8:11

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

11a For wisdom is more precious than rubies,

11b and nothing you desire compares with her.

8:11a–b

For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her: This verse gives the basis for the exhortation given in 8:10. It gives the reason why a person should prefer being wise to being wealthy. The reason is that having wisdom is better than owning valuable jewels such as rubies or anything else that a person might desire. This verse is almost identical in meaning to 3:15.

This verse is part of Wisdom’s speech that began in 8:4 and continues in 8:12. In some languages, it may be confusing or unnatural for the speaker (Wisdom) to switch from “I” to “she” when referring to herself. If that is true in your language, you may want to continue using first person pronouns when referring to Wisdom, as the Good News Translation has done:

…I am better than jewels; nothing you want can compare with me. (Good News Translation)

See also the third meaning lines in the Display for 8:11a and 8:11b.

8:11a

more precious than rubies: The phrase more precious than is literally “better than,” as in the Good News Translation. The Berean Standard Bible interprets “better” to mean more precious or “more valuable” (New Living Translation (2004)) because of the comparison of wisdom to rubies, which are known to be valuable jewels. For the word translated as rubies, see the note on 3:15a.

8:11b

and nothing you desire compares with her: In Hebrew, the phrase nothing you desire is more literally “no delight.” The pronoun you does not occur. Here are some ways to translate this line without addressing the reader directly:

and desirable things cannot be compared to her (NET Bible)
-or-
and nothing that a person wants ⌊to have⌋ can compare with her

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