| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 Doth not, wisdom, cry aloud? and, understanding, send forth her voice? |
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| 2 At the top of the high places above the way, at the place where paths meet, she taketh her stand: |
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| 3 Beside the gates, at the entrance of the city,–at the going in of the openings, she shouteth:– |
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| 4 Unto you, O men, I call, and, my voice, is unto the sons of men; |
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| 5 Understand, ye simple ones, shrewdness, and, ye dullards understand sense; |
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| 6 Hear, for, princely things, will I speak, and the opening of my lips shall be of equity; |
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| 7 For, faithfulness, shall my mouth softly utter, but, the abomination of my lips, shall be lawlessness; |
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| 8 In righteousness, shall be all the sayings of my mouth, nothing therein, shall be crafty or perverse; |
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| 9 All of them, shall be plain, to them who would understand, and just, to such as would gain knowledge. |
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| 10 Receive my correction, and not silver, and knowledge, rather than choicest gold. |
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| 11 For better is wisdom, than ornaments of coral, and, no delightful things, can equal her. |
Better than rubies – If the Queen of Sheba traveled such a long distance to know about the wisdom of God which Solomon possessed, how much more should the "greater than Solomon" be sought. (Matt. 12:42) R5722:5
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| 12 I, wisdom, inhabit shrewdness,–and, the knowledge of sagacious things, I gain. |
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| 13 The reverence of Yahweh, is to hate wickedness: pride, arrogance, and the way of wickedness; And a mouth of perverse things, do I hate. |
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| 14 Mine, are counsel, and effective working, I, am understanding, mine, is valour: |
Counsel is mine – Christ's, as the personification of wisdom. D637
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| 15 By me, kings reign, and dignitaries decree righteousness; |
By me kings reign – Israel's government was that of a republic under divine autocracy and law supervision. R4192:3
Decree justice – The prospect of a righteous, just, unshakable Kingdom. R3053:4
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| 16 By me, rulers govern, and nobles–all the righteous judges: |
All the judges – The earthly phase of the Kingdom. D637
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| 17 I, love, them who love me, and, they who diligently seek me, find me: |
I love them – This is said of wisdom, but God is the personification of wisdom; and also Christ is wisdom-- "he is made unto us wisdom." (1Cor. 1:30) R4269:6
That seek me early – "Train up a child in the way he should go." (Prov. 22:6) R3711:5
The child-mind is peculiarly susceptible to the truth and its spirit-- the spirit of consecration. R4270:1
A child, reasonably well-born and raised under the influences of a Christian home, would very generally, at the age of 12, be ready to make a consecration of himself to the Lord. R3711:5, R 4270:4
Every home should have its Sunday School class and every Sunday its quiet, sacred hour of fellowship, communion and praise--for parents and children. R4270:1
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| 18 Riches and honour, are with me, lordly wealth, and righteousness; |
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| 19 Better is my fruit, than gold–yea fine gold, and mine increase, than choice silver; |
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| 20 In the way of righteousness, I march along, in the middle of the paths of justice: |
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| 21 That I may cause them who love me to inherit substance, and, their treasuries, I may fill. |
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| 22 Yahweh, had constituted me the beginning of his way, before his works, at the commencement of that time; |
LORD possessed me – Jehovah possessed the Logos--wisdom personified. E93; R1059:6, R446:1; SM491:3
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| 23 At the outset of the ages, had I been established, in advance of the antiquities of the earth; |
From everlasting – As one of the divine attributes, wisdom existed even before our Lord Jesus; though it is not strange that some infer that wisdom here personifies Christ. R1518:2
Ever the earth was – Was formed. E93
This passage, to verse 25, may be viewed as a prophecy of what our Lord understood of his previous condition. R5065:3
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| 24 When there was no resounding deep, I had been brought forth, when there were no fountains, abounding with water; |
Were no depths – No seas. E93
Brought forth – Had Jesus been on an equality with God before, how could he have been highly exalted after. R803:1*
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| 25 Ere yet the mountains had been settled, before the hills, had I been brought forth; |
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| 26 Or ever he had made the land and the wastes, or the top of the dry parts of the world: |
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| 27 When he prepared the heavens, there, was I! When he decreed a vault upon the face of the resounding deep; |
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| 28 When he made firm the skies above, when the fountains of the resounding deep, waxed strong; |
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| 29 When he fixed for the sea its bound, that, the waters, should not go beyond his bidding, when he decreed the foundations of the earth:– |
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| 30 Then became I beside him, a firm and sure worker, then became I filled with delight, day by day, exulting before him on every occasion; |
Brought up with him – For centuries before coming to earth the Son had seen the Father's mighty works, marked his wondrous wisdom and experienced his tender love, having the plan revealed to him step by step. R3160:3
While he joyfully worked out the great plan of creation, Jesus probably knew nothing of God's purpose for the subsequent permission of evil. R3160:3
Showing not only his intimate acquaintance with Jehovah and knowledge of his plans, but exhibiting him as the honored agent in their accomplishment. R1059:6, R446:2*
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| 31 Exulting in the fruitful land of his earth, Yea, my fulness of delight, was with the sons of men. |
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| 32 Now, therefore, ye sons, hearken to me, for how happy are they who, to my ways, pay regard! |
Blessed are they – God is "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6) R4072:5
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| 33 Hear ye correction, and be wise, and do not neglect. |
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| 34 How happy the man that doth hearken to me,–keeping guard at my doors, day by day, watching at the posts of my gates; |
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| 35 For, he that findeth me, findeth life, and hath obtained favour from Yahweh; |
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| 36 But, he that misseth me, wrongeth his own soul, all who hate me, love death. |
Love death Let them make "a covenant with death" (Isa. 28:25) who hate wisdom; but we abhor death and seek for life through the life-giver, the Lord Jesus Christ. R625:6*
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