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Texts -- Job 28:1-21 (NET)

Context

III. Job’s Search for Wisdom (28:1-28)

No Known Road to Wisdom
28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver , and a place where gold is refined . 28:2 Iron is taken from the ground , and rock is poured out as copper . 28:3 Man puts an end to the darkness ; he searches the farthest recesses for the ore in the deepest darkness . darkness . 28:4 Far from where people live he sinks a shaft , in places travelers have long forgotten , far from other people he dangles and sways . 28:5 The earth , from which food comes , is overturned below as though by fire ; 28:6 a place whose stones are sapphires and which contains dust of gold ; 28:7 a hidden path no bird of prey knows – no falcon’s eye has spotted it. 28:8 Proud beasts have not set foot on it, and no lion has passed along it. 28:9 On the flinty rock man has set to work with his hand ; he has overturned mountains at their bases . 28:10 He has cut out channels through the rocks ; his eyes have spotted every precious thing. 28:11 He has searched the sources of the rivers and what was hidden he has brought into the light .
No Price Can Buy Wisdom
28:12 “But wisdom – where can it be found ? Where is the place of understanding ? 28:13 Mankind does not know its place ; it cannot be found in the land of the living . 28:14 The deep says , ‘It is not with me.’ And the sea says , ‘It is not with me .’ 28:15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can its price be weighed out in silver . 28:16 It cannot be measured out for purchase with the gold of Ophir , with precious onyx or sapphires . 28:17 Neither gold nor crystal can be compared with it, nor can a vase of gold match its worth. 28:18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made; the price of wisdom is more than pearls . 28:19 The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be purchased with pure gold .
God Alone Has Wisdom
28:20 “But wisdom – where does it come from? Where is the place of understanding ? 28:21 For it has been hidden from the eyes of every living creature , and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Wise, wisdom

    [ebd] a moral rather than an intellectual quality. To be "foolish" is to be godless (Ps. 14:1; comp. Judg. 19:23; 2 Sam. 13:13). True wisdom is a gift from God to those who ask it (Job 28:12-28; Prov. 3:13-18; Rom. 1:22; 16:27; 1 ...

  • Wisdom

    [nave] WISDOM Of Joseph, Gen. 41:16, 25-39; Acts 7:10. Of Moses, Acts 7:22. Of Bezaleel, Ex. 31:3-5; 35:31-35; 36:1. Of Aholiab, Ex. 31:6; 35:34, 35; 36:1; of other skilled artisans, Ex. 36:2; of women, Ex. 35:26. Of Hiram, 1 K...

  • Science

    [nave] SCIENCE Observations of, and deductions from, facts, Job 26:7-14; 28; Eccl. 1:13-17. So-called, false, 1 Tim. 6:20. The key of knowledge, Luke 11:52; Rom. 2:20. See: Geology; Astronomy; Philosophy.

  • STONES, PRECIOUS

    [isbe] STONES, PRECIOUS - || 1. Ancient and Modern Names 2. Change of Signification of Names 3. Three Important Lists of Stones 4. Interpretation of Greek Names Used by John 5. Interpretation of Hebrew Names 6. Greek and Latin Equi...

  • Readings, Select

    [nave] READINGS, SELECT. Judah's Defense Gen. 44:18-34 Joseph Revealing His Identity Gen. 45:1-15 The Deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh Ex. 14:5-30 Song of Moses When Pharaoh and His Army Were Overthrown Ex. 15:1-1...

  • RIVER

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. 'aphik, properly the channel or ravine that holds water (2 Sam. 22:16), translated "brook," "river," "stream," but not necessarily a perennial stream (Ezek. 6:3; 31:12; 32:6; 34:13). (2.) Heb. nahal, in winter a "t...
    [isbe] RIVER - riv'-er: (1) The usual word is nahar (Aramaic nehar (Ezr 4:10, etc.)), used of the rivers of Eden (Gen 2:10-14), often of the Euphrates (Gen 15:18, etc.), of Abana and Pharpar (2 Ki 5:12), the river of Gozan (2 Ki 17...

  • Philosophy

    [nave] PHILOSOPHY The nature of things, Eccl. 1-7. A philosophical inquiry on wisdom, Job. 28. Philosophical inductions and deductions relating to God and his providence, Job 5:8-20; 9; 10:2-21; 12:6-24; 33:12-30; 37. Reveals th...

  • Mine

    [ebd] The process of mining is described in Job 28:1-11. Moses speaks of the mineral wealth of Palestine (Deut. 8:9). Job 28:4 is rightly thus rendered in the Revised Version, "He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn;...

  • MINES, MINING

    [smith] A highly-poetical description given by the author of the book of Job of the operations of mining as known in his day is the only record of the kind which we inherit from the ancient Hebrews. (Job 28:1-11) In the Wady Magharah...

  • MINE; MINING

    [isbe] MINE; MINING - min, min'-ing: In Job 28:1-11 we have the only Biblical reference to mines. The writer very likely derived his information either from personal observation or from a description by an eyewitness, of the mining...

  • Land, Land Masses

    [nave] LAND, LAND MASSES Gen. 1:9, 10; Job 26:7, 10; 28:8-11; 38:4-18; Psa. 95:5; 104:5-9; 136:6; Prov. 8:29; 30:4. See: Geology.

  • KITE

    [ebd] an unclean and keen-sighted bird of prey (Lev. 11:14; Deut. 14:13). The Hebrew word used, 'ayet, is rendered "vulture" in Job 28:7 in Authorized Version, "falcon" in Revised Version. It is probably the red kite (Milvus regal...
    [isbe] KITE - kit ('ayyah; iktinos; Latin Milvus ictinus or regalis): A medium-sized member of the hawk tribe (see HAWK). This bird is 27 inches long, of bright reddish-brown color, has sharply pointed wings and deeply forked tail....
    [smith] (Heb. ayyah), a rapacious and keen-sighted bird of prey belonging to the hawk family. The Hebrew word thus rendered occurs in three passages -- (Leviticus 11:14; 14:13; Job 28:7) In the two former it is translated "kite" in t...

  • Job

    [nave] JOB 1. A man who dwelt in Uz, Job 1:1. Righteousness of, Job 1:1, 5, 8; 2:3; Ezek. 14:14, 20. Riches of, Job 1:3. Trial of, by affliction of Satan, Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10. Fortitude of, Job 1:20-22; 2:10; Jas. 5:11. Visite...

  • JOB, BOOK OF

    [isbe] JOB, BOOK OF - || I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Place in the Canon 2. Rank and Readers II. THE LITERARY FRAMEWORK 1. Setting of Time, Place and Scene 2. Characters and Personality 3. Form and Style III. THE COURSE OF THE STORY A) To Jo...

  • Ignorance

    [nave] IGNORANCE. Job 8:9; Job 11:7, 8, 12; Job 28:12, 13, 20, 21; Job 36:26, 29; Job 37:5, 15, 16, 19, 23 Job 38; 39. Psa. 139:6; Prov. 7:6-23; Prov. 8:5; Prov. 9:14-18; Prov. 19:2; Prov. 20:24; Prov. 22:3 Prov. 27:12. Prov. 27:1...

  • Gizonite

    [ebd] a name given to Hashem, an inhabitant of Gizoh, a place somewhere in the mountains of Judah (1 Chr. 11:34; 2 Sam. 23:32, 34).

  • EUNICE

    [isbe] EUNICE - u-ni'-se, u'-nis (Eunike, is the correct reading, and not Euneike, which is read by the Textus Receptus of the New Testament of Stephen, three syllables: Eu-ni-ke, literally, "conquering well"; 2 Tim 1:5): The mothe...

  • ETHIOPIA

    [ebd] country of burnt faces; the Greek word by which the Hebrew Cush is rendered (Gen. 2:13; 2 Kings 19:9; Esther 1:1; Job 28:19; Ps. 68:31; 87:4), a country which lay to the south of Egypt, beginning at Syene on the First Catara...
    [isbe] ETHIOPIA - e-thi-o'-pi-a (kush; Aithiopia): 1. Location, Extent and Population: Critically speaking Ethiopia may refer only to the Nile valley above the First Cataract, but in ancient as in modern times the term was often us...

  • ETHICS, III

    [isbe] ETHICS, III - III. Principles and Characteristics of Biblical Ethics. The sketch of the history of ethics just offered, brief as it necessarily is, may serve to indicate the ideas which have shaped modern thought and helped ...

  • BARUCH, BOOK OF

    [isbe] BARUCH, BOOK OF - One of the Apocryphal or Deutero-canonical books, standing between Jeremiah and Lamentations in the Septuagint, but in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) after these two books. I. Name. See un...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • God blessed Solomon with an effective navy that brought added wealth from the South and the East. Ophir (v. 28) evidently was in southwest Arabia (10:11; Job 22:24; 28:16).The writer documented in this section further evidenc...
  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • Because the speech in this chapter is more soliloquy than dialogue some scholars have concluded that someone other than Job spoke it: Zophar, Bildad, or God. One writer argued for its being a speech by none of the characters,...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
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