Commentary
Old Testament : Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
The Song of Songs
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
![](images/minus.gif)
Text -- Job 28:12-28 (NET)
![](images/arrow_open.gif)
Strongs On/Off
Context
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 .
28:22 Destruction and Death say , ‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’
28:23 God understands the way to it, and he alone knows its place .
28:24 For he looks to the ends of the earth and observes everything under the heavens .
28:25 When he made the force of the wind and measured the waters with a gauge .
28:26 When he imposed a limit for the rain , and a path for the thunderstorm ,
28:27 then he looked at wisdom and assessed its value; he established it and examined it closely.
28:28 And he said to mankind , ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom , and to turn away from evil is understanding .’”
![](images/advanced.gif)
![](images/advanced.gif)
![](images/advanced.gif)
Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
![](images/arrow_open.gif)
Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Wisdom |
Job |
BARUCH, BOOK OF |
ETHICS, III |
JOB, BOOK OF |
Wise, wisdom |
EUNICE |
Science |
Readings, Select |
Philosophy |
Coral |
Gold |
LOGOS |
Crystal |
Ophir |
Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena |
STONES, PRECIOUS |
Ignorance |
God |
Glass |
more
![](images/cmt_minus_head.gif)
expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:14 The בּ (bet) preposition is taken here to mean “with” in the light of the parallel preposition.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:16 The exact identification of these stones is uncertain. Many recent English translations, however, have “onyx” and “sapphires.”
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:17 The MT has “vase”; but the versions have a plural here, suggesting jewels of gold.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:18 In Lam 4:7 these are described as red, and so have been identified as rubies (so NIV) or corals.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:19 Or “Ethiopia.” In ancient times this referred to the region of the upper Nile, rather than modern Ethiopia (formerly known as Abyssinia).
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:21 The vav on the verb is unexpressed in the LXX. It should not be overlooked, for it introduces a subordinate clause of condition (R. Gordis, Job, 310).
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:22 Heb “heard a report of it,” which means a report of its location, thus “where it can be found.”
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:25 The verb is the Piel perfect, meaning “to estimate the measure” of something. In the verse, the perfect verb continues the function of the...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:26 Or “thunderbolt,” i.e., lightning. Heb “the roaring of voices/sounds,” which describes the nature of the storm.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: Job 28:27 The verb חָקַר (khaqar) means “to examine; to search out.” Some of the language used here is anthropomorphic...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)