The Meaning of Job 28:24 Explained

Job 28:24

KJV: For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;

YLT: For He to the ends of the earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,

Darby: For he looketh to the ends of the earth, he seeth under the whole heaven.

ASV: For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For he looketh  to the ends  of the earth,  [and] seeth  under the whole heaven; 

What does Job 28:24 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 28:1-28 - The Pearl Of Great Price
A search for this pearl of great price has occupied men in every age. Job compares it with the search of the miner for the hidden treasures of the earth, Job 28:1-12. This paragraph should be read in the r.v. The shaft into the earth, the miner's exile from the cheerful haunts of human life, his exposure to dangers from foul air, water, and the falling-in of the mine, the binding up of the streams, are vividly portrayed. But the miner perseveres through all till he obtains his golden spoil. Would that we were as persistent in our quest for the knowledge of God! Paul was a great miner; he went down into caverns of pain and sorrow, that he might bring to light the treasures of God's wisdom and love.
Only God knows God, Job 28:23. In the depths of His nature, dark with excess of light but hidden from the falcon's eye of human genius, are both knowledge and understanding. He waits to reveal these things to babes, saying, "Fear God, and you will be wise. Depart from evil, and you will understand," Job 28:28. Christ is the Word and the Wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1:24. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 28

1  There is a knowledge of natural things
12  But wisdom is an excellent gift of God

What do the individual words in Job 28:24 mean?

For He to the ends of the earth looks under whole the heavens [And] sees
כִּי־ ה֭וּא לִקְצוֹת־ הָאָ֣רֶץ יַבִּ֑יט תַּ֖חַת כָּל־ הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִרְאֶֽה

לִקְצוֹת־  to  the  ends 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: קָצָה 
Sense: end, extremity.
הָאָ֣רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יַבִּ֑יט  looks 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָבַט  
Sense: to look, regard.
תַּ֖חַת  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
כָּל־  whole 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם  the  heavens 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
יִרְאֶֽה  [And]  sees 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.