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Contemporary English Version

Job 28:19

All the topaz of Ethiopia and the finest gold cannot compare with it.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gold;   Readings, Select;   Topaz;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Call, Divine;   Ethiopia;   God's;   Precious Stones;   Stones, Precious;   Topaz;   Wisdom;   Wisdom-Folly;   The Topic Concordance - Wisdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Earth, the;   Gold;   Precious Stones;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gold;   Topaz;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ethiopia;   Gold;   Topaz;   Wise, Wisdom;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Topaz;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Cush;   God;   Job, the Book of;   Minerals and Metals;   Purity-Purification;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jewels and Precious Stones;   Mining and Metals;   Wisdom;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Topaz;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ethiopia;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Gold;   Topaz;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Coral;   Cush (1);   Ethiopia;   Gold;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ethiopia;   Gems;   Metals;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Topaz from Cush cannot compare with it,and it cannot be valued in pure gold.
Hebrew Names Version
The pitdah of Kush shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
King James Version
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
English Standard Version
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
New Century Version
The topaz from Cush cannot compare to wisdom; it cannot be bought with the purest gold.
New English Translation
The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be purchased with pure gold.
Amplified Bible
"The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
New American Standard Bible
"The topaz of Cush cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
World English Bible
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The Topaz of Ethiopia shal not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure gold.
Legacy Standard Bible
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot meet its worth,Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
Berean Standard Bible
Topaz from Cush cannot compare, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
Complete Jewish Bible
It can't be compared with Ethiopian topaz, and it can't be valued with pure gold.
Darby Translation
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be compared to it, neither shall it be set in the balance with pure gold.
Easy-to-Read Version
The topaz from Ethiopia cannot match its value, which is greater than the purest gold.
George Lamsa Translation
For the price of wisdom is above everything, and nothing can equal it. The pearls of Ethiopia and the topaz cannot equal it.
Good News Translation
The finest topaz and the purest gold Cannot compare with the value of wisdom.
Lexham English Bible
The topaz of Cush cannot be compared with it; it cannot be bought for pure gold.
Literal Translation
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot be ranked with it; it cannot be weighed against pure gold.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The Topas that cometh out of Inde, maye in no wyse be lickened vnto her: yee no maner of apparell how pleasaunt and fayre so euer it be.
American Standard Version
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Bible in Basic English
The topaz of Ethiopia is not equal to it, and it may not be valued with the best gold.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
King James Version (1611)
The Topaze of Ethiopia shall not equall it, neither shall it be valued with pure golde.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The Topas of Ethiopia shall not be equall vnto it, neither shall it be valued with the wedge of pure golde.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equalled to it; it shall not be compared with pure gold.
English Revised Version
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
topasie of Ethiope schal not be maad euene worth to wisdom, and moost preciouse diyngis schulen not be set togidere in prijs, `ether comparisound, therto.
Update Bible Version
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
Webster's Bible Translation
The topaz of Cush shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
New King James Version
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
New Living Translation
Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It's worth more than the purest gold.
New Life Bible
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot be compared to it in worth and it cannot be compared with the worth of pure gold.
New Revised Standard
The chrysolite of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, Against purest gold, can it not be weighed.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not be equal to it, neither shall it be compared to the cleanest dyeing.
Revised Standard Version
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.
Young's Literal Translation
Not equal it doth the topaz of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.

Contextual Overview

14 Nor can it be discovered in the deepest sea. 15 It is worth much more than silver or pure gold 16 or precious stones. 17 Nothing is its equal— not gold or costly glass. 18 Wisdom is worth much more than coral, jasper, or rubies. 19 All the topaz of Ethiopia and the finest gold cannot compare with it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

topaz: Exodus 28:17, Exodus 39:10, Ezekiel 28:13, Revelation 21:20

Cross-References

Genesis 12:8
Abram traveled to the hill country east of Bethel and camped between Bethel and Ai, where he built another altar and worshiped the Lord .
Genesis 28:4
May he bless you with the land he gave Abraham, so that you will take over this land where we now live as foreigners.
Genesis 28:5
Isaac then sent Jacob to stay with Rebekah's brother Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.
Genesis 28:22
This rock will be your house, and I will give back to you a tenth of everything you give me."
Genesis 35:1
God told Jacob, "Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me."
Genesis 48:3
Jacob told Joseph: God All-Powerful appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, where he gave me his blessing
1 Kings 12:29
Then he put one of the gold calves in the town of Bethel. He put the other one in the town of Dan, and the crowd walked out in front as the calf was taken there. What Jeroboam did was a terrible sin.
Hosea 4:15
Israel, you are unfaithful, but don't lead Judah to sin. Stop worshiping at Gilgal or at sinful Bethel. And quit making promises in my name— the name of the living Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,.... Not Ethiopia Abyssinia, or that which lies beyond Egypt in Africa; for, as Ludolphus x says, there are no gems found there, or very rarely; but Cush, as the word is, or Arabia Chusaea, the same with the country of Midian, and the parts adjacent; see Habakkuk 3:7; hence Zipporah, the wife of Moses, who was of that country, is called an Ethiopian woman, Numbers 12:1; and this was near Job's country, who knew the produce of it; and here the topaz is found, as many writers observe. Diodorus Siculus says y, in Ophiodes, an island in the Arabian gulf, belonging to the Troglodytes, the topaz is found, which is a very clear stone, pleasant to the sight, like to glass, and affording a wonderful golden colour; and with him Strabo z agrees, who relates there is an island called Ophiodes, from its being freed from serpents by the king's orders, which killed men that came there for topazes; which, he says, is a clear stone of a golden colour, and so refulgent, that it is not easy to see it in the daytime, being so surrounded with light; but at night it is seen by those that gather it, who set a vessel for a sign, and then dig for it in the daytime; and, he adds, a multitude of men are hired by the kings of Egypt, to gather and keep these stones, and men from stealing them; and, according to Archelaus a, the topaz is found in Chitis, an island in Arabia, where the Troglodytes digging for herbs and roots find it; and, as Juba relates b, there is an island called Topazion, in the Red sea, three hundred furlongs (about 73 miles) from the continent, which is cloudy, and is therefore often sought for by navigators; whence he says it had its name Topazion, which in the language of the Troglodytes signifies to seek, and the topaz itself in their language so signifies; in the Samaritan version of Exodus 39:10; it is called Dachetah, from the Arabic word c "Dachatz", the language of the Troglodytes, which signifies to seek and search by removing the earth with the foot. This island seems to be the same with Topazos, which Pliny d says is an island of the Arabians, and gave name to a gem, meaning the topaz; but the truth rather is, that the gem gave name to the island: upon the whole, it is no wonder, as Braunius e observes, that this gem should be called by Job the Arabian topaz. The Targum here calls it a green pearl; and some have thought the emerald is meant, which is of that colour; and the emeralds of Ethiopia are praised by some, according to Juba f; and in Egypt were emerald mines the Ethiopians laid a claim to g; and there were emeralds also in Arabia, as the above Juba relates; however, be this what it may, as it is most likely to be the topaz, it is not equal in value to wisdom, no, not the largest topaz ever known; not even that of the great Mogul, which weighs more than an hundred fifty seven carats, valued at 271,500 French pounds h; and according to Tavernier i it weighs almost an hundred fifty eight carats, and was bought at Goa for almost 272,000 florins:

neither shall it be valued with pure gold; that is most refined and freed from dross; they are not to be laid together as of equal value;

Exodus 39:10- :, where the same word is used.

x Hist. Ethiop. l. 1. c. 7. y Bibliothec. l. 3. p. 172. z Geograph. l. 16. p. 529. a Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 8. b Apud ib. c Vid. Castel. Lex. Heptaglott. col. 686, 693. d Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 29. e De Vest. Sacerdot. Heb. p. 649. f Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 5. g Heliodor. Ethiop. l. 8. 1. & 9. 6. h Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr p. 747. i Apud Braunium de Vest. Sacerdot. Heb. p. 649, 650.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The topaz - The topaz is a precious stone, whose colors are yellow, green, blue, and red. Its natural place is in various primitive rocks, such as the topaz-rock, gneiss, and clay-slate. It is found in the granite and gneiss districts of Mar and Cairnaorta, in Cornwall, in Brazil, and in various other places. The most valuable stones of this kind now known are those which are found in Brazil. This gem is much prized by jewelers, and is considered as one of the more beautiful ornamental stones. The Hebrew word פטדה pı̂ṭdâh, occurs in Exodus 28:17; Exodus 39:10; Ezekiel 28:13. and in this place only. It is uniformly rendered topaz. It is not improbable that the English word “topaz,” and the Greek τοπάζιον topazion, are derived from this, by a slight transposition of the letters - טפדה. The Vulgate and the Septuagint render this “topaz.”

Of Ethiopia - Hebrew כוּשׁ kûsh - “Cush.” Coverdale here renders it, “India.” On the meaning of this word, and the region denoted by it, see the notes at Isaiah 11:11. It may mean either the part of Africa now known as Ethiopia, or Abyssinia and Nubia; the southern part of Arabia, or the Oriental Cush in the vicinity of the Tigris. It is better, since the word has such ambiguity, to retain the original, and to translate it “Cush.” For anything that appears, this may have denoted, in the time of Job, the southern part of Arabia. It is known that the topaz was found there. Thus, Pliny says, Lib. xxxvii. 32, Reperta est - in Arabiae insula, quae Citis vocatur; in qua Troglodytae praedones, diutius fame - prossi cum herbas radicesque effoderant, eruerunt topazion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 28:19. The topaz of Ethiopia — The country called Cush, which we call Ethiopia, is supposed to be that which extends from the eastern coast of the Red Sea, and stretches towards Lower Egypt. Diodorus Siculus says that the topaz was found in great abundance, as his description intimates, in an island in the Red Sea called Ophiodes, or the isle of serpents, Hist. lib. iii., p. 121. His account is curious, but I greatly doubt its correctness; it seems too much in the form of a legend: yet the reader may consult the place.

See also Clarke on "Job 28:16".


 
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