Job 28:18

Job 28:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
• New International Version (NIV)Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
• English Standard Version (ESV)No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls.
• New King James Version (NKJV)No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies.

Context of Job 28:18

16It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli. 17Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies. 19Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold. 20“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding?

Job 28:18 word by word

רָאמ֣וֹת וְ֭גָבִישׁ לֹ֣א יִזָּכֵ֑ר וּמֶ֥שֶׁךְ חָ֝כְמָ֗ה מִפְּנִינִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• No mentionזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
• shall be made of coralרָאמוֹתrâ'mâh · coralH7215
• or of pearlsגָּבִישׁgâbîysh · crystalH1378
• for the priceמֶ֫שֶׁךְmeshek · bag/priceH4901
• of wisdomחׇכְמָהchokmâh · wisdomH2451
• above rubiesפְּנִינִיםpânîyn pânîy · jewelH6443

Cross-references for Job 28:18

• Ezekiel 27:16“Syria sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods. They traded turquoise, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and rubies.
• Matthew 7:6“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
• Matthew 13:45“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.
• 1 Timothy 2:9And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.
• Revelation 17:4The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality.
• Revelation 18:12She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble.
• Revelation 21:21The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.
• Proverbs 3:15Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.
• Proverbs 31:10Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.
• Lamentations 4:7Our princes once glowed with health— brighter than snow, whiter than milk. Their faces were as ruddy as rubies, their appearance like fine jewels.

Commentaries on Job 28:18

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18No mention shall be made of coral - That is, as a price by which to purchase wisdom, or in comparison with wisdom. The margin here is, “Ramoth” - retaining the Hebrew word ראמה râ'mâh Jerome renders it, “excelsa” - exalted or valuable things. So the Septuagint, ́ Meteōra - exalted or sublime things; as if the word were from רום, to be exalted. According to the rabbis, the word here means “red coral.” It occurs also in Ezekiel 27:16, where it is…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. 1818. Red coral (Eze 27:16). pearls--literally, "what is frozen." Probably crystal; and Job 28:17 will then be glass. rubies--Umbreit translates "pearls" (see La 4:1; Pr 3:15). The Urim and Thummim, the means of consulting God by the twelve stones on the high priest's breastplate, "the stones of the sanctuary" (La 4:1), have their counterpart in this chapter; the precious stones symbolizing the "light" and "perfection" of the divine wisdom.Read the comment

Topics related to Job 28:18

• Coral
• Pearl
• Readings, Select
• Ruby
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Bind
• Coral
• Decree
• Equal
• Fain
• Fine
• Pearl
• Ruby
• Wisdom
• Baruch, Book of

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