Job 28


1 "There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Man puts an end to the darkness;
he searches the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft,

in places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 sapphires [a] come from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 Man's hand assaults the flinty rock
and lays bare the roots of the mountains.
10 He tunnels through the rock;
his eyes see all its treasures.
11 He searches [b] the sources of the rivers
and brings hidden things to light.
12 "But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
13 Man does not comprehend its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, 'It is not in me';
the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed in silver.
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or sapphires.
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
18 Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
19 The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
20 "Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.
22 Destruction [c] and Death say,
'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'





23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to man,
'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to turn from evil is understanding.' "

Zechariah 13:9
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Job 28:1 "There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.

Some of Job's friends learned of his misfortunes and came to visit him. These were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. A fourth was Elihu the Buzite; from Chapter 32 bears a distinguished part in the dialogue that ensues between the friends. They sat with Job in silence for seven days. Job finally speaks up, complaining of his misery, to which his friends respond; each time his friends accuse Job of having sinned in some way to explain his punishment, urging him to repent and submit to His justice, but each time Job argues back that he had been innocent and did not deserve these punishments, also arguing that God sometimes tries those He loves, to allow them to grow spiritually, or for some other reason unknown to foolish mankind. (Job 3-31)

The English expression "Job's comforter" derives from these incidents meaning someone who aggravates the distress of the unfortunate person that they have come to comfort.

When Job's first three friends stop answering Job, Elihu becomes angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God, angry with the three friends for condemning Job but not being able to refute him. So, he takes a middle path, emphasizing the sovereignty of God (Job 32-37). To settle the matter, God Himself appeared in a cloud and decided in favour of Job, but He did not approve of the harsh words Job used in his suffering. Job humbly acknowledged his fault and asked forgiveness. The Lord condemned his friends, and directed them to make amends for their sins with sacrifices, coupled with Job's prayers. He restored Job to good health, gave him double the riches he had previously possessed, blessed him with a beautiful and numerous family, and crowned a holy life with a happy death. Job lived 140 years after his time of trial, 248 years in all, long enough even to see his great-grandchildren.(Job 32-42)

Job is also mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel (14:14,20), along with Noah and Daniel (or Danel), as among the most righteous men to emphasize the intensity of Jerusalem's sin.

Eliphaz was one of Job's friends, probably a descendant of Eliphaz, son of Esau (Job 4:1).

His natural temper, as appears by his speeches, was mild and modest; he makes the first reply to the complaints of Job and argues that the truly good are never entirely forsaken by Providence, but that exemplary punishment may justly be inflicted for secret sins. He denies that any man is innocent, censures Job for asserting his freedom from guilt, and exhorts him to confess his concealed iniquities, as a probable means of alleviating their punishment. His arguments are well supported, but he is declared, at the close of the book of Job, to have taken an erroneous view of the divine dispensations; and Job offers a sacrifice on his account.

Bildad the Shuhite was one of Job's three friends. He was descended from Shuah, son of Abraham and Keturah, whose family lived in the deserts of Arabia.

His intent was consolation, but he became an accuser, asking Job what he has done to deserve God's wrath.

In the Book of Job, Zophar or Tzófar (צוֹפַר "Chirping; rising early", Standard Hebrew Ẓófar, Tiberian Hebrew Ṣôp̄ar) is one of the friends of Job who visits to comfort him during his illness. Zophar suggests that Job's suffering could be divine punishment.

In the Jewish epic of Job, found in the Hebrew, and later, Christian Scriptures, Elihu is one of the antagonists to the main character, Job.

Geographical Background
According to the scripture, Elihu is one of Job's friends, descended from Nahor (Job 32:2, 34:1). He is said to be of Buz; which, as the name of a place, occurs one other time in Scripture (Jeremiah 25:23), where it stands in connection with Tema and Dedan, towns bordering on Idumes. The Chaldee paraphrase expressly described him as a relation of Abraham.

Synopsis of Elihu's Monologues
He is mentioned in the Book of Job late in the text, chapter 32, and opens his discourse with more modesty than displayed by the other antagonists. Elihu differs from the other antagonists due to the fact that his monologues discuss divine providence, which he insists, however they appear to mortals, are full of wisdom and mercy; that the righteous have their share of prosperity in this life, no less than the wicked; that God is supreme, and that it becomes us to acknowledge and submit to that supremacy; since "the Creator wisely rules the world he made" and he draws instances of benignity from for example the constant wonders of creation and of the seasons.

It deserves notice, that Elihu does not appear to have offended God by his sentiments for he is not commanded to repent and atone in the epilogue, unlike the other antagonists.

Chapters 32 through 37 of the Book of Job consist entirely of Elihu's speech to Job. He is never mentioned again after the end of this speech.