Job 28:28
And He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"
And He said to man
This phrase indicates a direct communication from God to humanity. The Hebrew word for "man" here is "adam," which can refer to mankind in general. This highlights the universal nature of the message, emphasizing that the wisdom and understanding God imparts are meant for all people, transcending time and culture. It underscores the personal relationship God seeks with each individual, inviting them to listen and respond to His divine instruction.

The fear of the Lord
The Hebrew word for "fear" is "yirah," which encompasses reverence, awe, and respect. This is not a fear that paralyzes but one that acknowledges God's majesty and holiness. In the biblical context, "the fear of the Lord" is foundational to wisdom. It is the starting point for a life that aligns with God's will. This reverence leads to a deeper understanding of God's nature and His expectations for righteous living. It is a call to recognize God's authority and to live in a way that honors Him.

that is wisdom
The Hebrew word for "wisdom" is "chokmah," which implies skill, insight, and moral discernment. In the biblical sense, wisdom is not merely intellectual knowledge but a practical application of God's truth in daily life. It involves making choices that reflect God's character and purposes. This wisdom is a gift from God, available to those who seek Him with a humble heart. It is a guiding principle that directs one's path and decisions, leading to a life that is pleasing to God.

and to turn away from evil
The phrase "turn away" comes from the Hebrew "suwr," meaning to depart or remove oneself. This action requires intentionality and a conscious decision to reject sin and its enticements. "Evil" in Hebrew is "ra," which encompasses anything that is morally wrong or harmful. Turning away from evil is an active pursuit of righteousness and purity. It involves a transformation of heart and mind, aligning one's actions with God's standards. This turning away is evidence of true understanding and a commitment to live according to God's ways.

is understanding
The Hebrew word for "understanding" is "biynah," which signifies discernment and comprehension. It is the ability to see things from God's perspective and to grasp the deeper truths of His Word. Understanding goes beyond surface knowledge; it penetrates the heart and influences behavior. It is cultivated through a relationship with God, prayer, and meditation on Scripture. This understanding empowers believers to navigate life's complexities with clarity and purpose, rooted in the truth of God's revelation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. His account is one of immense suffering and profound faith.

2. God
The Creator and Sustainer of all, who speaks to humanity about the essence of wisdom and understanding.

3. Man
Represents humanity, to whom God imparts wisdom and understanding.

4. The Fear of the Lord
A central theme in the wisdom literature of the Bible, representing reverence and awe towards God.

5. Turning Away from Evil
An action that signifies understanding and aligns with living a life that pleases God.
Teaching Points
The Essence of Wisdom
True wisdom begins with a reverent fear of the Lord. This fear is not about being afraid but having a deep respect and awe for God's power and authority.

Understanding Through Action
Understanding is demonstrated by turning away from evil. It is not merely intellectual but is shown through righteous living.

The Role of Reverence
Reverence for God should permeate every aspect of our lives, influencing our decisions and actions.

Practical Righteousness
Wisdom and understanding are not abstract concepts but are lived out through practical righteousness and moral integrity.

Seeking Divine Wisdom
In a world full of conflicting voices, seeking wisdom from God ensures that our lives are aligned with His will and purpose.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the fear of the Lord influence your daily decisions and actions?

2. In what ways can you actively turn away from evil in your life, and how does this demonstrate understanding?

3. How do the teachings in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes about the fear of the Lord complement the message in Job 28:28?

4. What steps can you take to cultivate a deeper reverence for God in your personal and spiritual life?

5. How can you apply the principle of seeking wisdom from God, as mentioned in James 1:5, to your current life circumstances?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 1:7
This verse echoes the sentiment that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, establishing a foundational principle for wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 12:13
Reinforces the idea that fearing God and keeping His commandments is the whole duty of man.

Psalm 111:10
Similar to Job 28:28, it states that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and all who follow His precepts have good understanding.

James 1:5
Encourages believers to ask God for wisdom, who gives generously to all without finding fault.

1 Peter 3:11
Advises believers to turn from evil and do good, seeking peace and pursuing it.
The Fear of the LordJ. C. Cadman.Job 28:28
The Nature of True WisdomJ. S. Pratt.Job 28:28
The Revelation of WisdomW.F. Adeney Job 28:28
The Search for WisdomSamuel Scattergood, M. A.Job 28:28
The True WisdomR. Green Job 28:28
The Whole of DutyC. Peters, M. A.Job 28:28
The Wisdom of Being ReligiousJ. Tillotson, D. D.Job 28:28
The Wisdom of Fearing the LordW. Shiels.Job 28:28
True WisdomHomiletic MagazineJob 28:28
What is WisdomJ. Salmon.Job 28:28
Where is Wisdom FoundG. E. Jelf, M. A.Job 28:28
Wisdom of a Religious Course of LifeG. Carr.Job 28:28
Praises of Divine WisdomE. Johnson Job 28:1-28
Culture and ReligionL. D. Bevan, D. D.Job 28:12-28
The Inestimable Value of True Wisdom, or ReligionDavid Roberts, D. D.Job 28:12-28
The Religious Use of WisdomDean Stanley.Job 28:12-28
The Search Alter WisdomE. M. Goulburn, D. G. L.Job 28:12-28
The Secret of WisdomCanon Scott Holland.Job 28:12-28
The Speculative Difficulties of an Inquiring Intellect Solved by the Heart of Practical PietyHomilistJob 28:12-28
People
Abaddon, Job, Ophir
Places
Ethiopia, Ophir, Uz
Topics
Behold, Depart, Evil, Fear, Shun, Truly, Turn, Understanding, Wisdom
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Job 28:28

     5028   knowledge, God source of human
     5033   knowledge, of good and evil
     5562   suffering, innocent
     5894   intelligence
     8282   intolerance
     8336   reverence, and obedience
     8355   understanding
     8365   wisdom, human
     8737   evil, responses to
     8757   folly, effects of

Job 28:12-28

     6183   ignorance, of God

Job 28:25-28

     7915   confirmation

Library
December 4 Morning
Where shall wisdom be found?--JOB 28:12. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.--Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.--The only wise God.--Be not wise in thine own eyes. Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August the Twenty-Eighth Wisdom and Understanding
"The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." --JOB xxviii. 12-28. Mere learning will not make me wise. The path to wisdom is not necessarily through the schools. The brilliant scholar may be an arrant fool. True wisdom is found, not in mental acquisitions, but in a certain spiritual relation. The wise man is known by the pose of his soul. He is "inclined toward the Lord!" He has returned unto his rest, and he finds light and vision in the fellowship of his Lord. "To depart from evil is understanding."
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

The Hidden Path
"There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen."--Job xxviii. 7. T. P. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 One place have I in heaven above The glory of His throne-- On this dark earth, whence He is gone, I have one place alone, And if His rest in Heaven I know, I joy to find His path below, We meet to own that place alone Around the broken bread-- The dead whose life is hid with Christ Remembering Jesus dead. For us has set the earthly light, Above, the glory; here,
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Thy Footsteps are not Known
(From a MS. of the earlier part of the 14th Century) Job xxviii O path which no eagle knoweth, No vulture's eye hath seen, Where never the lion goeth, Nor the fierce lion's track hath been; Not in the land of the living That wondrous path is known, But Death and Destruction know it, Path trodden by One alone. Path of the lonely sorrow, Path of the Lamb who died, Path from the grave to the glory-- No other path beside. Into the golden Chamber, Into the secret place, Paul by that pathway entered,
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Whether Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom
Whether Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom We proceed to the seventh article thus: 1. It seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. The beginning of a thing is a part of it. But fear is not a part of wisdom, since fear is in the appetitive power, whereas wisdom is in the intellectual power. Hence it seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. 2. Again, nothing is the beginning of itself. But it is said in Job 28:28: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." Hence it seems that fear is
Aquinas—Nature and Grace

Whether Angels Know Secret Thoughts?
Objection 1: It would seem that the angels know secret thoughts. For Gregory (Moral. xviii), explaining Job 28:17: "Gold or crystal cannot equal it," says that "then," namely in the bliss of those rising from the dead, "one shall be as evident to another as he is to himself, and when once the mind of each is seen, his conscience will at the same time be penetrated." But those who rise shall be like the angels, as is stated (Mat. 22:30). Therefore an angel can see what is in another's conscience.
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Grace of Christ is Infinite?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's grace is infinite. For everything immeasurable is infinite. But the grace of Christ is immeasurable; since it is written (Jn. 3:34): "For God doth not give the Spirit by measure to His Son [*'To His Son' is lacking in the Vulgate], namely Christ." Therefore the grace of Christ is infinite. Objection 2: Further, an infinite effect betokens an infinite power which can only spring from an infinite essence. But the effect of Christ's grace is infinite, since it
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom?
Objection 1: It would seem that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. For the beginning of a thing is a part thereof. But fear is not a part of wisdom, since fear is seated in the appetitive faculty, while wisdom is in the intellect. Therefore it seems that fear is not the beginning of wisdom. Objection 2: Further, nothing is the beginning of itself. "Now fear of the Lord, that is wisdom," according to Job 28:28. Therefore it seems that fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. Objection 3: Further,
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Clarity is Becoming to the Glorified Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that clarity is unbecoming to the glorified body. Because according to Avicenna (Natural. vi, 2), "every luminous body consists of transparent parts." But the parts of a glorified body will not be transparent, since in some of them, such as flesh and bones, earth is predominant. Therefore glorified bodies are not lightsome. Objection 2: Further, every lightsome body hides one that is behind it; wherefore one luminary behind another is eclipsed, and a flame of fire prevents
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Purposes of God.
In discussing this subject I shall endeavor to show, I. What I understand by the purposes of God. Purposes, in this discussion, I shall use as synonymous with design, intention. The purposes of God must be ultimate and proximate. That is, God has and must have an ultimate end. He must purpose to accomplish something by his works and providence, which he regards as a good in itself, or as valuable to himself, and to being in general. This I call his ultimate end. That God has such an end or purpose,
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Whether Wisdom Should be Reckoned among the Gifts of the Holy Ghost?
Objection 1: It would seem that wisdom ought not to be reckoned among the gifts of the Holy Ghost. For the gifts are more perfect than the virtues, as stated above ([2705]FS, Q[68], A[8]). Now virtue is directed to the good alone, wherefore Augustine says (De Lib. Arb. ii, 19) that "no man makes bad use of the virtues." Much more therefore are the gifts of the Holy Ghost directed to the good alone. But wisdom is directed to evil also, for it is written (James 3:15) that a certain wisdom is "earthly,
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. "
Matth. vi. 33.--"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The perfection even of the most upright creature, speaks always some imperfection in comparison of God, who is most perfect. The heavens, the sun and moon, in respect of lower things here, how glorious do they appear, and without spot! But behold, they are not clean in God's sight! How far are the angels above us who dwell in clay! They appear to be a pure mass of light and
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Care of the Soul Urged as the one Thing Needful
Luke 10:42 -- "But one thing is needful." It was the amiable character of our blessed Redeemer, that "he went about doing good," this great motive, which animated all his actions, brought him to the house of his friend Lazarus, at Bethany, and directed his behavior there. Though it was a season of recess from public labor, our Lord brought the sentiments and the pious cares of a preacher of righteousness into the parlor of a friend; and there his doctrine dropped as the rain, and distilled as the
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

Christ the Mediator of the Covenant
'Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant,' &c. Heb 12:24. Jesus Christ is the sum and quintessence of the gospel; the wonder of angels; the joy and triumph of saints. The name of Christ is sweet, it is as music in the ear, honey in the mouth, and a cordial at the heart. I shall waive the context, and only speak of that which concerns our present purpose. Having discoursed of the covenant of grace, I shall speak now of the Mediator of the covenant, and the restorer of lapsed sinners, Jesus the Mediator
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Concerning Continence Also Itself Hath it not Been Most Openly Said...
43. Concerning continence also itself hath it not been most openly said, "And when I knew that no one can be continent unless God give it, this also itself was a part of wisdom, to know whose gift it was?" [2177] But perhaps continence is the gift of God, but wisdom man bestows upon himself, whereby to understand, that that gift is, not his own, but of God. Yea, "The Lord maketh wise the blind:" [2178] and, "The testimony of the Lord is faithful, it giveth wisdom unto little ones:" [2179] and, "If
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Book vii. On the Useful or the Ordinary
The bread is Christ or conversation of the Lord; in the gospel: I am the living bread. [John 6:41] The wine is the same as above; in Solomon: and drink this wine, which I have blended for you. [Prov. 9:5] Olive oil is mercy or the Holy Spirit; in the psalm: I have anointed him with my holy oil. The same in another part: Let not the oil of the sinner, that is, admiration, touch my head. [Ps. 88(89):21(20); Ps. 140(141):5] Pork is sin; in the psalm: they are sated with pork. [Ps. 16(17):14 (unknown
St. Eucherius of Lyons—The Formulae of St. Eucherius of Lyons

The Pilgrim's Progress
FROM THIS WORLD TO THAT WHICH IS TO COME. THE SECOND PART. DELIVERED UNDER THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM. WHEREIN IS SET FORTH THE MANNER OF THE SETTING OUT OF CHRISTIAN'S WIFE AND CHILDREN, THEIR DANGEROUS JOURNEY, AND SAFE ARRIVAL AT THE DESIRED COUNTRY. By JOHN BUNYAN. 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Nathaniel Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, near the Church, 1684. THE AUTHOR'S WAY OF SENDING FORTH HIS SECOND PART OF THE PILGRIM. Go now, my little book, to every
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Letter ix. Meditation.
"Meditate upon these things."--1 TIM. 4:15. MY DEAR SISTER: The subject of this letter is intimately connected with that of the last; and in proportion to your faithfulness in the duty now under consideration, will be your interest in the word and worship of God. Religious meditation is a serious, devout and practical thinking of divine things; a duty enjoined in Scripture, both by precept and example; and concerning which, let us observe, 1. Its importance. That God has required it, ought to
Harvey Newcomb—A Practical Directory for Young Christian Females

Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Job 28:28 NIV
Job 28:28 NLT
Job 28:28 ESV
Job 28:28 NASB
Job 28:28 KJV

Job 28:28 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Job 28:27
Top of Page
Top of Page