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,

26When He set a limit for the rain
         And a course for the thunderbolt,

27Then He saw it and declared it;
         He established it and also searched it out.

28“And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
         And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

NASB ©1995

American Standard Version
Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Gold or crystal cannot equal it, neither shall any vessels of gold be changed for it.

Darby Bible Translation
Gold and glass cannot be compared to it, nor vessels of fine gold be its exchange.

English Revised Version
Gold and glass cannot equal it: neither shall the exchange thereof be jewels of fine gold.

Webster's Bible Translation
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.

World English Bible
Gold and glass can't equal it, neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.

Young's Literal Translation
Not equal it do gold and crystal, Nor is its exchange a vessel of fine gold.December 4 Morning
Where shall wisdom be found?--JOB 28:12. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.--Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.--The only wise God.--Be not wise in thine own eyes. Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August the Twenty-Eighth Wisdom and Understanding
"The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." --JOB xxviii. 12-28. Mere learning will not make me wise. The path to wisdom is not necessarily through the schools. The brilliant scholar may be an arrant fool. True wisdom is found, not in mental acquisitions, but in a certain spiritual relation. The wise man is known by the pose of his soul. He is "inclined toward the Lord!" He has returned unto his rest, and he finds light and vision in the fellowship of his Lord. "To depart from evil is understanding." …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Days of Conflict
As the condition of the people began to open to His mind, He saw that the requirements of society and the requirements of God were in constant collision. Men were departing from the word of God, and exalting theories of their own invention. They were observing traditional rites that possessed no virtue. Their service was a mere round of ceremonies; the sacred truths it was designed to teach were hidden from the worshipers. He saw that in their faithless services they found no peace. They did not …
Ellen Gould White—The Desire of Ages

The Hidden Path
"There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen."--Job xxviii. 7. T. P. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 One place have I in heaven above The glory of His throne-- On this dark earth, whence He is gone, I have one place alone, And if His rest in Heaven I know, I joy to find His path below, We meet to own that place alone Around the broken bread-- The dead whose life is hid with Christ Remembering Jesus dead. For us has set the earthly light, Above, the glory; here, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Thy Footsteps are not Known
(From a MS. of the earlier part of the 14th Century) Job xxviii O path which no eagle knoweth, No vulture's eye hath seen, Where never the lion goeth, Nor the fierce lion's track hath been; Not in the land of the living That wondrous path is known, But Death and Destruction know it, Path trodden by One alone. Path of the lonely sorrow, Path of the Lamb who died, Path from the grave to the glory-- No other path beside. Into the golden Chamber, Into the secret place, Paul by that pathway entered, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Whether Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom
Whether Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom We proceed to the seventh article thus: 1. It seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. The beginning of a thing is a part of it. But fear is not a part of wisdom, since fear is in the appetitive power, whereas wisdom is in the intellectual power. Hence it seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. 2. Again, nothing is the beginning of itself. But it is said in Job 28:28: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." Hence it seems that fear is …
Aquinas—Nature and Grace

Whether Angels Know Secret Thoughts?
Objection 1: It would seem that the angels know secret thoughts. For Gregory (Moral. xviii), explaining Job 28:17: "Gold or crystal cannot equal it," says that "then," namely in the bliss of those rising from the dead, "one shall be as evident to another as he is to himself, and when once the mind of each is seen, his conscience will at the same time be penetrated." But those who rise shall be like the angels, as is stated (Mat. 22:30). Therefore an angel can see what is in another's conscience. …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Grace of Christ is Infinite?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's grace is infinite. For everything immeasurable is infinite. But the grace of Christ is immeasurable; since it is written (Jn. 3:34): "For God doth not give the Spirit by measure to His Son [*'To His Son' is lacking in the Vulgate], namely Christ." Therefore the grace of Christ is infinite. Objection 2: Further, an infinite effect betokens an infinite power which can only spring from an infinite essence. But the effect of Christ's grace is infinite, since it …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom?
Objection 1: It would seem that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. For the beginning of a thing is a part thereof. But fear is not a part of wisdom, since fear is seated in the appetitive faculty, while wisdom is in the intellect. Therefore it seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. Objection 2: Further, nothing is the beginning of itself. "Now fear of the Lord, that is wisdom," according to Job 28:28. Therefore it seems that fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. Objection 3: Further, …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Clarity is Becoming to the Glorified Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that clarity is unbecoming to the glorified body. Because according to Avicenna (Natural. vi, 2), "every luminous body consists of transparent parts." But the parts of a glorified body will not be transparent, since in some of them, such as flesh and bones, earth is predominant. Therefore glorified bodies are not lightsome. Objection 2: Further, every lightsome body hides one that is behind it; wherefore one luminary behind another is eclipsed, and a flame of fire prevents …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Purposes of God.
In discussing this subject I shall endeavor to show, I. What I understand by the purposes of God. Purposes, in this discussion, I shall use as synonymous with design, intention. The purposes of God must be ultimate and proximate. That is, God has and must have an ultimate end. He must purpose to accomplish something by his works and providence, which he regards as a good in itself, or as valuable to himself, and to being in general. This I call his ultimate end. That God has such an end or purpose, …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

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