28:12 “But wisdom – where can it be found?
Where is the place of understanding?
28:13 Mankind does not know its place; 1
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
28:14 The deep 2 says, ‘It is not with 3 me.’
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
1 tc The LXX has “its way, apparently reading דַּרְכָה (darkhah) in place of עֶרְכָּהּ (’erkah, “place”). This is adopted by most modern commentators. But R. Gordis (Job, 308) shows that this change is not necessary, for עֶרֶךְ (’erekh) in the Bible means “order; row; disposition,” and here “place.” An alternate meaning would be “worth” (NIV, ESV).
1 sn The תְּהוֹם (tÿhom) is the “deep” of Gen 1:2, the abyss or primordial sea. It was always understood to be a place of darkness and danger. As remote as it is, it asserts that wisdom is not found there (personification). So here we have the abyss and the sea, then death and destruction – but they are not the places that wisdom resides.
2 tn The בּ (bet) preposition is taken here to mean “with” in the light of the parallel preposition.