Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Job » Chapter 28

Job 28:1-28 King James Version (KJV)

1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.

3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.

5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.

6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.

7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:

8 The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.

9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.

10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

11 He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?

13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.

15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.

22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.

23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.

24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:

27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.


Job 28:1-28 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 Surely H3426 there is a vein H4161 for the silver, H3701 and a place H4725 for gold H2091 where they fine H2212 it.

2 Iron H1270 is taken H3947 out of the earth, H6083 and brass H5154 is molten H6694 out of the stone. H68

3 He setteth H7760 an end H7093 to darkness, H2822 and searcheth out H2713 all perfection: H8503 the stones H68 of darkness, H652 and the shadow of death. H6757

4 The flood H5158 breaketh out H6555 from the inhabitant; H1481 even the waters forgotten H7911 of the foot: H7272 they are dried up, H1809 they are gone away H5128 from men. H582

5 As for the earth, H776 out of it cometh H3318 bread: H3899 and under it is turned up H2015 as it were fire. H784

6 The stones H68 of it are the place H4725 of sapphires: H5601 and it hath dust H6083 of gold. H2091

7 There is a path H5410 which no fowl H5861 knoweth, H3045 and which the vulture's H344 eye H5869 hath not seen: H7805

8 The lion's H7830 whelps H1121 have not trodden H1869 it, nor the fierce lion H7826 passed H5710 by it.

9 He putteth forth H7971 his hand H3027 upon the rock; H2496 he overturneth H2015 the mountains H2022 by the roots. H8328

10 He cutteth out H1234 rivers H2975 among the rocks; H6697 and his eye H5869 seeth H7200 every precious thing. H3366

11 He bindeth H2280 the floods H5104 from overflowing; H1065 and the thing that is hid H8587 bringeth he forth H3318 to light. H216

12 But where H370 shall wisdom H2451 be found? H4672 and where is the place H4725 of understanding? H998

13 Man H582 knoweth H3045 not the price H6187 thereof; neither is it found H4672 in the land H776 of the living. H2416

14 The depth H8415 saith, H559 It is not in me: and the sea H3220 saith, H559 It is not with me.

15 It cannot be gotten H5414 for gold, H5458 neither shall silver H3701 be weighed H8254 for the price H4242 thereof.

16 It cannot be valued H5541 with the gold H3800 of Ophir, H211 with the precious H3368 onyx, H7718 or the sapphire. H5601

17 The gold H2091 and the crystal H2137 cannot equal H6186 it: and the exchange H8545 of it shall not be for jewels H3627 of fine gold. H6337

18 No mention H2142 shall be made of coral, H7215 or of pearls: H1378 for the price H4901 of wisdom H2451 is above rubies. H6443

19 The topaz H6357 of Ethiopia H3568 shall not equal H6186 it, neither shall it be valued H5541 with pure H2889 gold. H3800

20 Whence H370 then cometh H935 wisdom? H2451 and where is the place H4725 of understanding? H998

21 Seeing it is hid H5956 from the eyes H5869 of all living, H2416 and kept close H5641 from the fowls H5775 of the air. H8064

22 Destruction H11 and death H4194 say, H559 We have heard H8085 the fame H8088 thereof with our ears. H241

23 God H430 understandeth H995 the way H1870 thereof, and he knoweth H3045 the place H4725 thereof.

24 For he looketh H5027 to the ends H7098 of the earth, H776 and seeth H7200 under the whole heaven; H8064

25 To make H6213 the weight H4948 for the winds; H7307 and he weigheth H8505 the waters H4325 by measure. H4060

26 When he made H6213 a decree H2706 for the rain, H4306 and a way H1870 for the lightning H2385 of the thunder: H6963

27 Then did he see H7200 it, and declare H5608 it; he prepared H3559 it, yea, and searched it out. H2713

28 And unto man H120 he said, H559 Behold, the fear H3374 of the Lord, H136 that is wisdom; H2451 and to depart H5493 from evil H7451 is understanding. H998


Job 28:1-28 American Standard (ASV)

1 Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.

3 `Man' setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

4 He 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.

5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

6 The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold.

7 That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it:

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby.

9 He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.

10 He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing.

11 He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.

12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me.

15 It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

17 Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20 Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?

21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens.

22 Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears.

23 God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof.

24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;

25 To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.

26 When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;

27 Then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out.

28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.


Job 28:1-28 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;

2 Iron from the dust is taken, And `from' the firm stone brass.

3 An end hath he set to darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and death-shade.

4 A stream hath broken out from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they wandered.

5 The earth! from it cometh forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.

6 A place of the sapphire `are' its stones, And it hath dust of gold.

7 A path -- not known it hath a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,

8 Nor trodden it have the sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.

9 Against the flint he sent forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.

10 Among rocks, brooks he hath cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.

11 From overflowing floods he hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out `to' light.

12 And the wisdom -- whence is it found? And where `is' this, the place of understanding?

13 Man hath not known its arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.

14 The deep hath said, `It `is' not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'

15 Gold is not given for it, Nor is silver weighed -- its price.

16 It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,

17 Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor `is' its exchange a vessel of fine gold.

18 Corals and pearl are not remembered, The acquisition of wisdom `is' above rubies.

19 Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.

20 And the wisdom -- whence doth it come? And where `is' this, the place of understanding?

21 It hath been hid from the eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.

22 Destruction and death have said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'

23 God hath understood its way, And He hath known its place.

24 For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

25 To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.

26 In His making for the rain a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,

27 Then He hath seen and declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,

28 And He saith to man: -- `Lo, fear of the Lord, that `is' wisdom, And to turn from evil `is' understanding.'


Job 28:1-28 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold which they refine;

2 Iron is taken out of the dust, and copper is molten out of the stone.

3 [Man] putteth an end to the darkness, and exploreth to the utmost limit, the stones of darkness and of the shadow of death.

4 He openeth a shaft far from the inhabitants [of the earth]: forgotten of the foot, they hang suspended; away below men they hover.

5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread, and underneath it is turned up as by fire;

6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires, and it hath dust of gold.

7 It is a path no bird of prey knoweth, and the vulture's eye hath not seen it;

8 The proud beasts have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed over it.

9 [Man] putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock, he overturneth the mountains by the root.

10 He cutteth out channels in the rocks, and his eye seeth every precious thing.

11 He bindeth the streams that they drip not, and what is hidden he bringeth forth to light.

12 But wisdom, where shall it be found? and where is the place of understanding?

13 Man knoweth not the value thereof; and it is not found in the land of the living.

14 The deep saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me.

15 Choice gold cannot be given for it, nor silver be weighed for its price.

16 It is not set in the balance with gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, and the sapphire.

17 Gold and glass cannot be compared to it, nor vessels of fine gold be its exchange.

18 Corals and crystal are no more remembered; yea, the acquisition of wisdom is above rubies.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be compared to it, neither shall it be set in the balance with pure gold.

20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

21 For it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the fowl of the heavens.

22 Destruction and death say, We have heard its report with our ears.

23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth its place:

24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, he seeth under the whole heaven.

25 In making a weight for the wind, and meting out the waters by measure,

26 In appointing a statute for the rain, and a way for the thunder's flash:

27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he established it, yea, and searched it out;

28 And unto man he said, Lo, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.


Job 28:1-28 World English Bible (WEB)

1 "Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted out of the ore.

3 Man sets an end to darkness, And searches out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

4 He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.

5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread; Underneath it is turned up as it were by fire.

6 Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.

7 That path no bird of prey knows, Neither has the falcon's eye seen it.

8 The proud animals have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed by there.

9 He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, And he overturns the mountains by the roots.

10 He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing.

11 He binds the streams that they don't trickle; The thing that is hidden he brings forth to light.

12 "But where shall wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?

13 Man doesn't know its price; Neither is it found in the land of the living.

14 The deep says, 'It isn't in me.' The sea says, 'It isn't with me.'

15 It can't be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for its price.

16 It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire{or, lapis lazuli}.

17 Gold and glass can't equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yes, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

20 Whence then comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding?

21 Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the sky.

22 Destruction and Death say, 'We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.'

23 "God understands its way, And he knows its place.

24 For he looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole sky.

25 He establishes the force of the wind; Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.

26 When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder;

27 Then did he see it, and declare it. He established it, yes, and searched it out.

28 To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"


Job 28:1-28 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out.

2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire.

3 Man puts an end to the dark, searching out to the farthest limit the stones of the deep places of the dark.

4 He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord.

5 As for the earth, bread comes out of it; but under its face it is turned up as if by fire.

6 Its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold.

7 No bird has knowledge of it, and the hawk's eye has never seen it.

8 The great beasts have not gone over it, and the cruel lion has not taken that way.

9 Man puts out his hand on the hard rock, overturning mountains by the roots.

10 He makes deep ways, cut through the rock, and his eye sees everything of value.

11 He keeps back the streams from flowing, and makes the secret things come out into the light.

12 But where may wisdom be seen? and where is the resting-place of knowledge?

13 Man has not seen the way to it, and it is not in the land of the living.

14 The deep waters say, It is not in me: and the sea says, It is not with me.

15 Gold may not be given for it, or a weight of silver in payment for it.

16 It may not be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the onyx of great price, or the sapphire.

17 Gold and glass are not equal to it in price, and it may not be exchanged for jewels of the best gold.

18 There is no need to say anything about coral or crystal; and the value of wisdom is greater than that of pearls.

19 The topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to it, and it may not be valued with the best gold.

20 From where then does wisdom come, and where is the resting-place of knowledge?

21 For it is kept secret from the eyes of all living, unseen by the birds of the air.

22 Destruction and Death say, We have only had word of it with our ears.

23 God has knowledge of the way to it, and of its resting-place;

24 For his eyes go to the ends of the earth, and he sees everything under heaven.

25 When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters;

26 When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the thunder-flames;

27 Then he saw it, and put it on record; he gave it its fixed form, searching it out completely.

28 And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 28


Chapter 28

The strain of this chapter is very unlike the rest of this book. Job forgets his sores, and all his sorrows, and talks like a philosopher or a virtuoso. Here is a great deal both of natural and moral philosophy in this discourse; but the question is, How does it come in here? Doubtless it was not merely for an amusement, or diversion from the controversy; though, if it had been only so, perhaps it would not have been much amiss. When disputes grow hot, better lose the question than lose our temper. But this is pertinent and to the business in hand. Job and his friends had been discoursing about the dispensations of Providence towards the wicked and the righteous. Job had shown that some wicked men live and die in prosperity, while others are presently and openly arrested by the judgments of God. But, if any ask the reason why some are punished in this world and not others, they must be told it is a question that cannot be answered. The knowledge of the reasons of state in God's government of the world is kept from us, and we must neither pretend to it nor reach after it. Zophar had wished that God would show Job the "secrets of wisdom' (ch. 11:6). No, says Job, "secret things belong not to us, but things revealed,' Deu. 29:29. And here he shows,

  • I. Concerning worldly wealth, how industriously that is sought for and pursued by the children of men, what pains they take, what contrivances they have, and what hazards they run to get it (v. 1-11).
  • II. Concerning wisdom (v. 12). In general, the price of it is very great; it is of inestimable value (v. 15-19). The place of it is very secret (v. 14, 20, 22). In particular, there is a wisdom which is hidden in God (v. 23-27) and there is a wisdom which is revealed to the children of men (v. 28). Our enquiries into the former must be checked, into the latter quickened, for that is it which is our concern.

Job 28:1-11

Here Job shows,

  • 1. What a great way the wit of man may go in diving into the depths of nature and seizing the riches of it, what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may, by their ingenious and industrious searches, make themselves masters of. But does it therefore follow that men may, by their wit, comprehend the reasons why some wicked people prosper and others are punished, why some good people prosper and others are afflicted? No, by no means. The caverns of the earth may be discovered, but not the counsels of heaven.
  • 2. What a great deal of care and pains worldly men take to get riches. He had observed concerning the wicked man (ch. 27:16) that he heaped up silver as the dust; now here he shows whence that silver came which he was so fond of and how it was obtained, to show what little reason wicked rich men have to be proud of their wealth and pomp. Observe here,
    • I. The wealth of this world is hidden in the earth. Thence the silver and the gold, which afterwards they refine, are fetched, v. 1. There they lay mixed with a great deal of dirt and dross, like a worthless thing, of no more account than common earth; and abundance of them will so lie neglected, till the earth and all the works therein shall be burnt up. Holy Mr. Herbert, in his poem called Avarice, takes notice of this, to shame men out of the love of money:-
      • Money, thou bane of bliss, thou source of woe,
      • Whence com'st thou, that thou art so fresh and fine?
      • I know thy parentage is base and low;
      • Man found thee poor and dirty in a mine.
      • Surely thou didst so little contribute
      • To this great kingdom which thou now hast got
      • That he was fain, when thou wast destitute,
      • To dig thee out of thy dark cave and grot.
      • Man calleth thee his wealth, who made thee rich,
      • And while he digs out thee falls in the ditch.
      Iron and brass, less costly but more serviceable metals, are taken out of the earth (v. 2), and are there found in great abundance, which abates their price indeed, but is a great kindness to man, who could much better be without gold than without iron. Nay, out of the earth comes bread, that is, bread-corn, the necessary support of life, v. 5. Thence man's maintenance is fetched, to remind him of his own original; he is of the earth, and is hastening to the earth. Under it is turned up as it were fire, precious stones, that sparkle as fire-brimstone, that is apt to take fire-coal, that is proper to feed fire. As we have our food, so we have our fuel, out of the earth. There the sapphires and other gems are, and thence gold-dust is digged up, v. 6. The wisdom of the Creator has placed these things,
      • 1. Out of our sight, to teach us not to set our eyes upon them, Prov. 23:5.
      • 2. Under our feet, to teach us not to lay them in our bosoms, nor to set our hearts upon them, but to trample upon them with a holy contempt. See how full the earth is of God's riches (Ps. 104:24) and infer thence, not only how great a God he is whose the earth is and the fulness thereof (Ps. 24:1), but how full heaven must needs be of God's riches, which is the city of the great King, in comparison with which this earth is a poor country.
    • II. The wealth that is hidden in the earth cannot be obtained but with a great deal of difficulty.
      • 1. It is hard to be found out: there is but here and there a vein for the silver, v. 1. The precious stones, though bright themselves, yet, because buried in obscurity and out of sight, are called stones of darkness and the shadow of death. Men may search long before they light on them.
      • 2. When found out it is hard to be fetched out. Men's wits must be set on work to contrive ways and means to get this hidden treasure into their hands. They must with their lamps set an end to darkness; and if one expedient miscarry, one method fail, they must try another, till they have searched out all perfection, and turned every stone to effect it, v. 3. They must grapple with subterraneous waters (v. 4, 10, 11), and force their way through rocks which are, as it were, the roots of the mountains, v. 9. Now God has made the getting of gold, and silver, and precious stones, so difficult,
        • (1.) For the exciting and engaging of industry. Dii laboribus omnia vendunt-Labour is the price which the gods affix to all things. If valuable things were too easily obtained men would never learn to take pains. But the difficulty of gaining the riches of this earth may suggest to us what violence the kingdom of heaven suffers.
        • (2.) For the checking and restraining of pomp and luxury. What is for necessity is had with a little labour from the surface of the earth; but what is for ornament must be dug with a great deal of pains out of the bowels of it. To be fed is cheap, but to be fine is chargeable.
    • III. Though the subterraneous wealth is thus hard to obtain, yet men will have it. He that loves silver is not satisfied with silver, and yet is not satisfied without it; but those that have much must needs have more. See here,
      • 1. What inventions men have to get this wealth. They search out all perfection, v. 3. They have arts and engines to dry up the waters, and carry them off, when they break in upon them in their mines and threaten to drown the work, v. 4. They have pumps, and pipes, and canals, to clear their way, and, obstacles being removed, they tread the path which no fowl knoweth (v. 7, 8), unseen by the vulture's eye, which is piercing and quick-sighted, and untrodden by the lion's whelps, which traverse all the paths of the wilderness.
      • 2. What pains men take, and what vast charge they are at, to get this wealth. They work their way through the rocks and undermine the mountains, v. 10.
      • 3. What hazards they run. Those that dig in the mines have their lives in their hands; for they are obliged to bind the floods from overflowing (v. 11), and are continually in danger of being suffocated by damps or crushed or buried alive by the fall of the earth upon them. See how foolish man adds to his own burden. He is sentenced to eat bread in the sweat of his face; but, as if that were not enough, he will get gold and silver at the peril of his life, though the more is gotten the less valuable it is. In Solomon's time silver was as stones. But,
      • 4. Observe what it is that carries men through all this toil and peril: Their eye sees every precious thing, v. 10. Silver and gold are precious things with them, and they have them in their eye in all these pursuits. They fancy they see them glittering before their faces, and, in the prospect of laying hold of them, they make nothing of all these difficulties; for they make something of their toil at last: That which is hidden bringeth he forth to light, v. 11. What was hidden under ground is laid upon the bank; the metal that was hidden in the ore is refined from its dross and brought forth pure out of the furnace; and then he thinks his pains well bestowed. Go to the miners then, thou sluggard in religion; consider their ways, and be wise. Let their courage, diligence, and constancy in seeking the wealth that perisheth 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 they 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?

Job 28:12-19

Job, having spoken of the wealth of the world, which men put such a value upon and take so much pains for, here comes to speak of another more valuable jewel, and that is, wisdom and understanding, the knowing and enjoying of God and ourselves. Those that found out all those ways and means to enrich themselves thought themselves very wise; but Job will not own theirs to be wisdom. He supposes them to gain their point, and to bring to light what they sought for (v. 11), and yet asks, "Where is wisdom? for it is not here.' This their way is their folly. We must therefore seek it somewhere else, and it will be found nowhere but in the principles and practices of religion. There is more true knowledge, satisfaction, and happiness, in sound divinity, which shows us the way to the joys of heaven, than in natural philosophy or mathematics, which help us to find a way into the bowels of the earth. Two things cannot be found out concerning this wisdom:-

  • I. The price of it, for that is inestimable; its worth is infinitely more than all the riches in this world: Man knows not the price thereof (v. 13), that is,
    • 1. Few put a due value upon it. Men know not the worth of it, its innate excellency, their need of it, and of what unspeakable advantage it will be to them; and therefore, though they have many a price in their hand to get this wisdom, yet they have no heart to it, Prov. 17:16. The cock in the fable knew not the value of the precious stone he found in the dunghill, and therefore would rather have lighted on a barley-corn. Men know not the worth of grace, and therefore will take no pains to get it.
    • 2. None can possibly give a valuable consideration for it, with all the wealth this world can furnish them with. This Job enlarges upon v. 15, etc., where he makes an inventory of the bona notabilia-the most valuable treasures of this world. Gold is five times mentioned; silver comes in also; and then several precious stones, the onyx and sapphire, pearls and rubies, and the topaz of Ethiopia. These are the things that are highest prized in the world's markets: but if a man would give, not only these, heaps of these, but all the substance of his house, all he is worth in the world, for wisdom, it would utterly be contemned. These may give a man some advantage in seeking wisdom, as they did to Solomon, but there is no purchasing wisdom with these. It is a gift of the Holy Ghost, which cannot be bought with money, Acts 8:20. As it does not run in the blood, and so come to us by descent, so it cannot be got for money, nor does it come to us by purchase. Spiritual gifts are conferred without money and without price, because no money can be a price for them. Wisdom is likewise a more valuable gift to him that has it, makes him richer and happier, than gold or precious stones. It is better to get wisdom than gold. Gold is another's, wisdom our own; gold is for the body and time, wisdom for the soul and eternity. Let that which is most precious in God's account be so in ours. See Prov. 3:14, etc.
  • II. The place of it, for that is undiscoverable. Where shall wisdom be found? v. 12. He asks this,
    • 1. As one that truly desired to find it. This is a question we should all put. While the most of men are asking, "Where shall money be found?' we should ask, Where may wisdom be found? that we may seek it and find it, not vain philosophy, or carnal policy, but true religion; for that is the only true wisdom, that is it which best improves our faculties and best secures our spiritual and eternal welfare. This is that which we should cry after and dig for, Prov. 2:3, 4.
    • 2. As one that utterly despaired of finding it any where but in God, and any way but by divine revelation: It is not found in this land of the living, v. 13. We cannot attain to a right understanding of God and his will, of ourselves and our duty and interest, by reading any books or men, but by reading God's book and the men of God. Such is the degeneracy of human nature that there is no true wisdom to be found with any but those who are born again, and who, through grace, partake of the divine nature. As for others, even the most ingenious and industrious, they can tell us no tidings of this lost wisdom.
      • (1.) Ask the miners, and by them the depth will say, It is not in me, v. 14. Those who dig into the bowels of the earth, to rifle the treasures there, cannot in these dark recesses find this rare jewel, nor with all their art make themselves masters of it.
      • (2.) Ask the mariners, and by them the sea will say, It is not in me. It can never be got either by trading on the waters or diving into them, can never be sucked from the abundance of the seas or the treasures hidden in the sand. Where there is a vein for the silver there is no vein for wisdom, none for grace. Men can more easily break through the difficulties they meet with in getting worldly wealth than through those they meet with in getting heavenly wisdom, and they will take more pains to learn how to live in this world than how to live for ever in a better world. So blind and foolish has man become that it is in vain to ask him, Where is the place of wisdom, and which is the road that leads to it?

Job 28:20-28

The question which Job had asked (v. 12) he asks again here; for it is too worthy, too weighty, to be let fall, until we speed in the enquiry. Concerning this we must seek till we find, till we get some satisfactory account of it. By a diligent prosecution of this enquiry he brings it, at length, to this issue, that there is a twofold wisdom, one hidden in God, which is secret and belongs not to us, the other made known by him and revealed to man, which belongs to us and to our children.

  • I. The knowledge of God's secret will, the will of his providence, is out of our reach, and what God has reserved to himself. It belongs to the Lord our God. To know the particulars of what God will do hereafter, and the reasons of what he is doing now, is the knowledge Job first speaks of.
    • 1. This knowledge is hidden from us. It is high, we cannot attain unto it (v. 21, 22): It is hid from the eyes of all living, even of philosophers, politicians, and saints; it is kept close from the fowls of the air; though they fly high and in the open firmament of heaven, though they seem somewhat nearer that upper world where the source of this wisdom is, though their eyes behold afar off (ch. 39:29), yet they cannot penetrate into the counsels of God. No, man is wiser than the fowls of heaven, and yet comes short of this wisdom. Even those who, in their speculations, soar highest, and think themselves, like the fowls of the air, above the heads of other people, yet cannot pretend to this knowledge. Job and his friends had been arguing about the methods and reasons of the dispensations of Providence in the government of the world. "What fools are we' (says Job) "to fight in the dark thus, to dispute about that which we do not understand!' The line and plummet of human reason can never fathom the abyss of the divine counsels. Who can undertake to give the rationale of Providence, or account for the maxims, measure, and methods of God's government, those arcana imperii-cabinet counsels of divine wisdom? Let us then be content not to know the future events of the Providence until time discover them (Acts 1:7) and not to know the secret reasons of Providence until eternity discover them. God is now a God that hideth himself (Isa. 45:15); clouds and darkness are round about him. Though this wisdom be hidden from all living, yet destruction and death say, We have heard the fame of it. Though they cannot give an account of themselves (for there is no wisdom, nor device, nor knowledge at all in the grave, much less this), yet there is a world on the other side death and the grave, on which those dark regions border, and to which we must pass through them, and there we shall see clearly what we are now in the dark about. "Have a little patience,' says Death to the inquisitive soul: "I will fetch thee shortly to a place where even this wisdom will be found.' When the mystery of God shall be finished it will be laid open, and we shall know as we are known; when the veil of flesh is rent, and the interposing clouds are scattered, we shall know what God does, though we know not now, Jn. 13:7.
    • 2. This knowledge is hidden in God, as the apostle speaks, Eph. 3:9. Known unto God are all his works, though they are not known to us, Acts 15:18. There are good reasons for what he does, though we cannot assign them (v. 23): God understands the way thereof. Men sometimes do they know not what, but God never does. Men do what they did not design to do; new occurrences put them upon new counsels, and oblige them to take new measures. But God does all according to the purpose which he purposed in himself, and which he never alters. Men sometimes do that which they cannot give a good reason for, but in every will of God there is a counsel: he knows both what he does and why he does it, the whole series of events and the order and place of every occurrence. This knowledge he has in perfection, but keeps to himself. Two reasons are here given why God must needs understand his own way, and he only:-
      • (1.) Because all events are now directed by an all-seeing and almighty Providence, v. 24, 25. He that governs the world is,
        • [1.] Omniscient; for he looks to the ends of the earth, both in place and time; distant ages, distant regions, are under his view. We do not understand our own way, much less can we understand God's way, because we are short-sighted. How little do we know of what is doing in the world, much less of what will be done? But the eyes of the Lord are in every place; nay, they run to and fro through the earth. Nothing is, or can be, hidden from him; and therefore the reasons why some wicked people prosper remarkably and others are remarkably punished in this world, which are secret to us, are known to him. One day's events, and one man's affairs, have such a reference to, and such a dependence upon, another's, that he only to whom all events and all affairs are naked and open, and who sees the whole at one entire and certain view, is a competent Judge of every part.
        • [2.] He is omnipotent. He can do every thing, and is very exact in all he does. For proof of this Job mentions the winds and waters, v. 25. What is lighter than the wind? Yet God hath ways of poising it. He knows how to make the weight for the winds, which he brings out of his treasuries (Ps. 135:7), keeping a very particular account of what he draws out, as men do of what they pay out of their treasuries, not at random, as men bring out their trash. Nothing sensible is to us more unaccountable than the wind. We hear the sound of it, yet cannot tell whence it comes, nor whither it goes; but God gives it out by weight, wisely ordering both from what point it shall blow and with what strength. The waters of the sea, and the rain-waters, he both weighs and measures, allotting the proportion of every tide and every shower. A great and constant communication there is between clouds and seas, the waters above the firmament and those under it. Vapours go up, rains come down, air is condensed into water, water rarefied into air; but the great God keeps an exact account of all the stock with which this trade is carried on for the public benefit and sees that none of it be lost. Now if, in these things, Providence be so exact, much more in dispensing frowns and favours, rewards and punishments, to the children of men, according to the rules of equity.
      • (2.) Because all events were from eternity designed and determined by an infallible prescience and immutable decree, v. 26, 27. When he settled the course of nature he foreordained all the operations of his government.
        • [1.] He settled the course of nature. Job mentions particularly a decree for the rain and a way for the thunder and lightening. The general manner and method, and the particular uses and tendencies, of these strange performances, both their causes and their effects, were appointed by the divine purpose; hence God is said to prepare lightnings for the rain, Ps. 135:7; Jer. 10:13.
        • [2.] When he did that he laid all the measures of his providence, and drew an exact scheme of the whole work from first to last. Then, from eternity, did he see in himself, and declare to himself, the plan of his proceedings. Then he prepared it, fixed it, and established it, set every thing in readiness for all his works, so that, when any thing was to be done, nothing was to seek, nor could any thing unforeseen occur, to put it either out of its method or out of its time; for all was ordered as exactly as if he had studied it and searched it out, so that, whatever he does, nothing can be put to it nor taken from it, and therefore it shall be for ever, Eccl. 3:14. Some make Job to speak of wisdom here as a person, and translate it, Then he saw her and showed her, etc., and then it is parallel with that of Solomon concerning the essential wisdom of the Father, the eternal Word, Prov. 8:22, etc. Before the earth was, then was I by him, Jn. 1:1, 2.
  • II. The knowledge of God's revealed will, the will of his precept, and this is within our reach; it is level to our capacity, and will do us good (v. 28): Unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord that is wisdom. Let it not be said that when God concealed his counsels from man, and forbade him that tree of knowledge, it was because he grudged him any thing that would contribute to his real bliss and satisfaction; no, he let him know as much as he was concerned to know in order to his duty and happiness; he shall be entrusted with as much of his sovereign mind as is needful and fit for a subject, but he must not think himself fit to be a privy-counsellor. He said to Adam (so some), to the first man, in the day in which he was created; he told him plainly it was not for him to amuse himself with over-curious searches into the mysteries of creation, nor to pretend to solve all the phenomena of nature; he would find it neither possible nor profitable to do so. No less wisdom (says archbishop Tillotson) than that which made the world can thoroughly understand the philosophy of it. But let him look upon this as his wisdom, to fear the Lord and to depart from evil; let him learn that, and he is learned enough; let this knowledge serve his turn. When God forbade man the tree of knowledge he allowed him the tree of life, and this is that tree, Prov. 3:18. We cannot attain true wisdom but by divine revelation. The Lord giveth wisdom, Prov. 2:6. Now the matter of that is not found in the secrets of nature or providence, but in the rules for our own practice. Unto man he said, not, "Go up to heaven, to fetch happiness thence;' or, "Go down to the deep, to draw it up thence.' No, the word is nigh thee, Deu. 30:14. He hath shown thee, O man! not what is great, but what is good, not what the Lord thy God designs to do with thee, but what he requires of thee, Mic. 6:8. Unto you, O men! I call, Prov. 8:4. Lord, what is man that he should be thus minded, thus visited! Behold, mark, take notice of this; he that has ears let him hear what the God of heaven says to the children of men: The fear of the Lord, that is the wisdom. Here is,
    • 1. The description of true religion, pure religion, and undefiled; it is to fear the Lord and depart from evil, which agrees with God's character of Job, ch. 1:1. The fear of the Lord is the spring and summary of all religion. There is a slavish fear of God, springing from hard thoughts of him, which is contrary to religion, Mt. 25:24. There is a selfish fear of God springing from dreadful thoughts of him, which may be a good step towards religion, Acts 9:5. But there is a filial fear of God, springing from great and high thoughts of him, which is the life and soul of all religion. And, wherever this reigns in the heart, it will appear by a constant care to depart from evil, Prov. 16:6. This is essential to religion. We must first cease to do evil, or we shall never learn to do well. Virtus est vitium fugere-Even in our flight from vice some virtue lies.
    • 2. The commendation of religion: it is wisdom and understanding. To be truly religious is to be truly wise. As the wisdom of God appears in the institution of religion, so the wisdom of man appears in the institution of religion, so the wisdom of man appears in the practice and observance of it. It is understanding, for it is the best knowledge of truth; it is wisdom, for it is the best management of our affairs. Nothing more surely guides our way and gains our end than being religious.