Job 28:3

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

Complete Jewish Bible:

Miners conquer the darkness and dig as far in as they can, to the ore in gloom and deep darkness.

Berean Standard Bible:

Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.

American Standard Version:

Man setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

He setteth^{H7760} an end^{H7093} to darkness^{H2822}, and searcheth out^{H2713} all perfection^{H8503}: the stones^{H68} of darkness^{H652}, and the shadow of death^{H6757}.

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Commentary for Job 28:3

Job 28:3 is part of the Book of Job, which is one of the poetic books in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament in the Christian canon. The Book of Job deals with the themes of suffering, faith, and the nature of wisdom, as it recounts the story of Job, a righteous man who endures severe trials after God allows Satan to test his faith.

The verse itself is nested within a larger section (Job 28:1-11) that poetically describes the quest for wisdom and the limits of human capability in mining the earth and harnessing its resources. In this context, Job 28:3 metaphorically speaks to the idea that God alone can bring light to the deepest and darkest parts of creation, symbolized by "darkness" and "the shadow of death." The phrase "He setteth an end to darkness" suggests that God can overcome the most impenetrable mysteries and challenges, while "searcheth out all perfection" implies that God alone can fully understand and master the complexities of the universe, including the precious "stones of darkness," which may refer to valuable minerals hidden deep within the earth.

Historically, the Book of Job reflects a time when the Israelites were grappling with theodicy—the question of why a good God permits the existence of evil and suffering. The verse reflects the ancient belief that wisdom and understanding are divine attributes, and that humans, despite their ingenuity and efforts, are ultimately dependent on God to illuminate the unknown and to reveal true wisdom. This theme would have resonated with the Israelites as they faced their own trials and sought to understand God's ways in the midst of adversity.

In summary, Job 28:3 is a poetic verse that highlights the limits of human knowledge and the supremacy of divine wisdom. It emphasizes that God can penetrate the most obscure and challenging aspects of life and creation, contrasting human limitations with divine omniscience and omnipotence. This verse contributes to the broader exploration in the Book of Job of the complexities of human suffering and the search for understanding in the face of life's profound mysteries.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H7760
   There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: שׂוּם
   Transliteration: sûwm
   Pronunciation: soom
   Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work.
   
2. Strong's Number: H7093
   There are 62 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: קֵץ
   Transliteration: qêts
   Pronunciation: kates
   Description: contracted from קָצַץ; an extremity; adverbially (with prepositional prefix) after; [phrase] after, (utmost) border, end, (in-) finite, [idiom] process.
   
3. Strong's Number: H2822
   There are 77 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חֹשֶׁךְ
   Transliteration: chôshek
   Pronunciation: kho-shek'
   Description: from חָשַׁךְ; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness; dark(-ness), night, obscurity.
   
4. Strong's Number: H2713
   There are 26 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָקַר
   Transliteration: châqar
   Pronunciation: khaw-kar'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to penetrate; hence, to examine intimately; find out, (make) search (out), seek (out), sound, try.
   
5. Strong's Number: H8503
   There are 5 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: תַּכְלִית
   Transliteration: taklîyth
   Pronunciation: tak-leeth'
   Description: from כָּלָה; completion; by implication, an extremity; end, perfect(-ion).
   
6. Strong's Number: H68
   There are 1276 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֶבֶן
   Transliteration: ʼeben
   Pronunciation: eh'-ben
   Description: from the root of בָּנָה through the meaning to build; a stone; [phrase] carbuncle, [phrase] mason, [phrase] plummet, (chalk-, hail-, head-, sling-) stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).
   
7. Strong's Number: H652
   There are 207 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אֹפֶל
   Transliteration: ʼôphel
   Pronunciation: o'fel
   Description: from the same as אָפֵל; dusk; darkness, obscurity, privily.
   
8. Strong's Number: H6757
   There are 17 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: צַלְמָוֶת
   Transliteration: tsalmâveth
   Pronunciation: tsal-maw'-veth
   Description: from צֵל and מָוֶת; shade of death, i.e. the grave (figuratively, calamity); shadow of death.