John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1–3,14).

The “Word,” or Logos (Greek), was the Father’s agent in Creation. He was with the Father in the beginning, and was Himself divine. He came to this earth as a flesh-and-blood human being—Jesus Christ—and gave His life for the sins of the world.

Many early apologists and a few modern commentators believe the “Wisdom” of Proverbs 8 is none other than the preincarnate Christ—the divine Logos who acted as the Father’s agent in creation and in communicating with the ancients. However, most recognize the poetic nature of the passage and conclude that the author was using simple personification.

Personification is common in ancient and modern literature, and was used frequently by the prophets and poets of Israel. In the Hebrew texts, sin lies in wait for unsuspecting victims (Genesis 4:7), Abel’s blood cries out to God (verse 10), cyprus trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fall of the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:8), the grave excitedly expects to meet the king (verse 9), mountains and hills rejoice, and the trees of the field clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12). It’s not surprising to find “wisdom” offering admonition to the foolish, and there’s no reason to think that the poetic description of this virtue is anything other than simple personification.

Even if Proverbs 8 does in some way allude to the preincarnate Christ, it does not prove that He was created at some point in time. Wisdom was “brought forth” before the earth was created (verses 23b–25), but “brought forth” does not necessarily denote origin with reference to time. In the same breath, Wisdom informs us, “I have been established from everlasting” (verse 23a), indicating that there was never a time when she did not exist.

Generally, the poetic description of Proverbs 8–9 should not be interpreted Christologically, but should be understood simply as the personification of an outstanding virtue.