Job 28:22 Meaning and Explanation
“Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Even Destruction and Death can only say they have heard a rumor of wisdom, not that they possess it.
What Does Job 28:22 Mean?
Job gives voice to Destruction and Death, the realm of the grave personified. Even these, who receive all the living in the end, can only say, "We have heard the fame of it with our ears." They know wisdom by rumor, not by possession. It does not dwell with them either.
The grave is often imagined as the keeper of all secrets, the place where everything finally arrives. Yet even the realm of death confesses it has only heard of wisdom from afar. Every region of creation, the deep, the sea, the heights, and now the grave, has now been questioned, and not one holds the treasure. The search has been exhausted everywhere below and beyond. Only one possibility remains, and Job is about to name it. The teaching is clear: wisdom is God's, and nowhere else.
Job 28:22 in the Original Language
abaddon (אֲבַדּוֹן), 'destruction' -- a name for the place of ruin and the grave, here personified alongside death.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 28:22
What does Job 28:22 mean?
Even Destruction and Death can only say they have heard a rumor of wisdom, not that they possess it.