Job 28 20

Job 28:20 kjv

Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?

Job 28:20 nkjv

"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

Job 28:20 niv

Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?

Job 28:20 esv

"From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

Job 28:20 nlt

"But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?

Job 28 verses

Job 28 20 Meaning

Job 28:20 poses a rhetorical question, emphasizing that true wisdom and understanding are not found in the material world or through human discovery, exploration, or intellectual pursuits. It underscores the profound mystery and inaccessibility of divine wisdom to human beings by their own effort, setting the stage for the revelation that such wisdom originates solely with God.

Job 28 20 Context

Job 28 stands as a profound poetic interlude in the midst of Job's challenging dialogue with his friends. The chapter deviates from the back-and-forth arguments about Job's suffering, offering a magnificent hymn to wisdom. Prior to verse 20, the poem describes humanity's remarkable ability to extract precious metals and stones from the earth (vv. 1-11), exploring the deep recesses of the earth. This showcases human ingenuity and persistence in uncovering hidden earthly treasures. However, after highlighting this human achievement, the chapter immediately shifts in verses 12-19, contrasting humanity's success in finding physical wealth with its utter inability to find wisdom and understanding. The chapter argues that wisdom cannot be purchased, mined, or acquired by any earthly means. Verse 20, therefore, reiterates and emphasizes this crucial point: the location and source of true wisdom remain undiscovered by human effort. The historical context reflects a Near Eastern world that valued practical knowledge and insights, but also recognized the mystery of divine truths, often seen as beyond human grasp unless revealed by the gods.

Job 28 20 Word analysis

• But (וְ / we-): A conjunction, typically "and" or "but." Here it serves as a strong adversative, introducing a direct contrast with the preceding verses about humanity's success in earthly excavation. It highlights the stark difference between discovering material wealth and discovering wisdom.
• where (מֵאַיִן / mê'ayin): Literally "from where." It asks about ultimate origin and source, not just location. This indicates that the search for wisdom is not merely spatial but ontological; it’s a search for its very wellspring.
• can wisdom (הַחָכְמָה / ha-chokmah):
  • Wisdom (חָכְמָה / chokmah): A core biblical concept. It refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge or cunning. In the Old Testament, chokmah often signifies practical skill (as in craftsmanship – Exod 31:3), discerning insight, moral rectitude, prudence in daily life, and understanding God's order in creation. In this context, it ascends to a divine quality, representing profound insight into God's plans and the true nature of reality. It encompasses spiritual perception and discernment of good and evil, leading to a rightly ordered life.
• be found? (תִּמָּצֵא / timmātṣē'): A passive verb, meaning "it shall be found." The passive voice underscores humanity's role as a passive recipient, implying wisdom isn't actively seized but rather discovered or revealed. The rhetorical question highlights the futility of human endeavor to initiate such a finding.
• And where (וְאֵי זֶה / we'ei zeh):
  • And (וְ / we-): Again, a connective, here emphasizing the parallelism.
  • where (אֵי זֶה / ei zeh): Similar to mê'ayin, questioning location and origin. The repetition strengthens the rhetorical nature and the unsearchability.
• is the place (מְקוֹם / meqom): Refers to a specific dwelling place or location. This term emphasizes the failure to even pinpoint where understanding might reside, indicating its complete elusiveness from human grasp.
• of understanding? (תְבוּנָה / t’vunah):
  • Understanding (תְבוּנָה / t’vunah): Closely related to chokmah, often used in parallelism. While chokmah might denote comprehensive insight, t'vunah specifically means "discernment," "insight," or "intelligence"—the ability to grasp, interpret, and apply knowledge correctly. It implies deep perception and comprehension, often associated with spiritual insight into God’s ways.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "But where can wisdom be found?": This phrase immediately creates a stark contrast with human ability described previously. It poses a fundamental challenge, questioning the very origin and accessibility of chokmah. It sets up a quest that human enterprise cannot fulfill.
• "And where is the place of understanding?": This serves as a poetic parallelism, reiterating the core inquiry. By pairing chokmah with t'vunah and asking for both their source ("where") and their specific dwelling ("place"), the verse reinforces the absolute inaccessibility of profound, divine knowledge to human effort. The rhetorical question suggests a resounding "Nowhere accessible to you."

Job 28 20 Bonus section

The structure of Job 28:20, employing rhetorical questions and poetic parallelism, highlights a profound theological message that aligns with themes found across Scripture. The chapter acts as a sort of "meta-commentary" within the book of Job, moving beyond the personal suffering of Job to address universal questions about knowledge, divine sovereignty, and the limits of human understanding. The contrast between physical mining (going down deep into the earth) and the quest for wisdom (seeking something beyond earthly realms) is a powerful literary device. The verse also implicitly challenges any contemporary or humanistic belief system that posits ultimate truth or wisdom can be discovered independently of God. Instead, it prepares the audience for the revelation that true wisdom is divinely revealed, not humanly discovered, making the fear of the Lord not merely a moral virtue, but the very path to understanding life's deepest truths.

Job 28 20 Commentary

Job 28:20 acts as a critical turning point within the hymn to wisdom. Having detailed humanity's impressive capability to uncover earthly treasures from the deepest, darkest recesses of the earth, the text pivotally asks, "Where is this ultimate wisdom?" This is not a request for directions but a rhetorical declaration of its un-findable nature by human means. The passage asserts that true chokmah (wisdom) and t’vunah (understanding/discernment) are utterly beyond the grasp of human exploration, ingenuity, or purchasing power, unlike gold, silver, or precious stones. No human endeavor, however diligent or resourceful, can penetrate the veil concealing this divine knowledge. It sets the stage for the crucial theological declaration in Job 28:23-28, where it is revealed that only God knows wisdom's way and place, and He has declared true wisdom for humanity to be the "fear of the Lord" and "to turn away from evil." This verse, therefore, humbles human pride in its achievements and directs focus away from self-reliance to divine revelation as the sole source of genuine wisdom.