Job Defines Wisdom

This passage defines the ultimate source of wisdom is God Himself. Job starts by giving a description of mining for precious metals and precious stones. From v1-11 he describes how the precious materials are found deep underground, hidden away from man and even animals with the best eyesight. He then describes man's ingenuity in mining for these precious materials, from mining deep in mountain rocks, to damming up streams.

Then from v12-22, Job begins to describe wisdom as more valuable than all these precious materials like gold, silver, onyx, sapphire, quartz, rubies, topaz, etc... Not only did Job describe wisdom as invaluable, he also described it as something more difficult to find or obtain than the precious stones and metals he mentioned earlier. And in v11 he says "nor is it found in the land of the living".

Proverbs 16:16
How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Finally from v23, Job reveals that wisdom can only be found in God and by God - "God understands its way, And he knows its place". Job describes the all-knowing God as wisdom itself. Job ends this passage with the well known definition of wisdom in v28 which is also found in:


Proverbs 9:10
“ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.


Job 28
 1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,  And a place where gold is refined.
 2 Iron is taken from the earth,  And copper is smelted from ore.
 3 Man puts an end to darkness,  And searches every recess  For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
 4 He breaks open a shaft away from people;  In places forgotten by feet
      They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro.
 5 As for the earth, from it comes bread,  But underneath it is turned up as by fire;
 6 Its stones are the source of sapphires,  And it contains gold dust.
 7 That path no bird knows,  Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.
 8 The proud lions[a] have not trodden it,   Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
 9 He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots.
 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,  And his eye sees every precious thing.
 11 He dams up the streams from trickling;  What is hidden he brings forth to light.
 12 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?
 13 Man does not know its value,  Nor is it found in the land of the living.
 14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;  And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
 15 It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
 16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire.
 17 Neither gold nor crystal can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
 18 No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies.
 19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
 20 “From where then does wisdom come?  And where is the place of understanding?
 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air.
 22 Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about 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 heavens,
 25 To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure.
 26 When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,
 27 Then He saw wisdom[b] and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
 28 And to man He said, ‘ Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
      And to depart from evil is understanding.’”