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The Master Workman

Proverbs 8:30-31 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
³⁰then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
³¹rejoicing in his inhabited world[1]
and my delight was with the sons of men.

Then I was beside him, like a master workman: Personified wisdom is called the master workman. While it is true that we are dealing with a literary device that helps the reader appreciate the characteristics of wisdom, this personification also figuratively refers to Jesus Christ before he came to earth, as we saw from our commentary above. As a master workman, “all things were created through him and for him.” (Col. 1:16) Truly, “This one was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and apart from him, not one thing came into being that has come into being.” John 1:2-3.

And I was daily his delight: Here, the Hebrew word rendered daily (יוֹם yom) means every day or all the time. Delight (שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים shaashuim) is something or someone that provides a source of happiness, pleasure, or joy. In Psalm 119:24, the same word is used, “Your instructions give me pleasure.”

Rejoicing before him always: Here, rejoicing renders a Hebrew verb (שְׂחוֹק sechoq or שְׂחֹק sechoq) meaning to express great joy or to act joyfully or to celebrate

Rejoicing in his inhabited world: The term rendered inhabited (תֶּבֶל tebel) world (אֶרֶץ erets) is literally “in the world of his earth” and simply means the entirety of “his world” where humans and animals live.

And my delight was with the sons of men: The phrase sons of men is a reference to mankind, humanity. It is true that the expression sons of men or the sons of mankind are frequently used in an unfavorable sense, but this is not always the case. – Compare Psalm 4:2; 57:4; Prov 8:22, 30-31; Jeremiah 32:18, 19; Daniel 10:16.

Wisdom was not simply observing the creation of the angels, the physical universes, our galaxy, and human and animal life but was very much actively involved, being the master workman working alongside the Father. Seeing that the Father chose Wisdom for such work, we as imperfect humans need wisdom to deal with our human imperfection and the imperfect, fallen world of Satan and his henchmen. Wisdom is deeply ingrained in every fabric of creation, and only a fool would ignore the principles of Wisdom. Wisdom was at God’s side, sharing in the task of creation, a work that brought much delight, rejoicing, pleasure, and happiness as the creation of human life came to earth. We, too, can rejoice and find much delight as we become co-workers of such persons as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul, Peter, John, and all of the others who were human workmen in growing Christianity. – Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8.

[1] Lit in the world of his earth