Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageI was right there beside Him — His cherished nursling, His daily delight, always laughing in His presence —
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.Gthen I was beside Him as a master-craftsman, His delight day by day, laughing before Him at all times,
KJV
King James VersionThen I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThen I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence.
Footnotes
*Amon* is the chapter's most hotly contested word, and the translation chosen here shapes the entire theological portrait of Wisdom. Two primary readings command serious scholarly support: (1) *amon* = master craftsman/artisan/architect, from a root related to skilled labour (cf. Song of Songs 7:2; Jeremiah 52:15), positioning Wisdom as the active co-creator through whom all things were shaped — the reading underlying John 1:3 ('through Him all things were made') and Colossians 1:16; (2) *amun* = nursling/ward/beloved child, from the root *'mn* meaning to rear or nurse (cf. Numbers 11:12; Esther 2:7), positioning Wisdom as the Father's cherished companion, present not as a worker but as a delighted child. The word *sha'ashu'im* ('playful delights/joys') in vv.30b–31 lends support to the 'nursling' reading, suggesting exuberant play rather than technical labour. FOG chooses 'master-craftsman,' honouring Wisdom's creative agency; FOG Message chooses 'cherished nursling,' drawing out the eternal Trinitarian intimacy — the joy within the Godhead before the first act of creation.