Job 28:4

_THE FLOOD BREAKETH OUT FROM THE INHABITANT; EVEN THE WATERS FORGOTTEN OF THE FOOT: THEY ARE DRIED UP, THEY ARE GONE AWAY FROM MEN._ Three hardships in mining: (1) 'A stream (flood) breaks out at the side of the stranger' х_ MEE`IM_ (H5973) _ GAAR_ (H1481) - literally, from alongside the stranger]: namely, the miner, a strange new-comer into places heretofore unexplored; his surprise at the sudden stream breaking out beside him is expressed (English version, from the inhabitant). Maurer and Gesenius translate, 'A shaft (or gully-like pit) is broken open far from the inhabitant' (the dwellers on the surface of the earth). (2) "Forgotten" (unsupported), by the foot they hang, by ropes, in descending. In the Hebrew, 'Lo there' [ha-] precedes this clause graphically placing it as if before the eye. The waters are inserted by the English version. Are drie

1-11 Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be discovered, but not the counsels of Heaven. Go to the miners, thou sluggard in religion, consider their ways, and be wise. Let their courage and diligence in seeking the wealth that perishes, shame us out of slothfulness and faint-heartedness in labouring for the true riches. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! How much easier, and safer! Yet gold is sought for, but grace neglected. Will the hopes of precious things out of the earth, so men call them, though really they are paltry and perishing, be such a spur to industry, and shall not the certain prospect of truly precious things in heaven be much more so?...

Verse Job 28:4. _THE FLOOD BREAKETH OUT FROM THE INHABITANT_] This passage is very difficult. Some think it refers to _mining_; others to _navigation_. If it refer to the former, it may be intended to point out the waters that spring up when the miners have sunk down to a considerable depth, so that the mine is drowned, and they are obliged to give it up. Previously to the invention of the steam-engine this was generally the case: hence ancient mines may be reopened and worked to great advantage, because we have the means now to take off the water which the ancient workers had not. When, therefore, floods break out in those _shafts_, they are abandoned; and thus they are, _FORGOTTEN OF THE FOOT_] No man treads there any more. The waters increase דלו _dallu, they are elevated_, they rise up to a level with the spring, or till they meet with some f

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 dwell they open a shaft, Unsupported by the feet, They are suspended, they swing away from men.” Herder: “A flood goeth out from the realm of oblivion, They draw it up from the foot of the mountain, They remove it away from men.” According to

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

THE FLOOD BREAKETH OUT FROM THE INHABITANT,.... Or, "so that there is no inhabitant" z; of the mine, as the miner may be said to be, who lives there continually; and, when a flood of water arises, which is an usual thing in mines, he is obliged to flee, and make haste to save his life: [EVEN THE WATERS] FORGOTTEN OF THE FOOT; such as never any foot of man touched, or was acquainted with, being subterraneous water, and never seen with the eye of man before, and who before knew not there were such floods underground a. A like figurative expression in Psalms 137:5; THEY ARE DRIED UP, THEY ARE GONE AWAY FROM MEN; though such a flood of waters rise apace, and flow in with great force, and threaten the miners' lives, and the ruin of their works; yet they are not discouraged, but by means of engines, pumps, and buckets, and such like things, draw

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

MEN. mortal men....

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 in the earth as if it were light and above ground as the next clause explains. _searcheth out all perfection_ Rather, SEARCHETH OUT TO THE VERY END, or, utmost limit, THE STONES OF DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, that is, the darkest recesses in the bowels of the earth. The word, very _end_or utmost _limit_is that occurring, ch. Job 26:10 (see notes) and ch. Job 11:7. On "shadow of death" see on ch....