Job 28 · a question people ask
If wisdom "is hidden from the eyes of all living" (28:21), how can the chapter end by saying what it is?
The chapter sets both side by side. Wisdom "isn’t found in the land of the living" (28:13) and "is hidden from the eyes of all living" (28:21). But "God understands its way, and he knows its place" (28:23), "he saw it, and declared it" (28:27), and "To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’" (28:28). In the chapter, then, man doesn't find wisdom by searching as he finds silver and sapphires (28:1-11); God tells man what it is. Proverbs says something close: "For the LORD gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6). And Deuteronomy says, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever" (Deuteronomy 29:29).
The verses
“Man doesn’t know its price, and it isn’t found in the land of the living.”
“Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.”
““God understands its way, and he knows its place.”
“then he saw it, and declared it. He established it, yes, and searched it out. To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’””