Bible Strands
Proverbs 8:25
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Wisdom speaks in the first person within the collected sayings of Proverbs, addressing the reader while situating her origin prior to the physical formation of the earth.
The words — The Hebrew term הָטְבָּ֑עוּ (ha.te.Ba.'u) literally means "they were planted," describing the establishment of mountains, while חוֹלָֽלְתִּי (cho.Lal.ti) translates to "I was brought forth."
The thread — This pre-creation timeline parallels the eternal nature of God in Psalms 90:2, the rhetorical challenge in Job 15:7, and the foundational question of Job 38:4.
Why it lands — The text first establishes that wisdom's origin precedes all settled geography, then requires the reader to accept a chronological framework where this reality exists before the physical world.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
Cross-references
- Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
- Job 15:7 Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
- Job 38:4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
- Psalms 102:25 In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
- Hebrews 1:10 And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.