The Strand Study Bible

JOB 28:1

JOB 28:25

827

12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 13 Man knoweth not the 2 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: 3 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 4 wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all liv- ing, 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 5 seeth under the whole heaven; 25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

1. Note - Iron , the second most abundant metal on earth, and the fourth most

Job 28 Job continues his defense Date - c. 1625 BC/AM 2375 1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. 2 1 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.

abundant substance in the earth’s crust after aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, became common in the ancient world by about 1200 BC. It is not known when man first began intentionally to extract iron from its ores, but secular scholars think it was discovered between 4000- 5000 BC. 2. Prov 3:13-18 & 8:10-11,19 & 16:16 & Rom 11:33-36 3. Prov 3:13-15 & 8:11 & 20:25 4. Deut 4:5-6 & Psa 111:10 & Prov 1:7 & 9:10 & Eccl 12:13 Note - Wisdom comes from the Lord via His Word (vs 23, Prov 1:7 & 2:6-8 and I Ki 3:5- 12), i.e., from above (Jms 3:17). 5. Prov 15:3

28:2 Brass is a binary (two-element) copper-zinc alloy. Although the term brass is frequently employed in the Scriptures from the time of Job, there is nothing to indicate that this brass was the modern copper-zinc alloy used in later times. In fact, according to the New Age Encyclopedia :

The earliest uses of brass are unknown. There is record of a brazen bull cast by Perillus of Athens for Pharlaris of Agrigentum in 570 B.C. The piece was made hollow to receive its human victims, who were roasted alive within. The throat of the brazen bull was so contrived as to make the groans of them being roasted seem like the bellowing of the animal. Unfortunately Perillus was its first victim. 1

28:18 If wisdom’s price is above rubies, then wisdom becomes “priceless” (something that will not be sold because it cannot be sold). Thus, those who value what God values (wisdom) will keep from selling-out to the world, the Devil, and the flesh. The reason our Lord didn’t fall prey to the Devil, the world, and the flesh (Mt 4:1-10) is because He was full of wisdom (Lk 2:40,52/ Isa 11:2,3 & 50:4). Wisdom, according to the Bible, is the God-given ability to apply truth to life; to use knowledge aright ( I Cor 12:8a ). Simply put, wisdom is the common sense of God. Follow His common sense instead of your common sense and you will become “priceless” (something that will not be sold because it cannot be sold). Common sense from a human perspective says: *You can live better on 100% of your income than you can 90% of your income. But that’s not what God says (Mal 3:8-10). *You can’t continue to give and make ends meet. But that’s not what God says (Lk 6:38 and II Cor 9:6-8). *You can’t love someone who hates you. But that’s not what God says (Lk 6:27-29, Jn 3:16 and Rom 5:6-8). *You can’t forgive those who have hurt you, for you can’t get better till you get even. But that’s not what God says (Mt 18:21-35). *You can’t be faithful to God and be happy in life. But that’s not what God says (Prov 3:13-22). God says: Happy is the man that gives God the “last say” in his life. *You can’t serve others and expect to lead. But that’s not what God says (Mt 4:19 & 20:25-28). *You can plan for tomorrow because you’ll be there. But that’s not what God says (Prov 27:1, Jms 4:13-17 and Lk 12:13-21). NOTE – In order to keep from selling-out for a price we must learn what it means to become “priceless” (something that will not be sold because it cannot be sold); we must learn to be “wise” ( Prov 4:7 ). 28:22 Although death and destruction know no wisdom, they do “hear” of its fame. And how do they “hear” of it? They are the last ones to deal with people who have avoided it. Thus, death and destruction may not know what wisdom is, but they certainly know from the cries of the people what it is not. 1 New Age Encyclopedia (Vol 3). Canada: Excelsior Trading Corporation. 1972. Print.