Job 28:15 kjv
It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
Job 28:15 nkjv
It cannot be purchased for gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
Job 28:15 niv
It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
Job 28:15 esv
It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
Job 28:15 nlt
It cannot be bought with gold.
It cannot be purchased with silver.
Job 28 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Value of Wisdom over Riches: | ||
| Prov 3:13-15 | Blessed are those who find wisdom... for her gain is better than gold. | Wisdom's profit excels silver & gold. |
| Prov 8:10-11 | Choose my instruction instead of silver... wisdom is more precious than rubies. | Divine instruction more valued than metals. |
| Prov 16:16 | How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen than silver. | Wisdom superior to material wealth. |
| Prov 22:1 | A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. | Wise living leads to good repute, exceeding riches. |
| Ecc 7:12 | For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, but the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life... | Wisdom provides greater security than money. |
| Ps 119:72 | The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. | God's word (source of wisdom) trumps wealth. |
| Wisdom's Divine Source & Human Inability to Acquire: | ||
| Job 28:12 | But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? | Poses the unanswerable human quest. |
| Job 28:20-21 | From where then does wisdom come...? It is hidden from the eyes of all living. | Wisdom's hidden origin, not humanly discovered. |
| Job 28:23 | God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. | God alone possesses and comprehends wisdom. |
| Rom 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments... | God's wisdom is unfathomable. |
| 1 Cor 1:20-21 | Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?... For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom... | Worldly wisdom fails to grasp God. |
| 1 Cor 2:6-7 | But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. | God's hidden wisdom revealed divinely. |
| Col 2:3 | ...in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. | All wisdom is hidden in Christ. |
| James 1:5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all... | Wisdom is a divine gift, not earned/bought. |
| Contrasting Earthly & Spiritual/Eternal Value: | ||
| John 6:27 | Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life... | Seek eternal value over perishable things. |
| Matt 6:19-20 | Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... | Prioritize heavenly treasures over earthly. |
| Mark 8:36-37 | For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? | Soul's worth surpasses all worldly gain. |
| 1 Tim 6:10 | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil... | Misplaced focus on money leads to ruin. |
| Luke 12:15 | ...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. | Life's true value isn't material wealth. |
| Isa 55:1-2 | Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread...? | Spiritual sustenance freely given, not purchased. |
| Heb 11:24-26 | Moses... choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God... esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. | Moses valued spiritual affliction over earthly riches. |
Job 28 verses
Job 28 15 Meaning
Job 28:15 emphatically declares that true wisdom cannot be acquired through any amount of earthly treasure, be it gold or silver. This verse highlights the incomparable and transcendent value of divine wisdom, positioning it far beyond the worth of the most precious material commodities known to humanity. It means wisdom is not a transferable commodity that can be bought or sold; its source and acquisition lie outside human economic systems.
Job 28 15 Context
Job chapter 28 stands as a profound poetic interlude within the larger narrative of Job's suffering and the ensuing theological debates with his friends. This chapter shifts from the arguments concerning human righteousness and divine justice to a meditative exploration of wisdom itself. It begins by detailing humanity's remarkable skill in mining the earth's hidden treasures—gold, silver, jewels, and minerals—demonstrating human ingenuity and perseverance in extracting what is valuable from deep within the ground. However, the poem then contrasts this human capacity for finding earthly riches with its utter inability to locate wisdom through similar means. The core message of chapter 28, especially highlighted by verse 15, is that true wisdom is not an earthly commodity; it transcends all material wealth and is accessible only through divine revelation or gift, ultimately residing with God alone. This sets the stage for God's dramatic appearance in later chapters, reinforcing the theme of His unsearchable wisdom. Historically and culturally, gold and silver were the preeminent measures of wealth, prestige, and exchange. Weighing silver was a common method of currency transaction. By declaring wisdom unpurchasable by these ultimate earthly standards, the verse makes a strong polemic statement: true wisdom belongs to an entirely different category of value, one that mocks human efforts to attain it through material exchange or terrestrial exploration.
Job 28 15 Word analysis
- It cannot be gotten: This phrase underscores an inherent impossibility. The Hebrew word, tiqqakh (תִּקָּח), means "to be taken" or "to be obtained." In this Hophal stem, it strongly conveys that wisdom simply "cannot be taken" by human effort or material transaction. It highlights that human ingenuity, persistence, or market exchange cannot acquire wisdom, distinguishing it from all other sought-after earthly valuables.
- for gold: The Hebrew bazzahav (בַּזָּהָב), referring to "the gold," emphasizes the supreme earthly measure of wealth. Gold was and is considered the ultimate precious metal, acquired through laborious mining. The text states that even this most prized and hard-won material cannot serve as a medium for obtaining wisdom, directly challenging any notion that wealth can secure intellectual or spiritual enlightenment.
- neither shall silver be weighed: This second part reinforces the initial declaration using another primary form of wealth and its mode of transaction. Silver (Hebrew: kesef) was also a valuable commodity and, unlike gold coins which came later, was often weighed to determine its exact worth in commerce. The word yishaqel (יִשָּׁקֵל), "be weighed," implies a commercial transaction or a formal valuation. The text declares that even with silver, accurately weighed and of full price, wisdom remains unpurchasable.
- for the price thereof: The Hebrew mekhirah (מְחִירָהּ) refers to "its price" or "its value." This final phrase firmly asserts that wisdom has no humanly assigned monetary price or equivalent material value. Its worth is beyond commercial reckoning, signifying that it stands outside the realm of things that can be bought, traded, or appraised by human economic systems.
Job 28 15 Bonus section
- This verse effectively shifts the reader's focus from Job's individual suffering and the limitations of human theological discourse to the grand, unfathomable wisdom of God that orchestrates all things.
- The hymn of Job 28 serves as a pre-cursor to God's ultimate revelation to Job from the whirlwind (Job 38-41), where God displays His sovereign wisdom through creation and providential order, confirming that humanity cannot plumb the depths of divine understanding.
- Wisdom in Job 28 is portrayed not just as intellectual knowledge but as inherent to God's order in creation, hidden from human discovery by conventional means but accessible to those who embrace the "fear of the Lord" (Job 28:28).
Job 28 15 Commentary
Job 28:15 is a pivotal statement in a chapter dedicated to extolling the unparalleled nature of divine wisdom. It asserts wisdom's transcendence by highlighting its utter incommensurability with the most prized earthly commodities. While humanity can diligently mine the deepest parts of the earth for gold, silver, and precious stones, demonstrating remarkable skill and determination, such human endeavors and the treasures they yield are utterly incapable of acquiring wisdom. This is not merely a statement of relative value; it is a declaration of category distinction. Wisdom, in the biblical sense, particularly in Job 28, is a divine attribute, intrinsic to God's creative order and governance of the cosmos. As such, it cannot be transferred, bought, or discovered through human effort, trade, or any amount of material wealth. Its value is not transactional but foundational and divine, making it accessible only by God's decree and through Him.