Job 28

¹There is indeed a mine for silver,[#This chapter contains a beautifully vivid description of that Wisdom which is beyond the attainment of creatures and known only to God. The pronouns referring to Wisdom may be translated as either feminine or neuter; in view of Wisdom’s role as God’s companion and partner in creation (see Prv 8:22–30; Sir 24:1–21; Wis 9:9; Bar 3:9–4:4), the feminine is used here. There is no consensus about the authorship of this poem; it may originally have been an independent composition incorporated into the Book of Job.]

and a place for refining gold.

²Iron is taken from the earth,

and copper smelted out of stone.

³He sets a boundary for the darkness;[#The subject of the verbs in these verses has no clear antecedent; the context of vv. 2–6 suggests miners. The Hebrew of v. 4 is especially difficult. The general sense of vv. 1–11 is that one can find minerals in the earth; in contrast, where is Wisdom to be found (vv. 12, 20)?]

the farthest confines he explores.

⁴He breaks open a shaft far from habitation,

unknown to human feet;

suspended, far from people, they sway.

⁵The earth, though out of it comes forth bread,

is in fiery upheaval underneath.

⁶Its stones are the source of lapis lazuli,

and there is gold in its dust.

⁷The path no bird of prey knows,

nor has the hawk’s eye seen it.

⁸The proud beasts have not trodden it,

nor has the lion gone that way.

⁹He sets his hand to the flinty rock,

and overturns the mountains at their root.

¹⁰He splits channels in the rocks;

his eyes behold all that is precious.

¹¹He dams up the sources of the streams,

and brings hidden things to light.

¹²As for wisdom—where can she be found?

Where is the place of understanding?

¹³Mortals do not know her path,

nor is she to be found in the land of the living.

¹⁴The Deep says, “She is not in me”;

and the Sea says, “She is not with me.”

¹⁵Solid gold cannot purchase her,

nor can her price be paid with silver.

¹⁶She cannot be bought with gold of Ophir,[#: cf. note on Ps 45:10.]

with precious onyx or lapis lazuli,

¹⁷Gold or crystal cannot equal her,

nor can golden vessels be exchanged for her.

¹⁸Neither coral nor crystal should be thought of;

the value of wisdom surpasses pearls.

¹⁹Ethiopian topaz does not equal her,

nor can she be weighed out for pure gold.

²⁰As for wisdom, where does she come from?

Where is the place of understanding?

²¹She is hidden from the eyes of every living thing;

even from the birds of the air she is concealed.

²²Abaddon and Death say,[#: cf. note on Jb 26:6.]

“Only by rumor have we heard of her.”

²³But God understands the way to her;[#In reply to the question of vv. 12, 20, these verses indicate that the creator (vv. 24–26) knows the “place” of wisdom and even “established” her, but the specifics are not given. For further development of this theme, cf. Sir 1:1–10 and Bar 3:9–4:4.; #Prv 8:22–31.]

it is he who knows her place.

²⁴For he beholds the ends of the earth

and sees all that is under the heavens.

²⁵When he weighed out the wind,

and measured out the waters;

²⁶When he made a rule for the rain

and a path for the thunderbolts,

²⁷Then he saw wisdom and appraised her,

established her, and searched her out.

²⁸And to mortals he said:[#This verse may be a later addition expressing a commonplace of the wisdom tradition; see cross-references. The addition seems to tie the poem in with the description of Job as fearing God and avoiding evil (1:1, 8; 2:3).]

See: the fear of the Lord is wisdom;

and avoiding evil is understanding.