John Gill Commentary Proverbs 8:25

"Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth;" — Proverbs 8:25 (ASV)

Before the mountains were settled
Plunged ^F12, or fixed in the earth; and which was done by the great strength of the Lord, upon their proper bases, (Psalms 65:6); and which were "aborigine", or from the beginning of the world, and therefore called the ancient mountains, (Deuteronomy 33:15); to be before the mountains is a periphrasis of eternity, and is a phrase expressive of God's eternity; and being here used of the Son's, shows his eternity is the same with his Father's, (Psalms 90:2).

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before the hills was I brought forth; which is repeated partly to show the importance of it; this being a matter of infinite moment and concern, and deserving of the strictest attention and observation; and partly to show the certainty of it; the eternal generation of Christ being an article of faith most surely to be believed.

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: (webjh) "defixi", Montanus; "mergerentur", Tigurine version; "immersi", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius.