Job 28

28:1-28 This section is a self-contained speech. No speaker is listed, so it could be a continuation of the preceding words. However, some consider this a poetic interlude by the author of Job that sums up the argument to this point, emphasizes the failure of human wisdom, and lays the foundation for the Lord’s speeches.

28:5 Miners melted rock by burning a fire in a mine for days or even weeks to melt out the ore. Some alternated fire with cold water to split the rocks.

28:13 Wisdom does not originate among the living. God is the source of true wisdom (28:23-28).

28:16-19 The metals, gemstones, and glass listed here were precious in the ancient world, but the speaker says that wisdom is much more precious than wealth.

28:23-27 When God looks throughout the whole earth (28:23), he sees his own wisdom expressed in his creation. God later showcased his wisdom for Job when he took him on a cosmic tour (chs 38–41).

28:28 fear of the Lord (Hebrew, ’adonay): In Job, this name for God appears only here, which might be one argument for understanding ch 28 as the narrator’s own poem.