The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary on the Books of the Bible, Volume 13 (of 32): The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary on the Book of the ProverbsHarris, W., Rev.
Religion
The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary on the Books of the Bible, Volume 13 (of 32): The Preacher's Complete Homiletic Commentary on the Book of the Proverbs
with Arians against the eternal co-existence of the Son. But most
modern commentators, whatever view they take of the signification of
"Wisdom," agree in rejecting the reading of the Authorised Version.
The majority render it, "created;" Delitzch reads, "brought me
forth;" Wordsworth and Miller, "got possession of," or "acquired."
Wordsworth says, "The word occurs about eighty times in the Old
Testament, and in only four places beside the present it is
translated 'possess;' viz., Gen. xiv. 19-22; Psa. cxxxix. 13; Jer.
xxxii. 15; Zech. xi. 5; in the last two it may well have the sense of
getting, and in the former of creating." +23. Set up,+ Stuart,
Miller, and early expositors render "anointed;" Delitzch and Zöckler
prefer the Authorised rendering. +26. Earth, etc.,+ "the land and the
plains, or the beginning of the dust of the earth." +27. Set a
compass, etc.,+ "marked out a circle," _i.e.,_ "when He fixed the
vault of heaven, which rests on the face of the ocean." +30. As one
brought up,+ "as director of His work," or, "as a builder at His
side." +36. Sinneth against,+ "misseth," so Stuart, Delitzsch, and
Miller.
NOTES ON THE PERSONIFICATION OF WISDOM.--There has been great
discussion among expositors as to who, or what, is to be understood
by this personification. Many modern and all ancient expositors
consider that it refers exclusively to the Divine Word, the Eternal
Son of God, others understand it as relating entirely to an attribute
of the Divine nature. There is a middle view, which is thus put by
Dr. John Harris in his sermon on verses 30-36: "Others, again reply
that it refers exclusively to neither--but partly to that wisdom
which begins in the fear of the Lord, partly to the Divine attribute
of wisdom, and partly to the Son of God, the second person in the
Godhead." We cannot do better than give the views of a few eminent
expositors and writers. Delitzsch thus comments on verse 22: "Wisdom
takes now a new departure in establishing her right to be heard and
to be obeyed and loved by men. As the Divine King in Psa. ii. opposes
to His adversaries the self-testimony: 'I will speak concerning a
decree! Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten Thee;' so Wisdom here unfolds her Divine patent of nobility;
she originates with God before all creatures, and it the object of
God's love and joy, as she also has the object of her love and joy on
God's earth, and especially among the sons of men. (See his
translation of the verb in this verse--Critical Notes). Wisdom is not
God, but is God's; she has personal existence in the Logos of the New
Testament, but is not herself the Logos; she is the world idea,
which, once projected, is objective to God, and not as a dead form,
but as a living spiritual image; she is the archetype of the world,
which originating from God, stands before God, the world of the idea
which forms the medium between the Godhead and the world of actual
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