Job28
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.
2Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.
3Man setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
4He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; They are forgotten of the foot; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro.
5As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.
6The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.
7That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon’s eye seen it:
8The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.
9He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.
11He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
12But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
13Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living.
14The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.
15It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?
21Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens.
22Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.
23God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof.
24For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;
25To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.
26When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;
27Then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.
28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Job 28.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Concerning wordly wealth. (1–11). Wisdom is of inestimable value. (12–19). Wisdom is the gift of God. (20–28).
vv1-11
Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be discovered, but not the counsels of Heaven. Go to the miners, thou sluggard in religion, consider their ways, and be wise. Let their courage and diligence in seeking the wealth that perishes, shame us out of slothfulness and faint-heartedness in labouring for the true riches. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! How much easier, and safer! Yet gold is sought for, but grace neglected. Will the hopes of precious things out of the earth, so men call them, though really they are paltry and perishing, be such a spur to industry, and shall not the certain prospect of truly precious things in heaven be much more so?
vv12-19
Job here speaks of wisdom and understanding, the knowing and enjoying of God and ourselves. Its worth is infinitely more than all the riches in this world. It is a gift of the Holy Ghost which cannot be bought with money. Let that which is most precious in God's account, be so in ours. Job asks after it as one that truly desired to find it, and despaired of finding it any where but in God; any way but by Divine revelation. (Job 28:20-28)
vv20-28
There is a two-fold wisdom; one hid in God, which is secret, and belongs not to us; the other made known by him, and revealed to man. One day's events, and one man's affairs, have such reference to, and so hang one upon another, that He only, to whom all is open, and who sees the whole at one view, can rightly judge of every part. But the knowledge of God's revealed will is within our reach, and will do us good. Let man look upon this as his wisdom, To fear the Lord, and to depart from evil. Let him learn that, and he is learned enough. Where is this wisdom to be found? The treasures of it are hid in Christ, revealed by the word, received by faith, through the Holy Ghost. It will not feed pride or vanity, or amuse our vain curiosity. It teaches and encourages sinners to fear the Lord, and to depart from evil, in the exercise of repentance and faith, without desiring to solve all difficulties about the events of this life.
Key Words
כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
יֵשׁ: there is or are (or any other form of the verb to be, as may suit the connection)
מוֹצָא: a going forth, i.e. (the act) an egress, or (the place) an exit; hence, a source or product; specifically, dawn, the rising of the sun (the East), exportation, utterance, a gate, a fountain, a mine, a meadow (as producing grass)
כֶּסֶף: silver (from its pale color); by implication, money
מָקוֹם: properly, a standing, i.e. a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)
זָהָב: gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear sky
זָקַק: to strain, (figuratively) extract, clarify
בַּרְזֶל: iron (as cutting); by extension, an iron implement
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
מִן: properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
Cross References
Job 28Direct thematic parallel defining the fear of the Lord as the true beginning of wisdom.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Explicitly identifies the fear of the Lord with wisdom, echoing Job's concluding definition.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Summons man's ultimate duty to fear God, reflecting Job's practical conclusion on human wisdom.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Apostolic exclamation on the unsearchable depth of God's wisdom, which man cannot find out.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies wisdom present at creation, establishing decree and order in natural elements.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Locates the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge exclusively in Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Affirms that wisdom's price is far above rubies and cannot be equaled by wealth.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Echoes the incomparable value of wisdom over silver, gold, and precious rubies.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Distinguishes between secret things belonging to God and revealed duties belonging to man.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Refers to refining silver and gold, parallel to the metallurgical imagery of v1.
Supported by JFB
Mentions 'stones of fire' in Eden, illuminating Job's subterranean fire-glow imagery.
Supported by JFB
Parallels God's sovereignty in carving out a way for the lightning of thunder.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Directly links the fear of the Lord to departing from evil.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Mentions Ophir as the historical biblical source of prized, high-quality gold.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Deals with destruction and death being open before God, who knows their secrets.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Describes the promised land as a place where iron and copper are extracted.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Internal structural repetition of the core inquiry: 'Whence then cometh wisdom?'
Supported by Matthew Poole
Depicts God weighing the winds, waters, and mountains in scales and measures.
Supported by Matthew Poole