Job 28:12-13

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; ¹ 

it cannot be found in the land of the living.

Job 28:20-24

God Alone Has Wisdom

28:20 “But wisdom – where does it come from? ² 

Where is the place of understanding?

28:21 For ³  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 ⁴  and Death say,

‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’ ⁵ 

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.

Job 32:8

32:8 But it is a spirit in people,

the breath ⁶  of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

Proverbs 2:4-5

2:4 if ⁷  you seek ⁸  it like silver, ⁹ 

and search for it ¹⁰  like hidden treasure,

2:5 then you will understand ¹¹  how to fear the Lord, ¹² 

and you will discover ¹³  knowledge ¹⁴  about God. ¹⁵ 

Matthew 2:1-2

The Visit of the Wise Men

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem ¹⁶  in Judea, in the time ¹⁷  of King Herod, ¹⁸  wise men ¹⁹  from the East came to Jerusalem ²⁰  2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ²¹  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 12:42

12:42 The queen of the South ²²  will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now, ²³  something greater than Solomon is here!

Acts 8:27-40

8:27 So ²⁴  he got up ²⁵  and went. There ²⁶  he met ²⁷  an Ethiopian eunuch, ²⁸  a court official of Candace, ²⁹  queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He ³⁰  had come to Jerusalem to worship, ³¹  8:28 and was returning home, sitting ³²  in his chariot, reading ³³  the prophet Isaiah. 8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 8:30 So Philip ran up ³⁴  to it ³⁵  and heard the man ³⁶  reading Isaiah the prophet. He ³⁷  asked him, ³⁸  “Do you understand what you’re reading?” 8:31 The man ³⁹  replied, “How in the world can I, ⁴⁰  unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 8:32 Now the passage of scripture the man ⁴¹  was reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to slaughter,

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he did ⁴²  not open his mouth.

8:33 In humiliation ⁴³  justice was taken from him. ⁴⁴ 

Who can describe his posterity? ⁴⁵ 

For his life was taken away ⁴⁶  from the earth.” ⁴⁷ 

8:34 Then the eunuch said ⁴⁸  to Philip, “Please tell me, ⁴⁹  who is the prophet saying this about – himself or someone else?” ⁵⁰  8:35 So Philip started speaking, ⁵¹  and beginning with this scripture ⁵²  proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 8:36 Now as they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water! What is to stop me ⁵³  from being baptized?” 8:37 [[EMPTY]] ⁵⁴  8:38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, ⁵⁵  and Philip baptized ⁵⁶  him. 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any more, but ⁵⁷  went on his way rejoicing. ⁵⁸  8:40 Philip, however, found himself ⁵⁹  at Azotus, ⁶⁰  and as he passed through the area, ⁶¹  he proclaimed the good news ⁶²  to all the towns ⁶³  until he came to Caesarea. ⁶⁴ 

Romans 10:6-8

10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ⁶⁵  ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” ⁶⁶  (that is, to bring Christ down) 10:7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” ⁶⁷  (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” ⁶⁸  (that is, the word of faith that we preach),

James 1:5

1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ⁶⁹  is from above, coming down ⁷⁰  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ⁷¹ 

James 3:17

3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ⁷²  full of mercy and good fruit, ⁷³  impartial, and not hypocritical. ⁷⁴ 

[28:13]  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).

[28:20]  ² tn The refrain is repeated, except now the verb is תָּבוֹא (tavo’, “come”).

[28:21]  ³ tn 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).

[28:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “Abaddon.”

[28:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “heard a report of it,” which means a report of its location, thus “where it can be found.”

[32:8]  ⁶ tn This is the word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”); according to Gen 2:7 it was breathed into Adam to make him a living person (“soul”). With that divine impartation came this spiritual understanding. Some commentators identify the רוּחַ (ruakh) in the first line as the Spirit of God; this “breath” would then be the human spirit. Whether Elihu knew that much, however, is hard to prove.

[2:4]  ⁷ tn The conditional particle now reiterates the initial conditional clause of this introductory section (1-4); the apodosis will follow in v. 5.

[2:4]  ⁸ tn The verb בָּקַשׁ (baqash) means “to search for; to seek; to investigate” (BDB 134 s.v.). This calls for the same diligence one would have in looking for silver.

[2:4]  ⁹ sn The two similes affirm that the value placed on the object will influence the eagerness and diligence in the pursuit and development of wisdom (e.g., Job 28:9-11). The point is not only that the object sought is valuable, but that the effort will be demanding but rewarding.

[2:4]  ¹⁰ sn The verb חָפַשׂ (khafas) means “to dig; to search” (BDB 344 s.v.; cf. NCV “hunt for it”). The Arabic cognate means “to dig for water.” It is used literally of Joseph searching his brothers’ sacks (Gen 44:12) and figuratively for searching the soul (Ps 64:7). This is a more emphatic word than the one used in the first colon and again emphasizes that acquiring wisdom will be demanding.

[2:5]  ¹¹ tn The verb בִּין (bin, “to perceive; to understand; to discern”) refers to ability to grasp, discern or be sensitive to what it means to fear the Lord.

[2:5]  ¹² tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The noun is an objective genitive; the Lord is to be the object of fear and reverence.

[2:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “find” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:5]  ¹⁴ tn The term דַּעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) goes beyond cognition; it is often used metonymically (cause) for obedience (effect); see, e.g., Prov 3:6, “in all your ways acknowledge him,” and BDB 395 s.v. This means that the disciple will follow God’s moral code; for to know God is to react ethically and spiritually to his will (e.g., J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 18).

[2:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “knowledge of God.” The noun is an objective genitive.

[2:1]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “in the days.”

[2:1]  ¹⁸ sn King Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[2:1]  ¹⁹ sn The Greek term magi here describes a class of wise men and priests who were astrologers (L&N 32.40).

[2:1]  ²⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:2]  ²¹ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[12:42]  ²² sn On the queen of the South see 1 Kgs 10:1-3 and 2 Chr 9:1-12, as well as Josephus, Ant. 8.6.5-6 (8.165-175). The South most likely refers to modern southwest Arabia, possibly the eastern part of modern Yemen, although there is an ancient tradition reflected in Josephus which identifies this geo-political entity as Ethiopia.

[12:42]  ²³ tn Grk “behold.”

[8:27]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And,” but καί (kai) carries something of a resultative force in this context because what follows describes Philip’s response to the angel’s command.

[8:27]  ²⁵ tn Grk “So getting up he went.” The aorist participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:27]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And there.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[8:27]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and behold.” This expression is used to portray Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian in a vivid way. In the English translation this vividness is difficult to convey; it is necessary to supply the words “he met.”

[8:27]  ²⁸ sn The term eunuch normally referred to a man who had been castrated, but this was not always the case (see Gen 39:1 LXX, where Potiphar is called a eunuch). Such castrated individuals were preferred as court officials in the East, although Judaism opposed the practice. The Mosaic law excluded eunuchs from Israel (Deut 23:1), although God certainly accepted them (Isa 56:3-5; Wis 3:14). This individual was a high official, since he was said to be in charge of all her treasury. He may or may not have been a eunuch physically. He appears to be the first fully Gentile convert to Christianity, since the Samaritans mentioned previously (Acts 8:4-25) were regarded as half-breeds.

[8:27]  ²⁹ tn Or “the Candace” (the title of the queen of the Ethiopians). The term Κανδάκης (Kandakh") is much more likely a title rather than a proper name (like Pharaoh, which is a title); see L&N 37.77. A few, however, still take the word to be the name of the queen (L&N 93.209). BDAG 507 s.v. Κανδάκη, treats the term as a title and lists classical usage by Strabo (Geography 17.1.54) and others.

[8:27]  ³⁰ tn Grk “who was over all her treasury, who.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “he” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[8:27]  ³¹ sn Since this man had come to Jerusalem to worship, he may have been a proselyte to Judaism. This event is a precursor to Acts 10.

[8:28]  ³² tn Grk “and was sitting.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[8:28]  ³³ tn Grk “and was reading.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[8:30]  ³⁴ tn The participle προσδραμών (prosdramwn) is regarded as attendant circumstance.

[8:30]  ³⁵ tn The words “to it” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[8:30]  ³⁶ tn Grk “heard him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:30]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[8:30]  ³⁸ tn Grk “he said”; but since what follows is a question, it is better English style to translate the introduction to the question “he asked him.”

[8:31]  ³⁹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:31]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “How am I able, unless…” The translation is based on the force of the conjunction γάρ (gar) in this context. The translation “How in the world can I?” is given in BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 1.f.

[8:32]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:32]  ⁴² tn Grk “does.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the first line of the quotation (“he was led like a sheep to slaughter”), which has an aorist passive verb normally translated as a past tense in English.

[8:33]  ⁴³ tc ‡ Most later mss (C E Ψ 33^vid Ï sy) read “In his humiliation,” adding αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after ταπεινώσει (tapeinwsei, “humiliation”), while the earlier and better witnesses lack the pronoun (so Ì⁷⁴ א A B 1739 pc lat). However, the LXX of Isa 53:8 also lacks the pronoun, supplying motivation for scribes to omit it here. At the same time, scribes would also be motivated to add the pronoun both for clarity’s sake (note the similar impulse that led to the addition of δέ [de] by many of the same mss at the beginning of the next line) and to give balance to the lines (the pronoun is indisputably used five other times in vv. 32-33 in quoting Isa 53). On balance, the shorter reading is preferred.

[8:33]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “justice was denied him”; Grk “his justice was taken away.”

[8:33]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “family; or “origin.” The meaning of γενεά (genea) in the quotation is uncertain; BDAG 192 s.v. γενεά 4 suggests “family history.”

[8:33]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “is taken away.” The present tense here was translated as a past tense to maintain consistency with the rest of the quotation.

[8:33]  ⁴⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 53:7-8.

[8:34]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “answered and said.” The redundant participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqei") has not been translated.

[8:34]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “I beg you,” “I ask you.”

[8:34]  ⁵⁰ sn About himself, or about someone else? It is likely in 1st century Judaism this would have been understood as either Israel or Isaiah.

[8:35]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “opening his mouth” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:35]  ⁵² sn Beginning with this scripture. The discussion likely included many of the scriptures Acts has already noted for the reader in earlier speeches. At the least, readers of Acts would know what other scriptures might be meant.

[8:36]  ⁵³ tn Or “What prevents me.” The rhetorical question means, “I should get baptized, right?”

[8:37]  ⁵⁴ tc A few later mss (E 36 323 453 945 1739 1891 pc) add, with minor variations, 8:37 “He said to him, ‘If you believe with your whole heart, you may.’ He replied, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” Verse 37 is lacking in {Ì^45,74 א A B C 33 614 vg sy^p,h co}. It is clearly not a part of the original text of Acts. The variant is significant in showing how some in the early church viewed a confession of faith. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[8:38]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch.” Since this is somewhat redundant in English, it was simplified to “and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.”

[8:38]  ⁵⁶ sn Philip baptized. Again, someone beyond the Twelve has ministered an ordinance of faith.

[8:39]  ⁵⁷ tn BDAG 189 s.v. γάρ 2 indicates that under certain circumstances γάρ (gar) has the same meaning as δέ (de).

[8:39]  ⁵⁸ sn Note that the response to the gospel is rejoicing (joy, cf. Acts 11:23; 13:48).

[8:40]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “appeared.”

[8:40]  ⁶⁰ sn Azotus was a city on the coast of southern Palestine, known as Ashdod in OT times.

[8:40]  ⁶¹ tn The words “the area” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[8:40]  ⁶² tn Or “he preached the gospel.”

[8:40]  ⁶³ tn Or “cities.”

[8:40]  ⁶⁴ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

[10:6]  ⁶⁵ sn A quotation from Deut 9:4.

[10:6]  ⁶⁶ sn A quotation from Deut 30:12.

[10:7]  ⁶⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 30:13.

[10:8]  ⁶⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 30:14.

[1:17]  ⁶⁹ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

[3:17]  ⁷² tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

[3:17]  ⁷³ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

[3:17]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “sincere.”