The Meaning of Job 28:28 Explained

Job 28:28

KJV: And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

YLT: And He saith to man: -- 'Lo, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to turn from evil is understanding.'

Darby: And unto man he said, Lo, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

ASV: And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And unto man  he said,  Behold, the fear  of the Lord,  that [is] wisdom;  and to depart  from evil  [is] understanding. 

What does Job 28:28 Mean?

Study Notes

fear
fear of the Lord
The "fear of the Lord," a phrase of the O.T. piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.

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 28:28 mean?

And He said to man behold the fear of the Lord that [is] wisdom and to depart from evil [is] understanding -
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ׀ לָֽאָדָ֗ם הֵ֤ן יִרְאַ֣ת אֲ֭דֹנָי הִ֣יא חָכְמָ֑ה וְס֖וּר מֵרָ֣ע בִּינָֽה ס

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ׀  And  He  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לָֽאָדָ֗ם  to  man 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
הֵ֤ן  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
יִרְאַ֣ת  the  fear 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יִרְאָה  
Sense: fear, terror, fearing.
אֲ֭דֹנָי  of  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
הִ֣יא  that  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
חָכְמָ֑ה  wisdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חָכְמָה  
Sense: wisdom.
וְס֖וּר  and  to  depart 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
מֵרָ֣ע  from  evil 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
בִּינָֽה  [is]  understanding 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בִּינָה  
Sense: understanding, discernment.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation