Job 28:12

WISDOM - THE MOST PRECIOUS OF ALL THINGS; IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND

"But where shall wisdom be found?

And where is the place of understanding?

Man knoweth not the price thereof,

Neither is it found in the land of the living.

The deep saith, It is not in me;

And the sea saith, It is not with me.

It cannot be gotten for gold,

Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,

With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.

Gold and glass cannot equal it,

Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of of fine gold.

No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal.

Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.

The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,

Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.

Whence then cometh wisdom?

And where is the place of understanding?

Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living,

And kept close from the birds of the heavens.

Destruction and Death say,

We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears."

Matthew Henry's summary of this section is: "The caverns of the earth may be discovered, but not the counsels of heaven."[12] The previous paragraph has eloquently affirmed that wisdom cannot be discovered by searching; it cannot be purchased with gold or precious stones; and man cannot even ascertain the place where it might be found. It is no ordinary kind of wisdom that is spoken of here. "It is not the practical kind of `wisdom' spoken of in the Book of Proverbs, but the full and complete understanding of the world and its order...There is a great gulf between human and divine wisdom."[13] "Men can discover anything that is hidden, all but one thing, wisdom! And the irony is that all of the precious fortunes he can discover cannot purchase the one thing he needs more than anything else. That comes from God."[14]

"Gold ... silver ... onyx ... crystal ... sapphires ...rubies ... topaz, etc." (Job 28:25-19). "This continuing list of things that are inferior to wisdom has the effect of elevating more and more the great wisdom that is from God."[15]

"Wisdom is not a thing that may be bought or sold. God alone must grant it and find a way of imparting it, which he certainly will not do for a sum of money."[16]

"Whence cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding?" (Job 28:20). This repeats the question of Job 28:12, indicating that, " Job 28:14-19 have thrown no light on the question."[17]

"It is hid from the eyes of all living" (Job 28:21). "Job never doubted for a moment that God was wise. What troubled him was that such wisdom was hidden from men."[18]