as being with God in the beginning, indicating that wisdom is integral to God's creative process. Theologically, this can be seen as a type of Christ, who is the embodiment of divine wisdom and was present before creation.<p><b>or any of the dust of the earth</b><br>The "dust of the earth" refers to the basic elements from which God formed man, as seen in <a href="/genesis/2-7.htm">Genesis 2:7</a>. This phrase underscores the foundational role of wisdom in creation, even before the formation of humanity. It connects to the idea that God's wisdom is not only involved in the grand design of the universe but also in the intimate details of human life. The mention of "dust" also recalls the humility and mortality of man, as seen in <a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a>, where man is reminded that he is dust and to dust he shall return. This serves as a reminder of the divine order and the necessity of aligning with God's wisdom for true understanding and life.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God (He)</a></b><br>The Creator, who is the subject of the action in this verse, emphasizing His role in creation.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/w/wisdom.htm">Wisdom</a></b><br>Personified in <a href="/bsb/proverbs/8.htm">Proverbs 8</a>, Wisdom speaks of her presence and role before the creation of the world.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/l/land_and_fields.htm">Land and Fields</a></b><br>Represents the physical earth and its cultivated areas, highlighting the order and structure God brought into existence.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/d/dust_of_the_earth.htm">Dust of the Earth</a></b><br>Symbolizes the basic elements of creation, underscoring the foundational nature of God's creative work.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_pre-existence_of_wisdom.htm">The Pre-Existence of Wisdom</a></b><br>Wisdom existed before the physical world, indicating its eternal nature and divine origin.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereign_creation.htm">God's Sovereign Creation</a></b><br>The verse emphasizes God's sovereignty and intentionality in creation, reminding us of His ultimate authority and power.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_foundation_of_order.htm">The Foundation of Order</a></b><br>The mention of land, fields, and dust signifies the order and structure God established, encouraging us to seek His wisdom in our lives for order and purpose.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_seeking_divine_wisdom.htm">The Importance of Seeking Divine Wisdom</a></b><br>As wisdom was present before creation, it is crucial for us to seek God's wisdom in our daily decisions and life paths.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_proverbs_8.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Proverbs 8</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_the_bible's_view_on_poverty.htm">What is the Bible's view on poverty?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_human_dignity_in_the_bible.htm">How can we wisely manage our resources and finances?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_prov._24_27_conflict_with_archaeology.htm">Proverbs 24:27: Does the instruction to 'finish your outdoor work' before building a house conflict with archaeological evidence of ancient settlement patterns?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_psalm_126_6_overstate_divine_aid.htm">Does Psalm 126:6 overstate divine intervention in harvest success, appearing to conflict with passages that emphasize human effort or natural processes?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/proverbs/8.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(26) <span class= "bld">The earth.</span>--i.e., the cultivated and enclosed part of it.<p><span class= "bld">The fields.--</span>The open country.<p><span class= "bld">The highest part of the dust of the world. </span>Literally, "the head of the dusts of the fertile earth" <span class= "ital">i.e. </span>the heaps of the clods of arable land, or better perhaps, "the sum of the atoms of dust." Some refer to <a href="/genesis/2-7.htm" title="And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.">Genesis 2:7</a>, and interpret the words of man, as formed out of the dust.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/proverbs/8.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 26.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Before the mountains were settled</span> (<a href="/job/38-6.htm">Job 38:6</a>). It is questioned <span class="accented">where</span> the mountains were supposed to be fixed, and some have thought that they are represented as fixed in the depths of the earth. But, as we learn from <a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">Genesis 1:9</a>, they are regarded as rising from the waters, their foundations are laid in the great deep. So the psalmist, speaking of the waters, says, "They went up by the mountains, they went down by the valleys, unto the place which thou hast founded for them" (<a href="/psalms/104-8.htm">Psalm 104:8</a>; comp. <a href="/psalms/24-2.htm">Psalm 24:2</a>). What is here affirmed of Wisdom is said of Jehovah in <a href="/psalms/90-2.htm">Psalm 90:2</a>, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God." <span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 26.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">The earth, nor the fields</span>. The distinction intended is land as cultivated and occupied by buildings, etc., and waste uncultivated land outside towns. Septuagint, "The Lord made countries and uninhabited places (<span class="greek">ἀοικήτους</span>);" Vulgate, <span class="accented">Adhuc terram non fecerat, et flumina.</span> Hebrew, <span class="accented">chutsoth</span>; things without, abroad, hence open country. The Vulgate rendering, and that of Aquila and Symmaehus, <span class="greek">ἐξόδους</span>, are plainly erroneous, as waters have already been mentioned (ver. 24). <span class="cmt_word">The highest part of the dust of the world;</span> literally, <span class="accented">the head of the dusts of the world.</span> Some have interpreted this expression of "man," the chief of those creatures which are made of the dust of the ground (<a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a>; <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-20.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:20</a>). But the idea comes in awkwardly here; it is not natural to introduce man amid the inanimate works of nature, or to use such an enigmatical designation for him. St. Jerome has, <span class="accented">cardines orbis terrarum</span>, "the world's hinges;" Septuagint, "the inhabited summits of the earth beneath the heavens; according to St. Hilary ('De Trinit.,' 12), "cacumina quae habitantur sub coelo." Others take the term to signify the capes or promontories ot the world, the peaks and elevations; others, the clods of dry, amble land, in contrast to the untilled waste of waters; others, the chief elements, the matter of which the earth is composed. This last interpretation would lead us back to a period which has already been passed. Amid the many possible explanations, it is perhaps best (with Delitzsch, Nowack, etc.) to take <span class="accented">rosh</span>, "head" as equivalent to "sum," "mass," as in <a href="/psalms/139-17.htm">Psalm 139:17</a>. "How great is the sum (<span class="accented">rosh</span>) of them!" Then the expression comprehensively means all the mass of earth's dust. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/proverbs/8-26.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">before</span><br /><span class="heb">עַד־</span> <span class="translit">(‘aḏ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5704.htm">Strong's 5704: </a> </span><span class="str2">As far as, even to, up to, until, while</span><br /><br /><span class="word">He made</span><br /><span class="heb">עָ֭שָׂה</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·śāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> </span><span class="str2">To do, make</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the land</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶ֣רֶץ</span> <span class="translit">(’e·reṣ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_776.htm">Strong's 776: </a> </span><span class="str2">Earth, land</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or fields,</span><br /><span class="heb">וְחוּצ֑וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(wə·ḥū·ṣō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2351.htm">Strong's 2351: </a> </span><span class="str2">Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors</span><br /><br /><span class="word">or any</span><br /><span class="heb">וְ֝רֹ֗אשׁ</span> <span class="translit">(wə·rōš)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7218.htm">Strong's 7218: </a> </span><span class="str2">The head</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of the dust</span><br /><span class="heb">עָפְר֥וֹת‪‬</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·p̄ə·rō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6083.htm">Strong's 6083: </a> </span><span class="str2">Dust, clay, earth, mud</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of the earth.</span><br /><span class="heb">תֵּבֵֽל׃</span> <span class="translit">(tê·ḇêl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8398.htm">Strong's 8398: </a> </span><span class="str2">The earth, the globe, its inhabitants, a particular land</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/proverbs/8-26.htm">Proverbs 8:26 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/proverbs/8-26.htm">OT Poetry: Proverbs 8:26 While as yet he had not made (Prov. Pro Pr) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/proverbs/8-25.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Proverbs 8:25"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Proverbs 8:25" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/proverbs/8-27.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Proverbs 8:27"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Proverbs 8:27" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>