Translation commentary on Proverbs 8:25

The text that runs from verse 24 to verse 30 consists of a long series of time clauses with only five main clauses: “brought forth” twice in verses 24-25, “I [was] there” in verse 27, and “I was. . .” twice in verse 30. In many languages one or more of the main clauses will need to be repeated for the sake of style and clarity in this long sequence. See below for further comments.

“Before the mountains had been shaped”: “Shaped” renders a word used in Job 38.6 of God sinking or settling the earth on its bases, which, according to Job 9.6, are the footings on which the pillars that support the earth rest.

“Before the hills, I was brought forth”: “Hills” is parallel to “mountains” in the first line. Many languages must reduce “mountains” and “hills” to a single term. We may need to shift “I was brought forth” from the second line to say, for example, “I was born before the Lord made the mountains or the hills.” “Brought forth” is the same as in verse 24.

The sense of “before . . .” is expressed in some languages by saying, “and at the time when he [God] had not made the mountains yet.” In languages where there are no mountains or hills, it may be necessary to distinguish between the two by saying, for example, “before the very high lands and before the other lands.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

complete verse (Proverbs 8:25)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 8:25:

  • Kupsabiny: “I was there before the mountains or hills began/were created.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Before the hills and forests were created
    I was given birth.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He willed that I am here already since in the beginning.
    I was/am already there even the world is/was not (here) yet: the sea, the springs, the mountains, the fields/farms, and even the dusts.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “before the creation of mountains and hills,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 8:25

8:25

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

25a
Before the mountains were settled,

25b
before the hills, I was brought forth,

There is an ellipsis in 8:25b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 8:25a. For example:

25b
before the hills ⌊were settled⌋ , I was brought forth,

8:25a–b

mountains…hills: These two words overlap in meaning. The word mountains refers to both mountains and hills. The word hills generally refers to high areas that are lower than mountains. In languages that do not distinguish between “mountains” and “hills,” one word may be used. Some languages have also used a term such as “mountain ranges” or “mountainous areas.”

8:25a

Before the mountains were settled: There are two ways to interpret the verb phrase were settled :

(1) It literally means “were sunk.” According to the Israelite view of the world at that time, the mountains rested on pillars. These pillars were sunk or set into sockets deep in the earth, at the bottom of the ocean. For example:

I was born before the mountains were settled in their places (God’s Word)

(2) It means “shaped” or “formed.” This is one meaning of the root in Arabic. For example:

My birth was before mountains were formed (Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with a majority of versions and scholars. It fits the normal meaning of the Hebrew word and other OT passages that describe the foundation of the earth and mountains, such as Job 38:6 and Jonah 2:6. The LORD is the implied agent who put the mountains in place. The word settled is another way of describing the LORD’s creative activity, along with the parallel terms “brought forth” (8:24–25), “made” (8:26), and “established” (8:27).

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