Job 28 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 28:4
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 28
The search for wisdom beyond every treasure
Source chapters: [BHS28] Hebrew; [LXX28] Greek.
The accessed Hebrew publisher page displays the full chapter without numeric labels; its twenty-eight verse-ending punctuation units are mapped sequentially. Greek supplies twenty-eight numbered units.
Verse 28:1 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:1 “For silver has a source,
and gold a place where they refine it.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:1 “For silver has a place from which it comes,
and gold a place from which it is filtered.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both introduce the extraction and refining of precious metals.
Verse 28:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:2 Iron is taken from dust,
and copper is poured from stone.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:2 For iron comes from earth,
and copper is quarried like stone.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek quarrying differs from Hebrew smelting or pouring.
Verse 28:3 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:3 A person puts an end to darkness
and searches to every limit,
for stone in gloom and deep darkness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:3 He set an order for darkness,
and He examines every limit:
stone, darkness and a shadow of death,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew’s worker is provisionally a miner. Greek’s unnamed agent is provisionally God, as the later disclosure of power suggests; its nominative stone and darkness form a difficult broken sequence continued in 28:4.
Verse 28:4 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:4 He breaks open a shaft away from the settler;
forgotten by the foot,
they hang far from humanity and sway.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:4 a torrent’s breach away from dust;
but those forgetting a righteous road grew weak among mortals.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew is provisionally mining imagery, though shaft can also mean torrent; Greek explicitly introduces moral forgetfulness and weakness rather than dangling workers.
Verse 28:5 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:5 Earth—from it comes bread,
but beneath it is overturned as by fire.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:5 Earth—from it bread will come,
and beneath it was turned as though by fire.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both contrast the food-producing surface with fiery disturbance beneath.
Verse 28:6 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:6 Its stones are the place of sappir,
and it has dust of gold.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:6 Its stones are the place of sappheiros,
and a mound—gold belongs to it.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The Greek final construction is compressed. Sappir and sappheiros are retained as ancient stone names, often associated with lapis lazuli, without asserting modern sapphire identification.
Verse 28:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:7 A path no bird of prey knows,
that the kite’s eye has not glimpsed,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:7 A path no bird knew,
that a vulture’s eye did not glimpse,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek general bird and vulture differ from Hebrew bird of prey and kite.
Verse 28:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:8 that proud beasts have not trodden,
nor a lion passed over—
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:8 that sons of the arrogant did not tread,
nor a lion pass over—
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew sons of pride is provisionally a term for proud beasts; Greek explicitly calls them sons of arrogant persons.
Verse 28:9 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:9 he stretches his hand against flint
and overturns mountains from their roots.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:9 He stretched His hand against sheer rock
and overturned mountains from their roots.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both describe rock and mountain disruption. The provisional human-versus-divine agent choice from 28:3 continues; the source does not name a new agent.
Verse 28:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:10 He splits channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:10 He broke open the eddies of rivers,
and my eye saw every precious thing.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek river eddies differ from Hebrew channels in rock and explicitly says my eye, rather than his eye.
Verse 28:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:11 He binds streams so they do not trickle,
and brings hidden things out to light.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:11 He uncovered the depths of rivers
and showed His own power in the light.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek river depths and revealed power replace Hebrew restraining leakage and exposing hidden things.
Verse 28:12 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:12 But where can wisdom be found,
and where is the place of understanding?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:12 But where was wisdom found,
and what is the place of knowledge?
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek episteme is knowledge; Hebrew binah is understanding.
Verse 28:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:13 A mortal does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:13 A mortal does not know its way,
and it will certainly not be found among humans.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek way differs from Hebrew value; among humans replaces land of the living.
Verse 28:14 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:14 The abyss said, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea said, ‘It is not with me.’
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both personify deep and sea as denying possession of wisdom.
Verse 28:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:15 Closed-up gold cannot be given for it,
nor can silver be weighed as its price.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:15 No one will give locked-up treasure in exchange for it,
nor will silver be weighed as its exchange.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew segor is a rare designation for gold, rendered with its closed-up association. Greek synkleismos means enclosure or something shut up; treasure is a contextual supply, not an explicit Greek noun.
Verse 28:16 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:16 It cannot be weighed against Ophir gold,
precious shoham or sappir.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:16 It will not be weighed together with Ophir gold,
precious onyx or sappheiros.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek explicitly names onyx; the identification of Hebrew shoham remains uncertain.
Verse 28:17 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can vessels of fine gold be its exchange.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:17 Gold and glass will not equal it,
nor will golden vessels be its exchange.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both deny equivalent value even to precious manufactured objects.
Verse 28:18 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:18 Coral and crystal are not worth mentioning;
the drawing of wisdom is beyond precious stones.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:18 Lofty things and gabis will not be mentioned;
draw wisdom beyond the innermost things.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew ramot and gavish are provisionally coral and crystal, with peninim left as precious stones. Greek meteora is lofty things, gabis an unexplained borrowed stone-name, and its second line an imperative with innermost things; it is not silently replaced by familiar Hebrew gems. Cox, NETS Iob, p.686 n.a [COX-NETS], associates gabis with Hebrew rock crystal; the precise material remains provisional.
Verse 28:19 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:19 The pitdah of Cush cannot equal it;
it cannot be weighed against pure gold.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:19 Ethiopian topazion will not equal it;
it will not be weighed together with pure gold.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Ancient pitdah and topazion identifications are uncertain and need not be modern topaz. Cush and Ethiopia are source-specific geographical names.
Verse 28:20 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:20 From where, then, does wisdom come,
and where is the place of understanding?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:20 But where was wisdom found,
and what is the place of understanding?
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek finding differs from Hebrew coming; both now explicitly ask about understanding.
Verse 28:21 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing
and concealed from the birds of the heavens.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:21 It has escaped every human
and was hidden from the birds of heaven.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew every living thing is broader than Greek every human.
Verse 28:22 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:22 Abaddon and Death say,
‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:22 Destruction and Death said,
‘We have heard its renown.’
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek lacks explicit ears and uses renown, while Hebrew names Abaddon and a heard report.
Verse 28:23 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:23 God understands its way,
and He knows its place.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:23 God established its way well,
and He knows its place.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek establishing differs from Hebrew understanding.
Verse 28:24 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:24 For He looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything beneath the heavens,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:24 For He observes the whole realm under heaven,
knowing everything in the earth that He made:
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek adds God’s making of the observed things and carries its construction into 28:25.
Verse 28:25 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:25 when He made a weight for the wind
and apportioned the waters by measure,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:25 the weight of winds
and measures of water.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek nouns complete the preceding relative clause; Hebrew explicitly describes making and apportioning.
Verse 28:26 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:26 when He made a statute for rain
and a way for the lightning of thunder,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:26 when He acted in this way, He counted rain
and a path for sounds amid a shaking.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek counting and shaking differ from Hebrew appointed rain and lightning. Its final accusative sounds sits awkwardly with path; for sounds is a provisional construction, not a claim that the text explicitly names a thunderbolt.
Verse 28:27 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:27 then He saw wisdom and declared it;
He established it and also searched it out.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:27 Then He saw wisdom and expounded it;
having prepared it, He traced it out.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both describe divine recognition, establishment and examination of wisdom.
Verse 28:28 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
28:28 And He said to humankind,
‘Look, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and turning from evil is understanding.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
28:28 And He said to a human,
‘Look, reverence for God is wisdom,
and abstaining from evils is knowledge.’
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew explicitly has Adonai, Lord, not YHWH here. Greek theosebeia is reverence for God; its final episteme is knowledge.