Job 28:16

_IT CANNOT BE VALUED WITH THE GOLD OF OPHIR, WITH THE PRECIOUS ONYX, OR THE SAPPHIRE._ Gold of Ophir - the most precious (note, Job 22:24; Psalms 45:9). ONYX - (Genesis 2:12). More valued formerly than now. The term is Greek, meaning thumb-nail, from some resemblance in colour. The Arabic denotes of two colours, white preponderating....

12-19 Job here speaks of wisdom and understanding, the knowing and enjoying of God and ourselves. Its worth is infinitely more than all the riches in this world. It is a gift of the Holy Ghost which cannot be bought with money. Let that which is most precious in God's account, be so in ours. Job asks after it as one that truly desired to find it, and despaired of finding it any where but in God; any way but by Divine revelation....

Verse Job 28:16. _THE GOLD OF OPHIR_] Gold is _five_ times mentioned in this and verses Job 28:17 and Job 28:19, and _four_ of the times in different words. I shall consider them all at once. 1. סגור SEGOR, from סגר _sagar_, to _shut up. Gold._ in the _mine_, or _shut up_ in the _ore; native_ gold washed by the streams out of the mountains, c. _unwrought gold_. Ver. Job 28:16. 2. כתם KETHEM, from כתם _catham_, to _sign_ or _stamp:_ _gold_ made _current_ by being _coined_, or _stamped_ with its _weight_ or _value_; what we would call sta

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 predominated. The Greeks gave the name “onyx” ὄνυξ _onux_ to the gem from its resemblance to the color of the thumbnail; see Passow. OR THE SAPPHIRE - See the notes at Job 28:6....

EXPOSITION JOB 28:1 The connection of this chapter with the preceding is somewhat obscure. Probably we are to regard Job as led to see, even while he is justifying God's ways with sinners (Job 27:8), how many and how great are the difficulties in the way of forming a single consistent theory of the Divine action, which shall be applicable to all cases. Hence he comes to the conclusion that God is incomprehensible by man and inscrutable; and that it is only given to man to know him sufficiently for his practical guidance. To impress this on his hearers is his main object (verses 12-28); and, to impress it the more, he introduces it by a sharp contrast. Wonderful as is man's cleverness and ingenuity in respect of earthly things and physical phenomena (verses 1-11), with respect to h

IT CANNOT BE VALUED WITH THE GOLD OF OPHIR,.... Which is often spoken of in Scripture as choice gold, if not the best; Job 22:24; the sense is, that the gold of Ophir is not of the value of wisdom, or of the same worth with that, and so not sufficient to purchase it: with the precious onyx and sapphire: two precious stones that were in the breastplate of the high priest, of which Exodus 28:9, Exodus 28:18, and Exodus 28:20; but not so precious, or of such value as wisdom. Pliny y speaks of the onyx stone as in Arabia, near which Job lived, and who doubtless was acquainted with it and its worth, and also with the

CHAPTER 28 _ 1. The treasures of the earth (Job 28:1)_ 2. The better treasures (Job 28:7) 3. God knoweth the way and the true wisdom (Job 28:23) Job 28:1. This part of the monologue of Job does not seem to have much relation, if any, to the controversial matter of the previous Chapter s. He speaks first of the treasures of the earth, the riches which man seeks after, but which do not last, and are so often man's undoing. Job shows that he had a good knowledge of mining operations. He knows of veins of silver and how gold is refined. Iron is taken out of the earth and copper molten out of stone. Then he describes how the miner with

JOB 28. Here again we come to a critical question. It is difficult to fit this chapter into the argument, whether Job 27:7 is given to Job or to Zophar. It is a widely accepted conclusion of scholars that the chapter is an independent poem on Wisdom (a very fine one) which has somehow found its way into the text of the Book of Job. In its present form it opens with the word For, marking a connexion with something that has gone before; so that the beginning appears to be lost. Duhm has suggested that since the word whence cometh wisdom (or where shall wisdom be found) and where is the place of understanding? occur as a refrain in the poem, it probably also began with them. The poem has a parallel in Proverbs 8. JOB 28:1. THE FIRST STROPHE. (Where shall wisdom be found?) For silver, gold, iron, and copper c

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 the additional idea of the preciousness or desirableness of Wisdom (see Job 28:18), but the purpose of these verses is not to set forth wisdom as a good or as the chief good, for which one might willingly give all that he holds most precious; the thought of the passage is that _though_one should offer gold and precious stones for Wisdom it cannot be procured, being nowhere to be found. That the Writer's purpose is to express this conception mainly is evident from the refrain which closes the passage, as a similar one closed the preceding passage: But Wisdom whence cometh it? and where is the...

BUT WHERE SHALL WISDOM BE FOUND?— Job continues to give further instances of the daring and yet successful attempts of mankind, to provide themselves with every necessary and conveniency of life; such as corn for bread; (Job 28:5.) fountains of water in the dry places, where they are wanted, cut out of the hard rock; (Job 28:10.) and rapid rivers restrained within their channels to prevent the mischiefs of their overflow: Job 28:11. To which he adds again gold and sapphires, and other precious stones, dug from the deep dark caverns of the earth, _where the lion's foot never trod, nor the vulture's eye hath reached:_ in short, that there is scarcely any thing so concealed, but that the industry of man hath brought it to light; wisdom alone