12 "But where can wisdom be found ? And where is the place of understanding ? 13 " Man does not know its value , Nor is it found in the land of the living .
14 "The deep says , 'It is not in me'; And the sea says , 'It is not with me.' 15 " Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price . 16 "It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir , In precious onyx , or sapphire . 17 " Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold . 18 "Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned ; And the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls . 19 "The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold .
20 " Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding ? 21 "Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky . 22 " Abaddon and Death say , 'With our ears we have heard a report of it.' 23 " God understands its way , And He knows its place . 24 "For He looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens . 25 "When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure , 26 When He set a limit for the rain And a course for the thunderbolt e , 27 Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 28:12-27
Commentary on Job 28:12-19
(Read Job 28:12-19)
Job here speaks of wisdom and understanding, the knowing and enjoying of God and ourselves. Its worth is infinitely more than all the riches in this world. It is a gift of the Holy Ghost which cannot be bought with money. Let that which is most precious in God's account, be so in ours. Job asks after it as one that truly desired to find it, and despaired of finding it any where but in God; any way but by Divine revelation.
Commentary on Job 28:20-28
(Read Job 28:20-28)
There is a two-fold wisdom; one hid in God, which is secret, and belongs not to us; the other made known by him, and revealed to man. One day's events, and one man's affairs, have such reference to, and so hang one upon another, that He only, to whom all is open, and who sees the whole at one view, can rightly judge of every part. But the knowledge of God's revealed will is within our reach, and will do us good. Let man look upon this as his wisdom, To fear the Lord, and to depart from evil. Let him learn that, and he is learned enough. Where is this wisdom to be found? The treasures of it are hid in Christ, revealed by the word, received by faith, through the Holy Ghost. It will not feed pride or vanity, or amuse our vain curiosity. It teaches and encourages sinners to fear the Lord, and to depart from evil, in the exercise of repentance and faith, without desiring to solve all difficulties about the events of this life.