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Wednesday, August 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Wycliffe Bible

Job 28:16

It schal not be comparysound to the died colours of Iynde, not to the moost preciouse stoon of sardius, nether to saphir.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Onyx;   Ophir;   Readings, Select;   Sapphire;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Call, Divine;   God's;   Onyx;   Ophir;   Precious Stones;   Sapphire;   Stones, Precious;   Wisdom;   Wisdom-Folly;   The Topic Concordance - Wisdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Earth, the;   Gold;   Precious Stones;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ophir;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gold;   Onyx;   Ophir;   Wise, Wisdom;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Onyx;   Ophir;   Sapphire;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Coral;   God;   Job, the Book of;   Minerals and Metals;   Ophir;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jewels and Precious Stones;   Mining and Metals;   Wisdom;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Onyx;   Ophir ;   Sapphire,;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gold;   Onyx;   Ophir;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Gold;   O'phir;   Sapphire;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Gold;   Onyx;   Sapphire;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Coral;   Gold;   Ophir;   Stones, Precious:;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Beryl;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gems;   Gold;   Rime;   Sapphire;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Wisdom cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,in precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
Hebrew Names Version
It can't be valued with the gold of Ofir, With the precious shoham, or the sappir.
King James Version
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
English Standard Version
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
New Century Version
Wisdom cannot be bought with fine gold or with valuable onyx or sapphire gems.
New English Translation
It cannot be measured out for purchase with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires.
Amplified Bible
"It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir, In the precious onyx or beryl, or the sapphire.
New American Standard Bible
"It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire.
World English Bible
It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
Geneva Bible (1587)
It shall not be valued with the wedge of golde of Ophir, nor with the precious onix, nor the saphir.
Legacy Standard Bible
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,In precious onyx or sapphire.
Berean Standard Bible
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
Contemporary English Version
or precious stones.
Complete Jewish Bible
It can't be purchased with choice gold from Ofir, or with precious onyx or sapphires.
Darby Translation
It is not set in the balance with gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, and the sapphire.
Easy-to-Read Version
You cannot buy it with gold from Ophir or with precious onyx or sapphires.
George Lamsa Translation
It cannot be exchanged with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphire.
Good News Translation
The finest gold and jewels Cannot equal its value.
Lexham English Bible
It cannot be bought for the gold of Ophir, for precious onyx or sapphire.
Literal Translation
It cannot be weighed against the gold of Ophir, against precious onyx, or sapphire;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
No wedges of golde of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphirs maye be compared vnto her.
American Standard Version
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
Bible in Basic English
It may not be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the onyx of great price, or the sapphire.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
King James Version (1611)
It cannot be valued with the golde of Ophir, with the precious Onix, or the Saphire.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
No wedges of gold of Ophir, no precious Onix stones, no Saphires may be valued with her.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Neither shall it be compared with gold of Sophir, with the precious onyx and sapphire.
English Revised Version
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
Update Bible Version
It can't be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
Webster's Bible Translation
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
New King James Version
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire.
New Living Translation
It's worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
New Life Bible
It cannot be compared in worth to the gold of Ophir, onyx of much worth, or sapphire.
New Revised Standard
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
It cannot be put into the scales against the gold of Ophir, with costly onyx, or sapphire;
Douay-Rheims Bible
It shall not be compared with the dyed colours of India, or with the most precious stone sardonyx, or the sapphire.
Revised Standard Version
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
Young's Literal Translation
It is not valued with pure gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire.

Contextual Overview

14 The depthe of watris seith, It is not in me; and the see spekith, It is not with me. 15 Gold ful cleene schal not be youun for wisdom, nether siluer schal be weied in the chaungyng therof. 16 It schal not be comparysound to the died colours of Iynde, not to the moost preciouse stoon of sardius, nether to saphir. 17 Nether gold, nether glas schal be maad euene worth therto; 18 and hiye and fer apperynge vessels of gold schulen not be chaungid for wisdom, nether schulen be had in mynde in comparisoun therof. Forsothe wisdom is drawun of pryuy thingis; 19 topasie of Ethiope schal not be maad euene worth to wisdom, and moost preciouse diyngis schulen not be set togidere in prijs, `ether comparisound, therto.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the gold: 1 Chronicles 29:4, Psalms 45:9, Isaiah 13:12

onyx: Exodus 28:20, Ezekiel 28:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 2:12 - onyx Genesis 10:29 - Ophir Exodus 28:9 - onyx Exodus 28:18 - sapphire Exodus 39:6 - onyx stones 1 Kings 9:28 - Ophir 1 Chronicles 29:2 - onyx stones Job 28:6 - sapphires Revelation 21:19 - the foundations

Cross-References

Genesis 28:4
and God yyue to thee the blessyngis of Abraham, and to thi seed aftir thee, that thou welde the lond of thi pilgrymage, which he bihiyte to thi grauntsir.
Genesis 28:7
and that Jacob obeiede to his fadir `and modir, and yede in to Sirie;
Exodus 3:5
And the Lord seide, Neiye thou not hidur, but vnbynde thou the scho of thi feet, for the place in which thou stondist is hooli lond.
Exodus 15:11
Lord, who is lijk thee in stronge men, who is lijk thee? thou art greet doere in hoolynesse; ferdful, and preisable, and doynge myraclis.
Joshua 5:15
He seide, Vnlace thi schoo fro thi feet, for the place, in which thou stondist, is hooli. And Josue dide, as it was comaundid to hym.
Job 9:11
If he cometh to me, `that is, bi his grace, Y schal not se hym; if he goith awey, `that is, in withdrawynge his grace, Y schal not vndurstonde.
Job 33:14
God spekith onys, and the secounde tyme he rehersith not the same thing.
Psalms 68:35
God is wondirful in hise seyntis; God of Israel, he schal yyue vertu, and strengthe to his puple; blessid be God.
Isaiah 8:13
Halowe ye the Lord hym silf of oostis; and he schal be youre inward drede, and he schal be youre ferdfulnesse, and he schal be to you in to halewyng.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,.... Which is often spoken of in Scripture as choice gold, if not the best;

:-; the sense is, that the gold of Ophir is not of the value of wisdom, or of the same worth with that, and so not sufficient to purchase it: with the precious onyx and sapphire: two precious stones that were in the breastplate of the high priest, of which :-,

:-, and

:-; but not so precious, or of such value as wisdom. Pliny y speaks of the onyx stone as in Arabia, near which Job lived, and who doubtless was acquainted with it and its worth, and also with the sapphire he makes mention of before,

:-. The word for "valued" is by some rendered "strowed" z, as goods are when they are exposed to sale; but wisdom should not be laid, or put on a level with these, though so excellent and precious.

y Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 6. z תסלה "verbum significat sternere", Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The gold of Ophir - Uniformly spoken of as the most precious gold; see the notes at Job 22:24.

With the precious onyx - The onyx is a semi-pellucid gem, with variously colored veins or zones. It is a variety of the chalcedony. The Arabic word denotes that which was of two colors, where the white predominated. The Greeks gave the name “onyx” ὄνυξ onux to the gem from its resemblance to the color of the thumbnail; see Passow.

Or the sapphire - See the notes at Job 28:6.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 28:16. The gold of Ophir — Gold is five times mentioned in this and verses Job 28:17 and Job 28:19, and four of the times in different words. I shall consider them all at once.

1. סגור SEGOR, from סגר sagar, to shut up. Gold. in the mine, or shut up in the ore; native gold washed by the streams out of the mountains, c. unwrought gold.

Ver. Job 28:16. 2. כתם KETHEM, from כתם catham, to sign or stamp: gold made current by being coined, or stamped with its weight or value; what we would call standard or sterling gold.

Ver. Job 28:17. 3. זהב ZAHAB, from זהב zahab, to be Lear, bright, or resplendent: the untarnishing metal; the only metal that always keeps its lustre. But probably here it means gold chased, or that in which precious stones are set; burnished gold.

4. פז PAZ, from פז paz, to consolidate, joined here with keley, vessels, ornaments, instruments, c.: hammered or wrought gold gold in the finest forms, and most elegant utensils. This metal is at once the brightest, most solid, and most precious, of all the metals yet discovered, of which we have no less than forty in our catalogues.

In these verses there are also seven kinds of precious stones, c., mentioned: onyx, sapphire, crystal, coral, pearls, rubies, and topaz. These I shall also consider in the order of their occurrence.

Ver. Job 28:16. 1. שהם shoham, the ONYX, from ονυξ, a man's nail, hoof of a horse, because in colour it resembles both. This stone is a species of chalcedony and consists of alternate layers of white and brown chalcedony, under which it generally ranges. In the Vulgate it is called sardonyx, compounded of sard and onyx. Sard is also a variety of chalcedony, of a deep reddish-brown colour, of which, and alternate layers of milk-white chalcedony, the sardonyx consists. A most beautiful block of this mineral sardonyx, from Iceland, now lies before me.

2. ספיר sappir, the SAPPHIRE stone, from ספר saphar, to count, number; probably from the number of golden spots with which it is said the sapphire of the ancients abounded. PLINY says, Hist. Nat. lib. xxxvii., cap. 8: Sapphirus aureis punctis collucet: coeruleae et sapphiri, raraque cum purpura: optimae apud Medos, nusquam tame perlucidae. "The sapphire glitters with golden spots. Sapphires are sometimes of an azure, never of a purple colour. Those of Media are the best, but there are none transparent." This may mean the blood stones; but see below.

What we call the sapphire is a variety of the perfect corundum; it is in hardness inferior only to the diamond. It is of several colours, and from them it has obtained several names.

1. The transparent or translucent is called the white sapphire.

2. The blue is called the oriental sapphire.

3. The violet blue, the oriental amethyst.

4. The yellow, the oriental topaz.

5. The green, the oriental emerald.

6. That with pearly reflections, the opalescent sapphire.

7. When transparent, with a pale, reddish, or bluish reflection, it is called the girasol sapphire.

8. A variety which, when polished, shows a silvered star of six rays in a direction perpendicular to the axis, is called asteria.

When the meaning of the Hebrew word is collated with the description given by Pliny, it must be evident that a spotted opaque stone is meant, and consequently not what is now known by the name sapphire. I conjecture, therefore, that lapis lazuli, which is of a blue colour, with golden-like spots, formed by pyrites of iron, must be intended. The lapis lazuli is that from which the beautiful and unfading colour called ultramarine is obtained.

Ver. Job 28:17. 3. זכוכית zechuchith, CRYSTAL, or glass, from זכה zachah, to be pure, clear, transparent. Crystal or crystal of quartz is a six-sided prism, terminated by six-sided pyramids. It belongs to the siliceous class of minerals: it is exceedingly clear and brilliant, insomuch that this property of it has become proverbial, as clear as crystal.


 
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