FocusWisdom and the demand for an answer
Connection to the wholeThe later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
interpretation Job 28:8
KJVThe lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
Read it in context
Where Can Wisdom Be Found?
Start reading at Job 28:1 (Job 28:1 to Job 28:28).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
- 28:1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
- 28:2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
- 28:3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
- 28:4 The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
- 28:5 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
- 28:6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
- 28:7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:
- 28:8 The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
- 28:9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
- 28:10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
- 28:11 He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
- 28:12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
- 28:13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
- 28:14 The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
- 28:15 It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
- 28:16 It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
- 28:17 The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
- 28:18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
- 28:19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
- 28:20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
- 28:21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
- 28:22 Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
- 28:23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
- 28:24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
- 28:25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
- 28:26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
- 28:27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
- 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Who
- Who wrote the book? The author is unknown. Moses is one ancient traditional proposal, but neither that proposal nor another named author can be established with confidence. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). book background
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Job 26:1–31:40): Job continues his reply, reflection, and final defense before the hearers of the dispute. The wisdom poem and remembered events are not separate gatherings of every person they mention. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Readers within Israel's wisdom tradition, wrestling with innocent suffering, justice, and the limits of human judgment. No named individual or first community is identified. Biblical references: Job 28:28; Job 42:7. book background
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Where Can Wisdom Be Found?. Read Job 28:1 through Job 28:28 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? The book supplies no royal date or exact historical year for Job's experiences. Proposed patriarchal-era settings are historical inferences, not a date explicitly stated by the narrative. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? Job is introduced as a man in the land of Uz. The poetic speeches range through imagined and remembered scenes that should not all be treated as the speakers' physical locations. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Where Can Wisdom Be Found? (Job 28:1 to Job 28:28). Start reading at Job 28:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? James refers to Job's endurance and the Lord's compassion. Connections between Job's suffering and Christ may be considered as comparisons; Job's speeches should not all be treated as direct predictions of Jesus. See Job 1:1, James 5:11, Hebrews 4:15. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Do not assume that a sufferer's losses prove a hidden sin. Listen carefully, distinguish the speakers, and read their claims alongside the LORD's concluding rebuke of the friends. interpretation
Cited: Job 28:1, Job 28:28, Job 1:1, James 5:11, Hebrews 4:15
Who wrote it, and how we know
Uncertain; among the oldest books of Scripture
Not known
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author.
Early traditionJewish tradition (Baba Bathra 14b) suggested Moses, but ancient opinion varied widely.
What is debatedThe author is unknown and the date is uncertain. The setting appears patriarchal, but the book could have been written far later.
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Job 28
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Job
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated.
Job's losses and the friends' arrival
Job 1:1–2:13FocusSuffering and the opening test
Connection to the wholeThe narrative establishes Job's losses and integrity before the speeches begin, giving readers information the disputing friends do not possess.
interpretation The lament and first exchange
Job 3:1–14:22FocusSuffering questioned and explained
Connection to the wholeJob's lament leads into the first cycle of speeches, in which the friends' explanations are challenged by Job's experience.
interpretation The second exchange
Job 15:1–21:34FocusAccusation and protest intensify
Connection to the wholeThe argument sharpens as the friends connect suffering with wickedness and Job challenges their account of the wicked's fortunes.
interpretation FocusWisdom and the demand for an answer
Connection to the wholeThe later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
interpretation Elihu speaks
Job 32:1–37:24FocusClaims about God's justice and instruction
Connection to the wholeA new speaker responds to Job and the friends before the LORD's speeches begin; his speech must be distinguished from the divine answer.
interpretation The LORD answers
Job 38:1–41:34FocusCreation and the limits of human knowledge
Connection to the wholeThe LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
interpretation Job's response and the conclusion
Job 42:1–17FocusRepentance, rebuke, and restoration
Connection to the wholeJob responds, the friends are rebuked, and the narrative closes with intercession and restoration without turning every speech into endorsed doctrine.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.