"Jehovah himself produced (qanah) me as the beginning of his way, the earliest of his achievements of long ago." (Prov. 8:22) NWT
The Hebrew word 'qanah', can mean either to "produce, aquire, create" or "possess". Context is key in finding out which one it means.
Many Bible commentators agree that the Son is referred to as wisdom personified here. (See: Does "Wisdom" at Prov. 8:22-30 refer to the Messiah, and does it say that he was created?; Search For Bible Truths) Bibles which are biased toward the Trinity do not want to render it as "Produce" or something similar because that would mean that Jesus has a beginning, and that would contradict the Trinity doctrine.
Yet because the context of Prov. 8:22-31 so overwhelmingly supports the translation of the word 'qanah' as "create" (See: Prov. 8:22-30 "Wisdom" and Christ; Examining the Trinity), even scores of trinitarian bibles have decided to render it as such. Notice how these trinitarian Bibles reluctantly render qanah at Prov. 8:22):
(1) "[Jehovah] created me at the beginning of his work" - RSV;
(2) "[Jehovah] created me" - NRSV;
(3) "[Jehovah] made me" - MLB;
(4) "Yahweh created me" - JB; "Yahweh created me" - NJB;
(5) "[Jehovah] created me" - NEB;
(6) "[Jehovah] created me" - REB;
(7) "I was the first thing made" - ETRV;
(8) "[Jehovah] created me as the first of his creations" - Lamsa;
(9) "[Jehovah] created me first of all" - GNB;
(10) "[Jehovah] formed me as the first of his works" - AT;
(11) "[Jehovah] formed me first of his creation" - Mo;
(12) "Jehovah framed me first" - Byington;
(13) "[Jehovah] created me" - The Reader's Digest Bible;
(14) "[Jehovah] brought me forth as the first of his works" - The NIV Study Bible. It also explains in a footnote for Prov. 8:22: "brought...forth. The Hebrew for this verb is also used in Ge 4:1; 14:19, 22 (`creator')." - Zondervan, 1985;
(15) "[Jehovah] made me the beginning of his ways for his works" - The Apostles Bible;
(16) "[Jehovah] made me as the start of his way, the first of his works in the past. - BBE;
(17) "Yahweh created me first, at the beginning of his works" - Christian Community Bible;
(18) "[Jehovah] made me as the beginning of his way, the first of his ancient works" - The Complete Jewish Bible;
(19) "[Jehovah] made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago" - The Holman Christian Standard Bible;
(20) "[Jehovah] created me as the first of his creations, before all of his works. - Peshitta - Lamsa Translation;
(21) "[Jehovah] sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else." - The Message;
(22) "[Jehovah] created me as the beginning of his works, before his deeds of long ago." - NET;
(23) "I, wisdom, was with [Jehovah] when he began his work, long before he made anything else. 23 I was created in the very beginning, even before the world began." - New Century Version;
(24) "[Jehovah] created me as the first of his works, before his acts of long ago." - New International Reader's Version;
(25) "[Jehovah] made me at the beginning of His work, before His first works long ago." - New Life Bible;
(26) "[Jehovah] formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. - New Living Translation;
(27) "Jehovah created me in the beginning of his way, before his works of antiquity." - New Simplified Bible;
(28) "[Jehovah] created me as the head of His ways, to perform all of His works" - 2001 Translation.
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For more concerning Prov. 8:22, see:
Jesus Christ / Wisdom personified (Insight-2 pp. 52-72; Watchtower Online Library)
“From Time Indefinite I Was Installed” (w01 3/15 pp. 25-28; Watchtower Online Library)
How do we know that the description of wisdom at Proverbs 8:22-31 applies to Jesus Christ in his prehuman existence? (w06 8/1 p. 31; Watchtower Online Library)
How do we know that these words refer to God’s Son? (cf chap. 13 pp. 129-138; Watchtower Online Library)
Does "Wisdom" at Prov. 8:22-30 refer to the Messiah, and does it say that he was created? (Search For Bible Truths)
Is Proverbs 8:22-31 talking about Wisdom personified instead of Jesus? Why is Wisdom referred to in the feminine gender? (Search For Bible Truths)
Scores of trinitarian bibles have decided to render the word 'qanah' as "create". (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)
Prov. 8:22-30 "Wisdom" and Christ (Examining the Trinity)
The Hebrew word 'qanah', can mean either to "produce, aquire, create" or "possess". Context is key in finding out which one it means.
Many Bible commentators agree that the Son is referred to as wisdom personified here. (See: Does "Wisdom" at Prov. 8:22-30 refer to the Messiah, and does it say that he was created?; Search For Bible Truths) Bibles which are biased toward the Trinity do not want to render it as "Produce" or something similar because that would mean that Jesus has a beginning, and that would contradict the Trinity doctrine.
Yet because the context of Prov. 8:22-31 so overwhelmingly supports the translation of the word 'qanah' as "create" (See: Prov. 8:22-30 "Wisdom" and Christ; Examining the Trinity), even scores of trinitarian bibles have decided to render it as such. Notice how these trinitarian Bibles reluctantly render qanah at Prov. 8:22):
(1) "[Jehovah] created me at the beginning of his work" - RSV;
(2) "[Jehovah] created me" - NRSV;
(3) "[Jehovah] made me" - MLB;
(4) "Yahweh created me" - JB; "Yahweh created me" - NJB;
(5) "[Jehovah] created me" - NEB;
(6) "[Jehovah] created me" - REB;
(7) "I was the first thing made" - ETRV;
(8) "[Jehovah] created me as the first of his creations" - Lamsa;
(9) "[Jehovah] created me first of all" - GNB;
(10) "[Jehovah] formed me as the first of his works" - AT;
(11) "[Jehovah] formed me first of his creation" - Mo;
(12) "Jehovah framed me first" - Byington;
(13) "[Jehovah] created me" - The Reader's Digest Bible;
(14) "[Jehovah] brought me forth as the first of his works" - The NIV Study Bible. It also explains in a footnote for Prov. 8:22: "brought...forth. The Hebrew for this verb is also used in Ge 4:1; 14:19, 22 (`creator')." - Zondervan, 1985;
(15) "[Jehovah] made me the beginning of his ways for his works" - The Apostles Bible;
(16) "[Jehovah] made me as the start of his way, the first of his works in the past. - BBE;
(17) "Yahweh created me first, at the beginning of his works" - Christian Community Bible;
(18) "[Jehovah] made me as the beginning of his way, the first of his ancient works" - The Complete Jewish Bible;
(19) "[Jehovah] made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago" - The Holman Christian Standard Bible;
(20) "[Jehovah] created me as the first of his creations, before all of his works. - Peshitta - Lamsa Translation;
(21) "[Jehovah] sovereignly made me—the first, the basic— before he did anything else." - The Message;
(22) "[Jehovah] created me as the beginning of his works, before his deeds of long ago." - NET;
(23) "I, wisdom, was with [Jehovah] when he began his work, long before he made anything else. 23 I was created in the very beginning, even before the world began." - New Century Version;
(24) "[Jehovah] created me as the first of his works, before his acts of long ago." - New International Reader's Version;
(25) "[Jehovah] made me at the beginning of His work, before His first works long ago." - New Life Bible;
(26) "[Jehovah] formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else. - New Living Translation;
(27) "Jehovah created me in the beginning of his way, before his works of antiquity." - New Simplified Bible;
(28) "[Jehovah] created me as the head of His ways, to perform all of His works" - 2001 Translation.
-----------------------------------------------
For more concerning Prov. 8:22, see:
Jesus Christ / Wisdom personified (Insight-2 pp. 52-72; Watchtower Online Library)
“From Time Indefinite I Was Installed” (w01 3/15 pp. 25-28; Watchtower Online Library)
How do we know that the description of wisdom at Proverbs 8:22-31 applies to Jesus Christ in his prehuman existence? (w06 8/1 p. 31; Watchtower Online Library)
How do we know that these words refer to God’s Son? (cf chap. 13 pp. 129-138; Watchtower Online Library)
Does "Wisdom" at Prov. 8:22-30 refer to the Messiah, and does it say that he was created? (Search For Bible Truths)
Is Proverbs 8:22-31 talking about Wisdom personified instead of Jesus? Why is Wisdom referred to in the feminine gender? (Search For Bible Truths)
Scores of trinitarian bibles have decided to render the word 'qanah' as "create". (Jehovah's Witnesses Questions and Answers)
Prov. 8:22-30 "Wisdom" and Christ (Examining the Trinity)
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