The Book of Job

Word Study

"wisdom," Hebrew chokmah (חָכְמָה), skill in living rightly, insight into the true nature of things. Job has just described the astonishing ingenuity of man in mining the earth (v1-11): he digs out silver, gold, iron, and brass; he tunnels through rock into the darkness; he brings hidden things to light; he goes where no bird, no lion, has ever gone. Human cleverness can reach the deepest treasures of creation. "But", Job says, and it is a mighty "but", "where shall wisdom be found?" Wisdom here is not mere cleverness or knowledge, at which man excels, but the deep insight into life, into God, into how to live rightly and understand suffering, that man so desperately lacks.

"understanding," binah (בִּינָה), discernment, the ability to distinguish. The parallel term, from a root meaning to separate one thing from another. It is exactly this power of discernment that man's technological genius cannot supply. This is the great irony of humanity: masters of the physical world, yet lost when it comes to the one thing that matters most. The question echoes down the ages, for our age of unprecedented knowledge is no wiser in the things that count.

"place," maqom (מָקוֹם), location, source. Job's question is geographical, which is the sting of it: he can name the place of every ore in the earth, but not the place of wisdom. He can find gold in the depths but not wisdom anywhere. Man's ingenuity cannot mine wisdom, cannot manufacture it, cannot find its place. It must come from somewhere, and Someone, beyond himself.

Explanation

Job has described man's astonishing ingenuity in mining the earth: he digs out precious metals, tunnels through rock, brings hidden things to light, goes where no bird or beast can go. "But", he says, "where shall wisdom be found?" With all his cleverness, man cannot locate true wisdom, the deep insight into God and life and how to live rightly. This is humanity's great irony: masters of the physical world, lost in the one thing that matters most. Our age of unprecedented knowledge is no wiser in the things that count. Wisdom must come from beyond ourselves.

Gospel Focus

"Where shall wisdom be found?", the question that human ingenuity cannot answer is answered fully in Jesus Christ, who is the wisdom of God made flesh. The wisdom man cannot mine from the earth has come down from heaven: Christ "of God is made unto us wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:30), and in Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). The world in its cleverness could not find God, "the world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Corinthians 1:21), so God revealed His wisdom in the last place human pride would look: "Christ crucified... Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Where shall wisdom be found? Not in the depths of the earth, nor in the achievements of men, but at the cross, and in the person of the crucified and risen Lord. The wisdom that eludes all human searching is freely given to those who come to Christ, "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally" (James 1:5). The most brilliant human mind cannot find true wisdom apart from God; the simplest believer possesses it in Christ. So do not seek the deepest wisdom in the libraries and laboratories of men, precious as knowledge is; seek it where God has placed it, in His Son, "in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom." To find Christ is to find the wisdom man could never mine.

Word Study

"price," Hebrew meshekh (מֶשֶׁךְ), acquisition, worth. Job piles up the treasures of the ancient world, gold of Ophir, onyx, sapphire, crystal, coral, pearls, topaz, only to speak of what it would cost to acquire wisdom: "the price of wisdom is above rubies." It "cannot be gotten for gold" (v15); it "cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir" (v16).

"wisdom," chokmah (חָכְמָה). The treasure being priced is the same chokmah Job could not locate in verse 12, and here he shows it is beyond all price, worth more than the combined wealth of the earth. The point is not only that wisdom is precious, but that it belongs to a completely different order of value than material wealth. You cannot buy it with money, because it is not that kind of thing.

"rubies," peninim (פְּנִינִים), rubies or red corals, precious stones. The standard of comparison, and the same word the wisdom literature reaches for: "wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it" (Proverbs 8:11); "happy is the man that findeth wisdom... she is more precious than rubies" (Proverbs 3:13-15). All the world's riches cannot purchase one grain of true wisdom. This exposes the folly of a life spent chasing gold while neglecting the wisdom that gold can never buy, and it prepares us to see where this priceless treasure is actually found.

Explanation

Job piles up the treasures of the ancient world, gold, onyx, sapphire, coral, pearls, only to declare that wisdom outvalues them all: "the price of wisdom is above rubies." It cannot be bought with gold, because it is not that kind of thing, it belongs to a completely different order of value than material wealth (Proverbs 3:13-15; 8:11). All the world's riches cannot purchase one grain of true wisdom. This exposes the folly of chasing gold while neglecting the wisdom gold can never buy, and prepares us to see where this priceless treasure is actually found.

Gospel Focus

"The price of wisdom is above rubies", and the priceless wisdom that no money can buy is given freely in Christ, though it cost Him everything. Jesus told of "one pearl of great price", for which a wise merchant sold all he had (Matthew 13:45-46), and of treasure hid in a field worth the sacrifice of everything to obtain (Matthew 13:44). The wisdom and salvation found in Christ are of such surpassing worth that Paul could say, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). Yet here is the wonder of grace: this priceless treasure, which no gold could buy, is offered to us without money. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy... without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1). We cannot purchase the wisdom of God, but Christ purchased us, "ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19). The wisdom above rubies is given to the empty-handed who come to Jesus. So value it above all earthly wealth: seek first the kingdom of God, sell all to gain the pearl of great price, and count the knowledge of Christ worth more than everything the world can offer. What the whole earth's treasure cannot buy, God gives freely to those who come to His Son.

Word Study

"the fear of the Lord," Hebrew yirat Adonai (יִרְאַת אֲדֹנָי), reverent awe of the Lord. After the long search, God Himself gives the answer, and it is the heart of the whole book: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." To hold Him in reverent awe, to bow before Him, to walk in humble obedience, this is where the search ends.

"wisdom," chokmah (חָכְמָה). The chokmah that could not be mined or bought turns out not to be finally a matter of intellect, information, or philosophical achievement; it is a matter of the heart's posture toward God. Here is the great definition that runs through all of Scripture: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 111:10).

"depart from evil," sur mera (סוּר מֵרָע), turn away from evil. The inseparable companion of the fear of the Lord, and the practical conduct that proves it. Notice the beautiful connection to Job himself: the very first verse of the book described Job as one who "feared God, and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1), that is, precisely, one who had the fear of the Lord and departed from evil. So the answer to "where shall wisdom be found?" was, in a sense, embodied in Job all along. He may not have understood why he suffered, that wisdom was hidden even from him, but he possessed the wisdom that matters most. Man cannot find out the secret counsels of God, but he can have true wisdom, by fearing God and turning from evil. That is the wisdom God gives, and it is within the reach of the humblest believer.

Explanation

After the long search, God gives the answer, the heart of the whole book: "the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." Wisdom is not finally intellect or information but the heart's posture toward God: reverent awe of Him, and turning from evil in daily life (Proverbs 9:10). And note the connection to Job himself, who was described from the first as one who "feared God, and eschewed evil" (Job 1:1). The answer to "where shall wisdom be found?" was embodied in Job all along. He never learned why he suffered, but he had the wisdom that matters most: the fear of the Lord.

Gospel Focus

"The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom", and this reverent fear finds its fullest expression and its perfect example in Jesus Christ, and its home in the hearts He renews. Of the Messiah it was foretold that "the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him... and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2-3). Jesus, the true and wise Man, feared God perfectly and departed wholly from evil, and He is our wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30). The Gospel does not set aside the fear of the Lord; it deepens it into the reverent love of children who have been redeemed. And through the new birth, God writes His wisdom on our hearts, giving us both the fear of the Lord and the power to depart from evil, "the grace of God... teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly" (Titus 2:11-12). The wisdom that all the earth's treasure cannot buy, and all human cleverness cannot find, God gives to those who fear Him through Christ. It is not reserved for the learned; it is the possession of everyone who reverently trusts and obeys the Lord Jesus. So the whole search of Job 28 ends where the whole book began, and where every soul must come: at the fear of the Lord, which is now, in the Gospel, the loving reverence of those who know God as Father through the Son. This is wisdom, and it is offered to all.