He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
Parallel translations
- WEB Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
- BSB Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
- NKJV Man puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and the shadow of death.
- NASB “Man puts an end to darkness, And to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow.
- NLT They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Miners drive back the darkness and search the deepest, most hidden places of the earth for ore.
Overview
Job describes how men bring light into the darkest depths of the earth, searching out hidden stones to their furthest limit. This vivid picture honors the lengths to which people go to obtain treasure. Yet the deeper irony emerges: man probes the dark recesses of the ground but cannot, by such searching, lay hold of wisdom, which lies beyond the created order.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Eccl 1:13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
- Job 10:21–22Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;
- Prov 2:4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
- Luke 16:8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
- Job 12:22He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.
- Matt 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
- Job 38:16–17Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?
- Hab 2:13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 28:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.