English Standard Version
Job 28:19
19The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
Job 28:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
- New International Version (NIV)The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold.
Context of Job 28:19
17Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. 18No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. 20"From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? 21It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air.
Read all of Job 28Job 28:19 word by word
לֹֽא־יַ֭עַרְכֶנָּה פִּטְדַת־כּ֑וּשׁ בְּכֶ֥תֶם טָ֝ה֗וֹר לֹ֣א תְסֻלֶּֽה׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 28:19
- Exodus 28:17You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle shall be the first row;
- Exodus 39:10And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;
- Ezekiel 28:13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.
- Revelation 21:20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
Commentaries on Job 28:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19The topaz of Ethiopia - The country called Cush, which we call Ethiopia, is supposed to be that which extends from the eastern coast of the Red Sea, and stretches towards Lower Egypt. Diodorus Siculus says that the topaz was found in great abundance, as his description intimates, in an island in the Red Sea called Ophiodes, or the isle of serpents, Hist. lib. iii., p. 121. His account is curious, but I greatly doubt its correctness; it seems too much in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19The topaz - The topaz is a precious stone, whose colors are yellow, green, blue, and red. Its natural place is in various primitive rocks, such as the topaz-rock, gneiss, and clay-slate. It is found in the granite and gneiss districts of Mar and Cairnaorta, in Cornwall, in Brazil, and in various other places. The most valuable stones of this kind now known are those which are found in Brazil. This gem is much prized by jewelers, and is considered as one…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-19Verses 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. (Job 28:20-28)Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-19The metals, gems, and glass listed here were valuable in the ancient world. However, the speaker says wisdom is more valuable than wealth.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Ethiopia--Cush in the Hebrew. Either Ethiopia, or the south of Arabia, near the Tigris.Read the comment
Topics related to Job 28:19
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries