SURELY THERE IS A VEIN FOR SILVER - Margin, “mine” Coverdale renders this, “There are places where silver is molten.” Prof. Lee renders it, “There is an outlet for the silver,” and supposes it means the coming out or separation of the silver from the earthy particles by which it is surrounded in the... [ Continue Reading ]
IRON - As has been remarked above, iron was early known, yet probably its common use indicates a more advanced state of civilization than that of gold and silver. The Mexicans were ignorant of the use of iron, though ornaments of gold and silver elegantly worked abounded among them. Iron is less eas... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SETTETH AN END TO DARKNESS - That is, man does. The reference here is undoubtedly to the operations of mining, and the idea is, that man delves into the darkest regions; he goes even to the outer limits of darkness; he penetrates everywhere. Probably the allusion is derived from the custom of car... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FLOOD BREAKETH OUT FROM THE INHABITANT - It would be difficult to tell what idea our translators affixed to this sentence, though it seems to be a literal version of the Hebrew. There has been a great variety of rendering given to the passage. Noyes translates it: “From the place where they dwe... [ Continue Reading ]
AS FOR THE EARTH, OUT OF IT COMETH BREAD - That is, it produces food, or the materials for bread. The idea of Job seems to be, that it was proof of great wisdom and skill on the part of man that he had carried the arts of agriculture so far. The earth in producing grain, and the arts of husbandry, w... [ Continue Reading ]
THE STONES OF IT ARE THE PLACE - Among the stones of the earth sapphires are found. “The situation of the sapphire is in alluvial soil, in the vicinity of rocks, belonging to the secondary floetz trap formation, and imbedded in gneiss.” Jameson. “The sapphire occurs in considerable abundance in the... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS A PATH WHICH NO FOWL KNOWETH - That is, a path in searching for gold and precious stones. The miner treads a way which is unseen by the bird of keenest vision. He penetrates into the deep darkness of the earth. The object of Job is to show the wisdom and the intrepidity of man in penetratin... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LION’S WHELPS - The lion that ventures into the most dangerous places in pursuit of prey, has not dared to go where man has gone in pursuit of precious stones and gold. On the words used here to designate the lion, see Bochart Hieroz P. 1. Lib. iii. c. 1.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE PUTTETH FORTH HIS HAND - That is, the miner in securing the precious metals and gems. UPON THE ROCK - Margin, “flint.” The word used here (חלמישׁ _challâmı̂ysh_) occurs also in Psalms 104:8. Deuteronomy 8:15; Deuteronomy 32:13. It means “flint, silex;” and the idea is, that the miner approaches... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CUTTETH OUT RIVERS AMONG THE ROCKS - That is, in his operations of mining, he cuts channels for the water to flow off through the rocks. This was done, as it is now, for the purpose of drawing off the water that accumulates in mines. HIS EYE SEETH EVERY PRECIOUS THING - Every valuable mineral or... [ Continue Reading ]
HE BINDETH THE FLOODS FROM OVERFLOWING - Margin, Weeping The Hebrew also is “from weeping” מבכי _mı̂b__e__kı̂y_; referring to the water which trickles down the shaft of the mine. The idea is, that even the large streams which break out in such mines, the fountains and springs which the miner encount... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHERE SHALL WISDOM BE FOUND? - That is, the full understanding of the plans of God - for this is the point of inquiry. The object of Job is to show that it is not to be found in the most profound science; by penetrating to the farthest extent of which man was capable in the earth, nor by any hum... [ Continue Reading ]
MAN KNOWETH NOT THE PRICE THEREOF - The word rendered “price” (ערך _‛__êrek_) means properly that which is set in a pile or row, or which is arranged in order. Here it means preparation, equipment - that is, anything put in order, or ready, Judges 17:10. It is also used in the sense of estimation o... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DEPTH SAITH - This is a beautiful personification. The object of this verse and the following is, to show that wisdom cannot be found in the deepest recesses to which man can penetrate, nor purchased by anything which man possesses. It must come from God only. The word “depth” here (תהום _t__e__... [ Continue Reading ]
IT CANNOT BE GOTTEN FOR GOLD - Margin, “fine gold shall not be given for it.” The word which is here rendered “gold.” and in the margin “fine gold” (סגור _s__e__gôr_), is not the common word used to denote this metal. It is derived from סגר _sâgar_, to “shut,” to “close,” and means properly that w... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GOLD OF OPHIR - Uniformly spoken of as the most precious gold; see the notes at Job 22:24. WITH THE PRECIOUS ONYX - The onyx is a semi-pellucid gem, with variously colored veins or zones. It is a variety of the chalcedony. The Arabic word denotes that which was of two colors, where the white pr... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GOLD AND THE CRYSTAL - A crystal, in chemistry, is an inorganic body which, by the operation of affinity, has assumed the form of a regular solid, terminated by a number of plane and smooth surfaces. It is round in various forms and sizes, and is composed of a great variety of substances. The co... [ Continue Reading ]
NO MENTION SHALL BE MADE OF CORAL - That is, as a price by which to purchase wisdom, or in comparison with wisdom. The margin here is, “Ramoth” - retaining the Hebrew word ראמה _râ'mâh_. Jerome renders it, _“excelsa”_ - exalted or valuable things. So the Septuagint, Μετέωρα _Meteōra_ - exalted o... [ Continue Reading ]
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 oth... [ Continue Reading ]
WHENCE THEN COMETH WISDOM? - This question is now repeated from Job 28:12, in order to give it greater emphasis. It is designed to fix the attention on the inquiry as one which found no solution in the discoveries of science, and whose solution was hidden from the most penetrating human intellect.... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS HID FROM THE EYES OF ALL LIVING - That is, of all people, and of all animals. Man has not found it by the most sagacious of all his discoveries, and the keenest vision of beasts and fowls has not traced it out. AND KEPT CLOSE - Hebrew “concealed.” FROM THE FOWLS OF THE AIR - Compare the notes... [ Continue Reading ]
DESTRUCTION - This is a personification which is exceedingly sublime. Job had spoken of the wonderful discoveries made by science, but none of them had disclosed true wisdom. It had not been discovered in the shaft which the miner sank deep in the earth; in the hidden regions which he laid open to d... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD UNDERSTANDETH THE WAY THEREOF - These are doubtless the words of Job. The meaning is, that the reason of the divine dispensations could be known only to God himself. He had given no clew by which man could discover this. He might carry his investigations far into the regions of science; he could... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE LOOKETH TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - That is, God sees and knows everything. He looks upon the whole universe. Man sees objects dimly; he sees but a few, and he little understands the bearing of one thing or another.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO MAKE THE WEIGHT FOR THE WINDS - That is, to weigh the winds and to measure the waters - things that it would seem most difficult to do. The idea here seems to be, that God had made all things by measure and by rule. Even the winds - so fleeting and imponderable - he had adjusted and balanced in t... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN HE MADE A DECREE FOR THE RAIN - A statute or law (חק _chôq_) by which the rain is regulated. It is not sent by chance or hap-hazard. It is under the operation of regular and settled laws. We cannot suppose that those laws were understood in the time of Job, but the fact might be understood tha... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN DID HE SEE IT - That is, then did he see wisdom. When in the work of creation he gave laws to the rain and the thunder storm; when he weighed out the winds and measured out the waters, then he saw and understood the principles of true wisdom. There is a remarkable similarity between the express... [ Continue Reading ]
AND UNTO MAN HE SAID - At what time, or how, Job does not say. Prof. Lee supposes that this refers to the instruction which God gave in Paradise to our first parents; but it may rather be supposed to refer to the universal tenor of the divine communications to man, and to all that God had said about... [ Continue Reading ]