No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: the intention of the poet is to say once again that wisdom is worth more than any precious stones rather than to identify the exact stones. There is little agreement among interpreters as to which stones these may be. Coral is a black, white, or pinkish limestone formed by sea plants and animals, and was and is still valued for making ornaments. The term translated crystal is not the same as the one rendered “glass” in verse 17. The word is found only here, and a related word found in Ezekiel 13.11, 13; 38.22 means “hailstones.” Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation as well as many others translate these two items as coral and crystal, and it is recommended that translators do likewise if possible. Many peoples living near the ocean in tropical areas are acquainted with coral in the form of coral reefs or atolls. Coral may be used for building roads, but in many communities it is not cut, polished, and carved into ornaments. To speak of coral as a gem or something precious may seem strange and inappropriate. In such cases it is better to substitute another known gem. If coral is not known, we may translate by borrowing a foreign word, using a borrowed word with a classifier such as “valuable stone called coral,” or substituting a known stone that is valuable. Crystal refers generally to quartz that is transparent or partially so. Translators should follow the same suggestion given for coral. The negative wording of this line may have to be expressed differently to make its meaning clear; for example, “It is the same for coral and crystal” or “Nor will coral or crystal be valuable enough to buy it.”

The price of wisdom is above pearls: the Hebrew word translated pearls, and somewhat doubtfully by Good News Translation as “rubies,” appears to refer to something red or pink in color, judging by Lamentations 4.7, where it is mentioned as a standard for comparing redness. The word translated by Revised Standard Version as price sounds very much like another word which means “to draw, to drag,” possibly with reference to the process of fishing for pearls. In agreement with this interpretation New Jerusalem Bible translates this line as “better go fishing for Wisdom than for pearls!” This gives a parallel in thought to the first line, which may be rendered “Coral and crystal are not worth mentioning.” Against this suggestion it should be noted that pearls are not known to have been discovered at so early a period as the writing of Job. Consequently it is probably safer to translate “red coral,” in view of the scarcity of any early references to rubies. Translators should not make decisions by voting with the majority of versions, because there are usually a number of factors to consider when deciding which item to use. In the case of pearls in this line, the following modern translations use pearls: Revised Standard Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible de Jérusalem, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; these use “rubies”: Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Moffatt, Living Bible. New English Bible has “red coral.” Translators will find themselves in good company with any of these.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .