_Silver. Hebrew, "Surely there is a vein, or mine, for silver." (Haydock) --- The sagacity of man has discovered all these things. Wonderful also is the instinct of animals, ver. 7. Yet wisdom comes from God alone; and those act rashly, who pretend to dive into his counsels in punishing his creature... [ Continue Reading ]
_Stone. Protestants, "and brass is molten out of the stone." (Haydock) --- "When brass comes out of the mine it resembles stone, and being mixed with earth is refined in the fire." (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxvi. 27.) (Menochius) --- All this process would require much ingenuity and time. Tubalcai... [ Continue Reading ]
_He (God) hath, &c. (Haydock) --- Darkness, before which these inventions could not be made; (Menochius) or, man has been able to measure the hours of day and night by the shadow of the sun, and by other means. He always strives to perfect his works, and examines with care the mines which lay concea... [ Continue Reading ]
_At. Nations are separated by waters from each other. (Calmet) --- Some, like the Chinese, keep all strangers at a distance. (Haydock) --- But the industry of man breaketh through all barriers. Hebrew, "a river separates a foreign nation forgotten by travellers; but these waters cannot stop man: the... [ Continue Reading ]
_In its, &c. Hebrew and Septuagint, "and under it is turned up as it were fire," which lies in it. (Haydock) --- Fire, like Sodom; to which event Job alludes, chap. xxii. 20. (Calmet) --- The furnaces to melt various metals have taken the place of corn, and occupy the land. (Menochius) --- Men have... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sapphires. The best are found in Media, in the country of the Taphyri, (Ptol.) or Raspires. (Herodotus iii. 94.) --- Gold. This precious metal, like all others, is found in the bowels of the earth, (Haydock) and in the bed of rivers, in Ophir, Peru, &c. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Path of these metals, (Menochius) or a path in general. (Haydock) --- They fly, as beasts roam about, without keeping the high road; yet never miss their way, or fail to return to their own place, though they may have crossed the sea or woods, and been absent many months. This instinct is one of th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Merchants, who go the shortest road. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "of lions," which find their deans without asking for the path. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Roots, in quest of precious metals. (Menochius) --- " Imus in viscera terræ et in sede Marium opes quærimus. " (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxiii. pref.) Effodiuntur opes, irritamenta malorum. (Ovid, Met. i.)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Rivers. Or, the waters lodged in the mines. (Menochius) --- He hath even cut canals through the hardest rocks, (Haydock) and sunk wells. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Searched, by diving; (Calmet) or, Hebrew, "he bindeth the rivers from flowing;" diverting their course by dams, &c. This is another proof of the power of man. (Calmet) --- Labor omnia vincit. (Horace)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Understanding, of supernatural things, which teaches us to love God, and to comprehend his counsels. This is very different from the human sagacity of which he has been speaking; and this is the gift of God alone. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Price. It has none, like other precious things, Baruch iii. 15. --- In delights is not expressed in Hebrew or Septuagint. (Calmet) --- But to live in misery is hardly to be accounted living, (Haydock) and the addition restrains the proposition, as some men possess this treasure, though not those wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Finest, obrizum, which has the colour of fire. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxiii. 3.) The old Vulgate and Septuagint read "locked-up gold," aurum conclusum, (Calmet) and the Hebrew Segor, (Haydock) "that which is shut up," like things of value: gold is sometimes specified, 3 Kings vi. 20._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Dyed, &c. Hebrew cethem ophir, (Haydock) "the shut up" (gold, though the Vulgate, Septuagint, &c., very in the interpretation) "of Ophir." This country was famous for its gold. (Calmet) --- Its situation is not clearly ascertained. St. Jerome seems to have placed it in India, which Josephus, "in th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Gold. This is the third time it has been mentioned, according to its different degrees of excellence. Hence it is called by the most common name, (Calmet) zahab. (Haydock) --- Crystal was formerly more "transparent" than we have it at present. (Calmet) --- Zecucith (Haydock) denotes something of th... [ Continue Reading ]
Things. Hebrew Ramoth and Gabish (Haydock) are terms much controverted. The first may denote the unicorns, (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 17.) and the latter the thunderbolt, or ceraunia, which were in high request. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxvii. 9. Ezechiel (xiii. 11., and xxvii. 16.) mentions the former... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ethiopia, on the east of the Red Sea. Pliny ([Natural History?] vi. 29.) mentions the isle of Chuthis, which was also famous for the topaz. --- Dying. Hebrew cethem, (Haydock) which we have observed relates to gold, ver. 16._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Destruction. Hebrew abaddon, which is before (chap. xxvi. 6.) used to signify the bottomless abyss. There, too late! the dead become acquainted with the value and nature of wisdom. (Haydock) --- But their knowledge is imperfect, and of no use to us. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER XXVIII.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Measure. He regulates the winds, and know the drops of water, (Haydock) which to man is impossible, Proverbs xvi. 2._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Storms; or Hebrew, "for the lightning, which attends thunder." (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_It. All the works of God proclaim his wisdom. (Haydock) --- He never made an acquisition of it, but possessed it from all eternity, Proverbs viii. 23._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Understanding. This is the duty of man, and a thing of the utmost importance. This teaches us to adore God's judgments (Calmet) in silence. (Haydock) --- It is the most important instruction of the whole book. (Pineda) --- Man must consider God's works to fear Him; and by avoiding evil, and doing g... [ Continue Reading ]