The verse highlights that "gold" here likely refers to the purest form, emphasizing that even the most precious of earthly riches can't buy this divine wisdom. It also points out that silver was historically paid by weight, not by count, underscoring the immeasurable value of true understanding that transcends any quantifiable earthly price.
It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal; the price of wisdom is above pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job has been exploring the earth's deepest mines and wildest corners, trying to find wisdom, but he's discovering it's nowhere to be found in earthly treasures. He concludes that even the purest gold, the most precious gems, or vast amounts of silver – all the riches the world values – cannot be exchanged for true wisdom. This is part of a larger argument that true wisdom is beyond human attainment through effort or wealth alone.
We often think of wealth as the ultimate prize. But what if the most valuable things in life can't be bought, no matter how much money you have?
Job is making a powerful statement here about the true worth of wisdom and understanding. He's telling us that even the most precious metals, like pure gold and silver, fall far short of its value.
A Priceless Commodity
In ancient times, money wasn't always in the form of coins. Often, precious metals like gold and silver were weighed out to determine their value in a transaction. Job says that even if you were to weigh out all the finest gold and silver, it wouldn't be enough to purchase true wisdom.
This isn't just about money; it's about the limitations of all earthly treasures. Gold, silver, and all material wealth are temporary and can't provide the deep understanding and insight that wisdom offers.
If wisdom can't be bought, where does it come from? Job's words point to a source beyond human effort and wealth.
Job emphasizes that wisdom isn't something you can acquire through sheer financial power. The verse highlights the impossibility of putting a price tag on it, suggesting its origin is not within the realm of commerce or human industry.
Beyond Human Procurement
The text implies that wisdom is not manufactured, mined, or traded. It's a divine quality, a gift. While the verses before and after (Job 28:12-14, 28:20-22) explicitly ask where wisdom is found and state it's hidden from the eyes of all living, this verse reinforces that impossibility by showing what work: buying it.
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This sets the stage for understanding wisdom as something that must be received from God, not earned or purchased.
Understand the original words
zahav · Hebrew Noun
A precious metal symbolizing earthly wealth, value, or human resources. In Scripture, it is often contrasted with the incomparable value of spiritual treasures or divine revelation.
keseph · Hebrew Noun
A precious metal frequently used in the Bible as a medium of exchange or a measure of value. Like gold, it is used here to emphasize the inability of material wealth to purchase spiritual truth.
kethem · Hebrew Noun
A high-value, precious metal that represents worldly wealth, purity, and durability. In Scripture, it is frequently used as a standard of material value that is ultimately inferior to divine truths like wisdom or faith.
shoham · Hebrew Noun
A precious stone, often identified as a variety of agate or chalcedony. It symbolizes beauty and rare material worth.
sappir · Hebrew Noun
A precious stone, likely blue, symbolizing celestial beauty, brilliance, and the majesty of God’s throne.
zekokith · Hebrew Noun
A substance valued for its transparency and clarity. In this context, it represents material objects of high aesthetic value that fail to reach the incomparable worth of wisdom.
keli paz · Hebrew Noun phrase
A general term for costly ornaments or stones. Biblical usage often contrasts the fleeting value of material jewels with the eternal value of God’s word and wisdom.
ramoth · Hebrew Noun
A precious red or pink substance from the sea. It highlights the vast reach of human commerce seeking beauty, yet emphasizes the limitations of such treasures compared to spiritual reality.
gabish · Hebrew Noun
A clear, transparent stone (often rock crystal or quartz). It signifies clarity and value, used here to demonstrate that wisdom surpasses all tangible human acquisition.
chokmah · Hebrew Noun
The divine, practical, and spiritual capacity to perceive reality from God’s perspective and live in accordance with His will. It is described as being more precious than any physical treasure.
peninim · Hebrew Noun
Hard, lustrous objects formed in mollusks. They represent the height of earthly luxury and rarity, yet are declared insufficient to purchase or equate to the value of wisdom.
pitdah · Hebrew Noun
A precious yellow or golden-colored gemstone. Its inclusion emphasizes that even exotic, distant treasures cannot rival the worth of divine understanding.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment, stating that finding wisdom brings blessings far more valuable than silver or gold, highlighting its immense worth beyond material riches.
Matthew 13:45-46Jesus uses a parable of a merchant seeking fine pearls, selling all he has to buy one of great value, illustrating that true spiritual treasures, like wisdom, are worth any sacrifice.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25Paul contrasts the 'wisdom of the world' with the 'wisdom of God,' showing that God's wisdom, though foolish to worldly standards, is infinitely more valuable and powerful than human intellect or earthly riches.
Matthew 6:33Jesus teaches that seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (which includes wisdom) should be our priority, trusting that material needs will be met, thus reordering our values away from earthly wealth.
bensonJob 28:15: "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof."
Job 28:15-17 . It cannot be gotten for gold — The choicest gold laid up in treasures, as the word סגר , segor, signifies: neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof — Namely, in the balance; for in those times money was paid by weight. It cannot be valued with gold of Ophir — Though the gold that comes from thence be the purest of all, neither that, nor the most precious stones, can purc…
clarkeJob 28:15: "It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof."
It cannot be gotten for gold - Genuine religion and true happiness are not to be acquired by earthly property. Solomon made gold and silver as plentiful as the stones in Jerusalem, and had all the delights of the sons of men, and yet he was not happy; yea, he had wisdom, was the wisest of men, but he had not the wisdom of which Job speaks here, and therefore, to him, all was vanity and vexation of…
The verse highlights that "gold" here likely refers to the purest form, emphasizing that even the most precious of earthly riches can't buy this divine wisdom. It also points out that silver was historically paid by weight, not by count, underscoring the immeasurable value of true understanding that transcends any quantifiable earthly price.
Job has been exploring the earth's deepest mines and wildest corners, trying to find wisdom, but he's discovering it's nowhere to be found in earthly treasures. He concludes that even the purest gold, the most precious gems, or vast amounts of silver – all the riches the world values – cannot be exchanged for true wisdom. This is part of a larger argument that true wisdom is beyond human attainment through effort or wealth alone.
Job has been exploring the earth's deepest mines and wildest corners, trying to find wisdom, but he's discovering it's nowhere to be found in earthly treasures. He concludes that even the purest gold, the most precious gems, or vast amounts of silver – all the riches the world values – cannot be exchanged for true wisdom. This is part of a larger argument that true wisdom is beyond human attainment through effort or wealth alone.
"It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of…" — The verse highlights that "gold" here likely refers to the purest form, emphasizing that even the most precious of earthly riches can't buy this divine wisdom. It also points out that silver was hi…
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Last reviewed October 2026
