Job 28:17

"It can’t be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire."

Key Reflection

In Job 28:17, the author emphasizes that wisdom is of incomparable value and cannot be measured by earthly treasures like gold from Ophir, precious onyx, or sapphires. The original audience would have recognized these materials as among the most valuable in their world—gold from Ophir was renowned for its quality, while onyx and sapphire were highly prized gemstones. By comparing wisdom to such costly items, Job underscores the surpassing worth of understanding and knowledge, suggesting that it transcends all material wealth.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The gold and the crystal -A crystal, in chemistry, is an inorganic body which, by the operation of affinity, has assumed the form of a regular solid, terminated by a number of plane and smooth surfaces. It is round in various forms and sizes, and is composed of a great variety of substances. The common “rock crystal” is a general name for all the transparent crystals of quartz, particularly of limpid or colorless quartz. “Webster.” The word used here (זכוּכיתzekûkı̂yth) occurs nowhere else in the Bible. It is fromזכהzâkâh, to be clean, pure; and is given to the crystal on account of its transparency. In Arabic the word means either glass or crystal.

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