Wisdom can nowhere be found by man; God alone is in possession of it; the wisdom of man is to fear the lord The chapter contains a single thought, viz. that Wisdom cannot be reached by man. The thought, however, is set forth and illustrated in many ways and with much poetical adornment. First, Job... [ Continue Reading ]
_surely there is_ Rather, FOR there is. The connexion, however, with the preceding is difficult to perceive (see at the end of the chapter). _there is a vein_ lit. an _issue_or _source_. The emphasis falls on _is_there is a place from which silver comes forth, it _has_a source out of which it may b... [ Continue Reading ]
_brass is molten out of the stone_ lit. _they_(men) _melt the stone into brass_, i.e. copper. Men know how to possess themselves of the metals.... [ Continue Reading ]
Description of mining operations. _he setteth_ To prevent ambiguity it is better to translate, MAN setteth, or, MEN SET. The phrase "setteth an end to darkness" hardly refers to the light shed by the miner's lamp; the expression is more general, meaning that men penetrate into what is dark and deep... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse reads as a whole, They break a shaft away from man's abode; They are forgotten of the foot; Far away from men they hang, and swing. The first clause, lit. _away from the dweller_or _inhabitant_, describes how the miners sink their shaft deep down below and away from the abode of men a... [ Continue Reading ]
The same idea of the distance from the life of men and the unnaturalness of the miner's work is pursued in the fine contrast between the peaceful, cultivated and fruitful face of the earth above and the destructive operations carried on in her bowels, which leave a confusion and devastation like tha... [ Continue Reading ]
Through these operations which carry ruin into the bowels of the earth men, however, find the richest reward. The stones of the heart of the earth are the place of sapphires, and of auriferous dust. _it hath dust of gold_ "It" refers to the "place" in the first clause, hardly to the sapphire, altho... [ Continue Reading ]
_there is a path_ Rather, THAT PATH NO EAGLE KNOWETH, lit. _a path which no eagle_&c., the words taking up what is said in Job 28:6, the way to the place of sapphires. The sharp-sighted birds of prey have not seen that path.... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither have the proud wild beasts, which fearlessly penetrate into the darkest places, ever trodden that path. _the lion's whelps_ Rather, THE PROUD BEASTS, lit. _sons of pride_, ch. Job 41:34. _passed by it_ i. e. passed OVER it, walked it.... [ Continue Reading ]
_upon the rock_ Or, the FLINTY ROCK; man puts forth his hand upon the rock either to break it or pierce a way through it. His force makes the hardest obstacle give way before him.... [ Continue Reading ]
Some further touches regarding the irresistible force and the skilful ingenuity with which man conducts his operations, with the result at last of bringing that which is hidden forth to light.... [ Continue Reading ]
_cutteth out rivers_ The word "rivers" is that commonly used to denote the canals into which the Nile was divided, and might be translated _canals_or channels. Such canals might be intended for drawing off the water accumulating in the mine. The second clause suggests, however, that the word rather... [ Continue Reading ]
_he bindeth the floods from overflowing_ Rather, HE BINDETH UP THE STREAMS THAT THEY DRIP NOT, lit. _that they weep not._The reference is to the use of lime or clay to prevent water percolating into the mine. "The picturesque phrase (-that they weep not") may have been a technical term among miners... [ Continue Reading ]
The precious ores and costly stones though hidden have a place where they may be found, and man knows how to reach it and bring that which is hid to light, but where can Wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? It has no place and is unattainable by man; it is not to be found in the... [ Continue Reading ]
_the price thereof_ For "price" the Sept. read _way_man knoweth not the way thereof (cf. Job 28:23), i. e. the _way to it_, and very many commentators adopt this reading, which gives a more direct answer to the question in Job 28:12. It _price_be read, the phrase "man knoweth not the price thereof... [ Continue Reading ]
Three great regions are mentioned, none of which is the "place" of Wisdom, the land of the living, the deep, and the sea. These three exhaust the extent of the upper world. The "land of the living" is the earth as the abode of living beings, more especially of men, Psalms 52:5. The "deep" is the pri... [ Continue Reading ]
_for gold_ Probably, as margin, _fine gold_, i. e. purified gold; comp. 1 Kings 6:20, where a word somewhat similar occurs. _be weighed_ In ancient times money was weighed, not counted, Genesis 23:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
As the preceding verses (1 14) expressed the idea that there was no "place" of Wisdom where men could find it and from which they could bring it forth, these verses express the idea that it can be acquired by no price which men can offer for it. It is altogether unattainable. The passage may contain... [ Continue Reading ]
_it cannot be valued_ lit. _weighed for gold of Ophir._Wisdom is conceived as put in the balance as other articles are that are sold, the price given for it being gold of Ophir. The meaning is, it cannot be purchased for gold of Ophir. The word _weighed_here differs from that in Job 28:15, though it... [ Continue Reading ]
_and the crystal_ Probably GLASS, which was rare and counted precious in ancient times. _cannot equal it_ The word means to arrange, to set over against, to compare with. The idea here is that gold and glass cannot be _set against_Wisdom by way of _barter_, as the next clause distinctly states.... [ Continue Reading ]
_or of pearls_ Rather, OF CRYSTAL. _price of wisdom is above rubies_ Or, THE POSSESSION OF WISDOM IS ABOVE (or, more than) PEARLS, i. e. pearls cannot acquire it or give possession of it. The meaning is scarcely that Wisdom is a more precious thing to possess than pearls.... [ Continue Reading ]
_equal it_ See on Job 28:17. _be valued_ See on Job 28:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
The preceding verses indicated that Wisdom cannot be acquired by man though he should bid for it the most precious things that he possesses, in other words that it is unattainable; these verses state that idea again explicitly. The question Job 28:20 implies a negative answer nowhere by man.... [ Continue Reading ]
_seeing it is hid_ Rather simply, IT IS HIDDEN. Job 28:20 as summing up Job 28:15 meant, _thus Wisdom is nowhere to be attained; Job 28:21_proceeds, _it is hidden_&c. _kept close_ i. e. it is concealed from, unknown to the fowls of the air (comp. Job 28:7) no _creature_can attain to it.... [ Continue Reading ]
_destruction and death_ Heb. _Abaddon_and _Death_. Abaddon is Sheol, the realm of the dead, here personified, as also is Death. Comp. Revelation 1:18; Revelation 9:11, and see on ch. Job 26:6. _the fame thereof_ i. e. the _report_or rumour thereof. Destruction and Death have only _heard of_Wisdom,... [ Continue Reading ]
_God understandeth the way thereof_ i. e. the way THERETO (ch. Job 24:18; Genesis 3:24). The word _God_stands emphatically first in the sentence, in opposition to "all living" (Job 28:21); _He_is in possession of Wisdom. It need not be said that the words "place" and "way" are merely parts of the fi... [ Continue Reading ]
Wisdom can nowhere be found either by man or by any creature (Job 28:21), only by the Creator. _God_knoweth the place of it and is in possession of it, for He is the maker and upholder of the universe with all its agencies. And He has assigned to man as _his_wisdom the fear of the Lord.... [ Continue Reading ]
God is in possession of Wisdom for He is the upholder and creator of the world. _for he looketh to the ends of the earth_ His glance as creator and ruler of all extends over all, to the ends of the earth and to all that lies under the whole heavens.... [ Continue Reading ]
_to make the weight for the winds_ Or, MAKING (when he made), appointing the winds their greater or less force. The idea is of course that God weighed the winds themselves, i. e. defined their bulk exactly, not that, in modern language, he gave to each its weight or pressure, though the sense is lit... [ Continue Reading ]
_a decree for the rain_ This "decree" comprises all the laws that regulate the rain, appointing its measure and its seasons as early and latter rain.... [ Continue Reading ]
The idea of the preceding verse taken up anew and expanded in creation God saw Wisdom and searched it out.... [ Continue Reading ]
_then did he see it then_, i. e. when He made a decree for the rain in the act or at the time of creation, when He gave material agencies their laws. Then He "saw" Wisdom, she presented herself to His view. _and declare it_ The margin _number_or count (ch. Job 38:37) gives a very good sense, the mea... [ Continue Reading ]
_and unto man he said_ This ordinance in regard to man is also considered contemporary with creation; then God saw and searched out Wisdom, and at the same time, as suitable to man's place, He ordained for him _his_Wisdom, which is the fear of the Lord and to depart from evil. The Wisdom spoken of... [ Continue Reading ]