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Job Chapter
Twenty-eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 28
The
design of this chapter is either to show the folly of such who are very
diligent in their search and pursuit after earthly things, and neglect an
inquiry after that which is infinitely more valuable, true wisdom; or rather to
observe, that though things the most secret, and which are hidden in the bowels
of the earth, may be investigated and discovered by the sagacity and diligence
of men, yet wisdom cannot, especially the wisdom of God in his providences,
which are past finding out; and particularly in what concerns the prosperity of
the wicked, and the afflictions of the righteous; the reason of which men
should be content to be ignorant of for the present, and be studious to possess
that wisdom which is attainable, and be thankful for it, if they have it; which
lies in the fear of the Lord, and a departure from evil, with which this
chapter concludes. It begins with setting forth the sagacity of men in
searching and finding out useful metals, and other things the earth produces;
the difficulty, fatigue, and labour, that attend such a search, and the dangers
they are exposed unto in it, Job 28:1; then it
declares the unsearchableness of wisdom, its superior excellency to things the
most valuable, and that it is not to be found by sea or land, or among any of
the creatures, Job 28:12; and that
God only knows its way and place, who has sought it out, prepared and declared
it, Job 28:23; and that
which he has thought fit to make known of it, and is most for his glory and the
good of men, is, that it is to fear God, and depart from evil, Job 28:28.
Job 28:1 “Surely
there is a mine for silver, And a place where gold is refined.
YLT
1Surely there is for silver
a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
Surely there is a vein for the silver,.... Silver is
mentioned first, not because the most valuable, for gold is preferable to it,
as brass is to iron, and yet iron is mentioned first in Job 28:2; but
because silver might be first known, or was first in use, especially in the
coinage of money; we read of pieces of silver, or shekels of silver, in the
times of Abraham, but not of any golden coin, Genesis 23:15; and
among the old Romans silver was coined before goldF16Plin. Nat.
Hist. l. 33. c. 3. ; it has its name from a word which signifies
"desire", because it is desirable to men, it answering to various
uses and purposes; and sometimes the desires and cravings of men after it are
enlarged too far, and become criminal, and so the root of all evil to them: and
now there is a "vein" for it in the earth, or a mine in which it may
be dug for, and found, in which it runs as veins in a man's body, in certain
ramifications, like branches of trees, as they do; and the inhabitants of
Hispaniola, and other parts of the West Indies, when found out by Columbus,
which abounded with gold mines, declared that they found by experience that the
vein of gold is a living tree, (and so the same, perhaps, may be said of
silver,) and that it spreads and springs from the root, which they say extends
to the centre of the earth by soft pores and passages of the earth, and puts
forth branches, even to the uppermost part of the earth, and ceases not till it
discovers itself unto the open air; at which time it shows forth certain
beautiful colours instead of flowers, round stones of golden earth instead of
fruits, and thin plates instead of leavesF17Peter Martyr. Decad. 3.
l. 8. ; so here there is a vein, or a "going out for the silver"F18מוצא "exitus", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus,
Drusius, Michaelis; "egressio", Vatablus. , by which it makes its
way, as observed of the gold, and shows itself by some signs and tokens where
it may be found; or rather this egress is made for it, by opening the mine
where it is, digging into it, and fetching it out of it, and from whence great
quantities are often brought. In Solomon's time it was made as the stones in
Jerusalem, 1 Kings 10:27;
and a place for gold where they fine it; there are
particular places for this most excellent of all metals, which has its name in
Hebrew from its yellow colour; all countries do not produce it; some are famous
for it, and some parts of them, as the land of Havilah, where was gold, and
that gold was good, Genesis 2:11; and
Ophir; hence we often read of the gold of Ophir, so called from the place where
it was found, as in this chapter, Job 28:16; and now
the Spanish West Indies; but nearer to Job than these gold was found; there
were not only mountains that abounded with gold near to Horeb, in the desert of
ArabiaF19Hieron. de loc. Heb. fol. 90. A. , but it was to be found
with the SabeansF20Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28. , the near
neighbours of Job; yea, the Ophir before referred to was in Arabia. Some
understand this of the place where pure gold is found already refined, and
needs no melting and refining; and of such PlinyF21Ut supra, (Plin.
Nat. Hist. l. 33.) c. 4. speaks, and of large lumps and masses of it; but for
the most part it lies in ore, which needs refining; and so here it may intend
the place where it is found in the ore, and from whence it is taken and had to
the place where it is refined; for melting places used to be near where the
golden ore was found; and so when Hispaniola was first found by Columbus, the
gold that was dug out of the mountains of Cibana, and other places, were
brought to two shops, which were erected with all things appertaining to melt
and refine it, and cast into wedges; and so early as that, in these two shops,
were molten yearly three hundred thousand pound weight of goldF23P.
Martyr. Decad. 1. l. 10. .
Job 28:2 2 Iron is taken from the
earth, And copper is smelted from ore.
YLT
2Iron from the dust is
taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
Iron is taken out of the earth,.... Very easily, and in
great plenty, and is more common, being in most countries, is nearer the
surface of the earth, and here said to be taken "out of the dust"F24מעפר "e pulvere", V. L. Montanus, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens. ; which, being melted in
a furnace, produces iron, a metal very serviceable for various rises, and
without which there is scarce any thing to be done, and therefore was with
brass of early invention. Tubalcain, son of Lamech, supposed to be the Vulcan
of the Heathens, a worker in iron, is said to be the instructor of every
artificer in brass and iron, Genesis 4:22;
and brass is molten out of the stone; out of a
brassy stone, called "cadmai", as Pliny says, and also out of
another, as he observesF25Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 1, 2. , called
"chalcites", found in Cyprus, where was the first invention of brass,
according to him, and hence perhaps copper had its name; but it is plain from
Scripture, the places before referred to, that it was invented elsewhere, and
long before Cyprus was known; or a "stone melted becomes brass", see Deuteronomy 8:9; of
these four metals was the image in Nebuchadnezzar's vision, which represented
the four monarchies of the world, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, Daniel 2:30; and to
them are compared, and by them are represented many things in Scripture.
Job 28:3 3 Man
puts an end to darkness, And searches every recess For ore in the darkness and
the shadow of death.
YLT
3An end hath he set to
darkness, And to all perfection he is searching, A stone of darkness and
death-shade.
He setteth an end to darkness,.... Some understand this
and what follows of God, who, by making the luminaries, has fixed the periods
and revolutions of light and darkness, of day and night; or who has determined
the times before appointed, for the discoveries of things in nature, as mines
of gold, silver, and precious stones, how long they should lie in darkness, and
then be brought to light, and who searches out the perfection of all things in
nature; and makes them known to men, when he himself and his ways are not to be
found out unto perfection by men; but rather this is to be understood of the
miner that digs for the above metals, who, when he opens a mine, lets in
natural light, or carries artificial light along with him, and so puts an end
to the darkness which had reigned there before, even from the creation:
and searcheth out all perfection; searches thoroughly the
mines he opens, and gets all he can out of them, and searches perfectly into
the nature of the ore; he finds, and tries, and proves it, what it is, its
worth and value:
the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death; searches and
digs through them, to get at what he is seeking; or brings stones, precious
stones, to light, which lay in darkness from the beginning, and in such places
which were the shadow of death, and looked dismal and horrible, and even
threatened with death, to get into and fetch them out: so spiritual miners,
that search into the mines of the Scriptures, should not be discouraged with
darkness and difficulties that may attend their search; but should continue it,
in order to find out truths that have lain in darkness, more precious than gold
and silver, and the richest gems; and such who search for them in like manner
as miners do shall find them, Proverbs 2:4.
Job 28:4 4 He breaks open a shaft
away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from
men; They swing to and fro.
YLT
4A stream hath broken out
from a sojourner, Those forgotten of the foot, They were low, from man they
wandered.
The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant,.... Or,
"so that there is no inhabitant"F26מעם
גר "qui accolas non fert", Tigurine
version; "dimisso accola", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator;
"ut non sit accola", Mercerus. ; 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 undergroundF1Vid. Senecae
Nat. Quaest. l. 5. c. 15. . A like figurative expression in Psalm 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 up the
waters, and clear the mines of them; and they are gone from the workmen, who
return to their work again, and go on with their mining: and so sometimes
spiritual miners are interrupted by a flood of Satan's temptations, the world's
persecutions, and various afflictions; but, by the assistance of the spirit and
grace of God, whereby a standard is lifted up against them, they get clear of
them, and receive no hurt by them, but go on cheerfully in the work of the
Lord, Isaiah 59:19.
Job 28:5 5 As for
the earth, from it comes bread, But underneath it is turned up as by fire;
YLT
5The earth! from it cometh
forth bread, And its under-part is turned like fire.
As for the earth, out
of it cometh bread,.... That is, bread corn, or corn of which bread is made
particularly wheat; which falling, or being cast into the earth, rises up and
brings forth fruit, and, when ground into flour, makes fine bread; and to this
same original the psalmist ascribes bread, which strengthens man's heart, Psalm 104:14. The
West Indians formerly made their bread of roots of the earth, particularly one
called "jucca"F2P. Martyr, Decad 1. l. 1. ; so Caesar's
soldiers in distress made bread of a root called "chara", steeped in
milkF3Caesar. Comment. Bell. Civil. l. 3. c. 48. :
and under it is turned up as it were fire; coal, which
is fuel for fire; for, as in the earth are mines for gold and silver, iron and
brass, out of which they are dug, or the ore of them, so there is coal under
the earth; which, when turned up, or dug, is taken for firing; or brimstone, or
sulphureous matter, which is easily inflammable; and sometimes the same earth,
the surface of which is covered with corn, out of which bread cometh,
underneath are coal, or sulphur, and such like combustible matter: some think
precious stones are meant, which glitter and sparkle like fire; see Ezekiel 28:14.
Job 28:6 6 Its stones are the
source of sapphires, And it contains gold dust.
YLT
6A place of the sapphire
[are] its stones, And it hath dust of gold.
The stones of it are the place of sapphires,.... In some
parts of the earth its stones are a quarry of sapphires, put here for all
precious stones: this is a most excellent precious stone, of a sky colour, with
golden specks, and was one of the stones in the breast plate of the high
priest; and by which are represented the pavement under the feet of the God of
Israel, the throne of Christ, his bowels and affections for his people, the
comeliness of them, and the glory of his church in the latter day, Exodus 24:10;
and it hath dust of gold; some parts of the earth
abound with the dust of gold; its dust is gold, or it hath gold as plenty as
dust; though some think this refers to the sapphire in the preceding clause,
which, as Pliny saysF4Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 9. , has "pulvis
aureus", dust of gold, in it, and shines and sparkles with golden points,
or specks; and so say other writersF5Ruaeus de Gemmis, l. 2. c. 2. ;
but the word used rather signifies clods, lumps, masses of gold, which better
agree with the earth; and, besides, no very good reason can be given why there
should be such a particular description of the sapphire; whereas the earth is
the original of that, and of all the other things before spoken of.
Job 28:7 7 That
path no bird knows, Nor has the falcon’s eye seen it.
YLT
7A path -- not known it hath
a ravenous fowl, Nor scorched it hath an eye of the kite,
There is a path which
no fowl knoweth,.... A path made by miners to the gold, silver, brass, and iron
ores; to the places where gems and precious stones lie; the way to which was
never seen, and could never have been discovered by the most sharp-sighted
fowl, as "the eagle"F4עיט
"ad id alludit aquiae Graecum vocabulum" αετος,
Bochart. Hierozoic par. 1. l. 1. c. 9. col. 59. Broughton renders it "a
kite". ; which some think is particularly intended; and the Greek word for
an eagle seems to be derived from the word used in the text: this fowl, the
king of birds, as it is the swiftest, it is the most quick-sighted of any; but,
though it is eager, and looks out sharp after its prey, and which it beholds at
a great distance, and in the most secret lurking places, and flies unto it, and
seizes upon it at once, yet it never could look into the bowels of the earth,
or discover a track leading thereunto; in this it is outdone by the diligent
and laborious miner, who is not at a loss to make his way into the inmost and
darkest recesses of the earth:
which the vulture's eye hath not seen; which is next
to the eagle, and some of them are of the species of it, and is a very
sharp-sighted creature, even to a proverb, as well as voracious, which makes it
diligent to search everywhere for its prey; and yet this creature's sharp and
piercing eye never saw the path the miners make by digging into the earth, in
order to get metals and minerals from it. Some understand this path of
subterraneous paths in nature, made of God, through which rivers of water pass
that were never seen by creatures of the quickest sight; it may rather be
applied to the paths of God in providence, which are unsearchable and past
finding out, by men of the most sagacious and penetrating capacities, though
they will hereafter be made manifest; and also to his paths of love, grace, and
mercy towards the sons of men, which are the deep things of God, searched into
and revealed by his Spirit, or otherwise could not be known; as well as to the
ways and paths of righteousness and holiness, of faith and truth, of the word
and ordinances God has revealed, as his mind and will his people should walk
in, which otherwise would not be known, and are not by carnal men; and
especially to the principal way and path, Christ Jesus, who is the way to the
Father, the way to everlasting happiness, the way of life and salvation, the
high way and way of holiness, in which men, though fools, shall not err, and of
which some things are said in Isaiah 35:8; which
greatly agree with what are said of this path, here and in Job 28:8, this way
of peace is not known by carnal men, nor the things of it discerned by natural
men, though ever so sagacious; see Romans 3:17.
Job 28:8 8 The proud lions[a] have not
trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.
YLT
8Nor trodden it have the
sons of pride, Not passed over it hath the fierce lion.
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed
by it. Or "upon it"F5עליו
"super eam", Schultens. ; such creatures that are exceeding fierce
and cruel, hungry and voracious, eager after their prey, range here and there
in pursuit of it, search every hole and corner, and rove in dens and caves of
the earth; yet these never traversed such ways and paths the miners make to get
out the wealth and riches of the earth. Wicked men are sometimes compared to
lions, for their cruelty and oppression exercised on the saints, breathing out
threatenings and slaughter against them, Psalm 57:4; and
particularly tyrannical princes and persecutors, as the kings of Assyria and
Babylon, and Nero the Roman emperor, Jeremiah 1:17;
these never trod the way of holiness, nor walked in the path of truth, nor knew
the wisdom of God in a mystery, nor the Lord of life and glory, and the way of
life and salvation by him; which is a way the unclean walk not in, or persons
of such a temper and disposition; see Isaiah 35:8. The
former clause may be rendered, as it is by some, "the children of
pride"F6בני שחץ
"filii superbiae", Montanus, Beza, Bolducius, Vatablus. , and as it
is in Job 41:34, which is
the only place besides this where it is used; and so the Septuagint version,
"the children of proud men": and may be accommodated to
self-righteous persons, who are proud boasters of themselves and of their
works, and go about to establish their own righteousness, and despise and will
not submit unto the righteousness of Christ; these tread not in nor walk upon
the good old way, and the only way of life, righteousness, and salvation, by
Christ.
Job 28:9 9 He puts his hand on the
flint; He overturns the mountains at the roots.
YLT
9Against the flint he sent
forth his hand, He overturned from the root mountains.
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock,.... The
discourse is carried on concerning the miner, and digger in the earth for
metals and precious stones; who meeting with a rock or flint, and a ridge of
them, is not discouraged, but goes to work therewith, and with his hammer in
his hand lays upon the rock or flint, and beats it to pieces, and with proper
instruments cuts through it; and using fire and vinegar, as PlinyF7Nat.
Hist. l. 33. c. 4. "----Montem rumpit aceto", Juvenal. Sat. 10. v.
153. observes, makes his way into it, and oftentimes by splitting it discovers
goldF8lbid. or silver, or precious stones, in it:
he overturneth the mountains by the roots; or turns them
up from the roots; he roots them up, he undermines them; he turns up the earth
at the roots of them, to get what is hid at the bottom, or in the bowels of
them. Some understand this, and what is said in the following verses, of God,
and of wonderful things done by him; so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and others; and to
whom indeed such things are sometimes ascribed in Scripture: he touches the
hills, and they smoke, Psalm 104:32; lays
his hand on the rock, and removes it out of its place, Job 14:18; it was
he that smote and opened the rock at Horeb, and the waters gushed out, Exodus 17:6; yea,
turned the rock into standing water, and the flint into a fountain of water, Psalm 114:8, and
he, in a figurative sense, has laid his hand on the rock Christ, and smote him
with the rod of justice, whereby the blessings of grace come flowing down upon
his people; and he it is that puts forth his hand of powerful and efficacious
grace upon the rocky hearts of men, and with the hammer of his word breaks them
to pieces, Jeremiah 23:29, and
takes away the stony heart, and gives an heart of flesh, Ezekiel 11:19, and
he also, in a literal sense, overturns hills and mountains by their roots,
through storms, and tempests, and earthquakes; and figuratively, kingdoms and
states, that lie in the way of his interest; for what are these mountains
before the great Zerubbabel? they soon and easily become a plain; and so breaks
through all difficulties, which proverbially may be signified by removing
mountains, that seem to obstruct and hinder the conversion and salvation of his
people; he makes those mountains a way, and his highways are exalted; see Song of Solomon 2:8;
but the former sense is best, and most agreeable to the context.
Job 28:10 10 He cuts out channels in
the rocks, And his eye sees every precious thing.
YLT
10Among rocks, brooks he hath
cleaved, And every precious thing hath his eye seen.
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks,.... By
cleaving rocks asunder in order to find out things of value in the cliffs of
them; or by cutting his way through them, the miner opens a course for rivers
and floods of water, to drain off from his mines, and so can go on with his
works more comfortably, and with success; though sometimes they sink through
high rocks, till they go so far below their basis, that they can go no further
for water, in some places forty or fifty fathom deepF9Philos.
Transaet. abridged, vol. 2. p. 469. :
and his eye seeth every precious thing; in the cliffs
of the rock, or at the bottom of the rivers and floods, as they go off, or in
the mines he digs, even gold or silver, or precious stones: hence came the
fable of Lynceus, and from him the phrase of Lyncean eyesF11Horat.
Sermon. l. 1. Satyr. 2. v. 90. , who was said to see all things under the
earth, because he was the first that searched for metals, as brass, silver,
&c. and in search of them carried lamps, or links, under the earthF12Palaephat.
de Incredib. c. 10. . This verse is also by some ascribed to God, who is said
to cleave the fountain and the flood, and to dry up mighty rivers; and also to
open rivers in high places, in hills, mountains, and rocks, as well as
sometimes in the middle of the valleys, Psalm 74:15; and
who, in a spiritual sense, has cut out and opened the river of his pure love
and grace, which flows from the throne of God and the Lamb; and the fulness of
grace in Christ, which is as rivers of water in a dry land; and the graces of
the Spirit in his people, which flow out of them as rivers of living water; and
his word and ordinances in his church, which are the rivers of pleasure he
makes his saints to drink of in it: and his eye of omniscience, which sees all
things in particular, sees all the precious things in nature; the precious
things of heaven, and earth, and sea; the precious things brought forth by the
sun and moon; and the precious tidings of the ancient mountains and everlasting
hills, the gold, silver, and precious stones that lie hid in the bowels of
them, Deuteronomy 33:13;
and who also sees all precious persons, and things, in a spiritual sense; he
beholds his precious Son, his precious blood, righteousness, and sacrifice,
with delight and pleasure; and his eye of love, grace, and mercy, upon the
precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, jewels, and precious stones;
and sees all the precious graces of the Spirit in them, with acceptance and
good will.
Job 28:11 11 He dams up the streams
from trickling; What is hidden he brings forth to light.
YLT
11From overflowing floods he
hath bound, And the hidden thing bringeth out [to] light.
He bindeth the floods from overflowing,.... As the
miner finds ways and means of cutting through rocks, and draining and carrying
off the waters in his mine; so he makes use of other methods of restraining and
keeping back the waters from coming into and overflowing his works, and even
"from weeping"F13מבכי "a
fletu", Montanus, Bolducius, Junius & Tremellius, Michaelis,
Schultens; so Broughton; "a stillatione", Vatablus, Mercerus,
Drusius. , as in the original text; he binds them up so firmly, and stops every
avenue and passage so close, that the waters cannot so much as ooze, or distil
and drop as a tear from the eye:
and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light; the several
metals and minerals, gems and precious stones, that lay hid in the bosom of the
earth, are fetched out, and brought to light by the diligence and labours of
the miner; the same that are called stones of darkness, and of the shadow of
death, Job 28:3. This
verse is likewise by several interpreted of God, and of what is done by him in
the things of nature and providence; he it is that at first shut up the sea
with doors; made the cloud its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling bands,
in which he wrapped and bound it, as an infant, and still sets bars and doors
to it, and says, hitherto shalt thou come, and no further, Job 38:8; and, in a
spiritual sense, he restrains the floods of affliction from overflowing and
overwhelming his people; and, when the temptations of Satan come in like a
flood upon them, his Spirit sets up a standard against them, which keeps them
from doing them any harm; and, when the wrath of persecutors rises up against
them, and threatens them with destruction, he withholds those proud waters from
going over their souls and overwhelming them: and so likewise it is he that
bringeth hidden things to light, things in nature men had never seen or known
before; things in providence, dark and intricate; things in grace, out of the
sight of the most penetrating understanding: he reveals the secrets of his love
and grace to them that fear him; the glorious scheme of salvation by Christ,
which was hid in himself, in the thoughts, purposes, and counsels of his heart;
the mysteries of his Gospel, hid from the wise and prudent, Matthew 11:25; and
life and immortality itself, or the way to it, which he has brought to light
through the Gospel; yea, he brings to light all the hidden things of a man's
heart, and sets them before him, and convinces him of them in a loving way; and
if not now, he will hereafter "bring to light the hidden things of darkness,
and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts", 1 Corinthians 4:5;
but, as before observed, it is best to understand the whole paragraph of
miners; of their sagacity in opening mines, and searching into the bowels of
the earth, where none were ever before them; and of their indefatigableness,
industry, and labour therein, and of the success that attends them; Job's
design being to show, that things rich and valuable, and most remote from the
sight of men, may, by diligent application, be investigated and obtained; yet
such wisdom is not attainable as to understand the reason of the various
dealings of God with the sons of men, both good and bad; and therefore, after
all he had said on the above subject, still the question is as follows.
Job 28:12 12 “But where can wisdom be
found? And where is the place of understanding?
YLT
12And the wisdom -- whence is
it found? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
But where shall wisdom be found?.... Though there is a
vein for silver, a track where that lies, and is to be come at, and a place
where gold is found, and where it may be refined, and parts of the earth, out
of which brass and iron, and bread corn, may be produced, and even from whence
may be fetched brilliant gems and precious stones; which, though attended with
many difficulties, in cutting through rocks, draining rivers, and restraining
the waters, yet are got over through the art and skill, industry, diligence,
and labour of men; so that their eyes behold every precious thing their minds
desire, and they bring to light what have been laid up in darkness from the
creation of the world: but, though these things may be found by search and labour,
the question is, what vein is there for wisdom, or where is the place in which
that may be found? by which may be meant the wisdom of God, as a perfection in
him; which, though displayed in some measure in the works of creation and
providence, yet not completely, and especially in his dealings with the
children of men; in all which there is undoubtedly the wisdom of God; yet it is
such a depth as is unfathomable by mortals: such are God's dealings with men in
a way of distinguishing grace and mercy, as that he should take no notice of
any of the whole body of apostate angels that sinned against him, but doomed
them all to destruction; and yet there should be a philanthropy, a love of men
in him, and such as to give his Son to die for them, and redeem them from ruin
and destruction; also that he should make a difference among men, and ordain
some to eternal life, while others are foreordained to condemnation and death,
when all were in the same situation, condition, and circumstances; and such
likewise were his dealings with the Israelites, and other nations of the world,
part of which Job was not a stranger to; as his choosing them to be his
peculiar people before all others, and bestowing peculiar favours upon them,
not because they were more in quantity, or better in quality, but because this
was his pleasure; when he suffered all other nations to walk in their own ways,
for many hundreds of years, and winked at the times of their ignorance; and
yet, after a long course of time, rejected the people of the Jews, and wrote a
"loammi", or "not my people", Hosea 1:9, on them,
and took out from the Gentiles a people for his name; so that they, who were
not a people, were called the people of God, and the Jews were broken off, and
the Gentiles grafted in; and when the fulness of them is brought in, there will
be a turn again, and then all Israel shall be saved: upon all which the apostle
breaks out in this exclamation, which may serve as a comment on this text,
"oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Romans 11:33;
particularly here may be meant the wisdom of God in his dealings with men, good
and bad, in afflicting good men, and in suffering the wicked to prosper: this
is a fact Job had fully proved, and it cannot be denied; and there is, no
doubt, much of the wisdom of God herein; he does all things well and wisely; as
he cannot do an unjust thing, so neither an unwise one; though his wisdom is
unsearchable, his judgments are a great deep, and not to be fathomed by men,
not only not by weak men and wicked men, but even by the wisest and best of
men, as Asaph and Jeremiah: and this being the case, Job suggests to his
friends, that the dealings of God with him, and the reasons of them, and his
wisdom in them, were not to be searched out by them; and that they should
forbear imputing his afflictions to hypocrisy, or to secret sins indulged by
him; but to leave all, without making rash censures and wrong constructions,
until the time should come when the judgments of God should be made manifest;
such wisdom and knowledge, as to account for God's different dealings with men,
being too wonderful, too high to attain unto, and quite out of their reach. The
Jews, as particularly Jarchi, understand by wisdom the law, not to be found in
the depth or in the sea; and illustrate the words by Deuteronomy 30:11;
but it is much better to interpret it of the Gospel, to which the apostle
applies the above passage, Romans 10:6; in
which there is a glorious display of the wisdom of God, in all the truths and
doctrines of it; that it is a mysterious wisdom, hidden wisdom, hid from the
wise and prudent, and not to be attained unto by the light nature and carnal
reason; it contains the deep things of God, which the Spirit of God alone
searches and reveals; but why may not Christ, the Wisdom of God, be thought of?
since many things are said in the following verses, as are of Wisdom, as a
divine Person, in Proverbs 8:13; in
whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid, and on whom the spirit
of wisdom and counsel rests, as Mediator; and who, as a divine Person, is the
only wise God, and our Saviour: and to this question in Job's time, "where
shall wisdom be found?" the only answer to be given is, that he, the Logos,
or Wisdom, was with God, as one brought up with him, rejoicing always before
him and that he lay in his bosom, Proverbs 8:30; and
to the same question in our time it must be returned, that he is in heaven at
the right hand of God; but that there is no coming at the true knowledge of him
by the light of nature, or by the law of Moses, but by means of the Gospel, and
through the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. The first
of these senses, respecting the wisdom of God in his different dealings with
men, good and bad, is most generally given into by interpreters, and seems to
suit well with the preceding dispute between Job and his friends: but if we look
forward in the chapter, we shall find this question repeated, and an answer
given to it as in the negative, so in the affirmative, that God knows the place
of it; that he has searched it out, seen it, and declared it; and it is this,
"the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is
understanding", Job 28:20; by which
it should seem, that this wisdom is supernatural wisdom, or understanding in men;
which lies in the fear of God, and the effects of it; in a spiritual knowledge
of God and Christ, or of God in Christ; and in that godliness which is
profitable in all things; and in that wisdom which comes from above, and is
opposed to that which is earthly, sensual, and devilish, and is not to be found
in carnal hearts, nor its worth known by carnal men, nor to be obtained by any
thing in nature ever so valuable, but is the gift of God, the wisdom he makes
men to know, in the hidden part, Psalm 51:6;
and where is the place of understanding? to attain to
the understanding of the mysteries of Providence, or of Christ, or of the
Gospel; or to have a spiritual understanding of divine things, and experience
of them, which only is the gift of God, 1 John 5:20; for,
by wisdom and understanding are meant one and the same, as they often are,
whether understood as a thing or person; see Proverbs 1:2.
Job 28:13 13 Man does not know its
value, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
YLT
13Man hath not known its
arrangement, Nor is it found in the land of the living.
Man knoweth not the price thereof,.... The worth and value
of it, what price to set upon it, or offer and give for it; nor does he know
where to find an equivalent to it, or what is a valuable consideration for it:
as for the wisdom of God in his dealings with men, if a man was to give all the
substance of his house to know the secret reasons of them, it would utterly be
condemned; yea, if he had all the riches in the world in his possession, and
would offer them on that consideration, he would not be able to attain the
knowledge of them: or "the order thereof"F15ערכה "ordinem ejus", Montanus, Bolducius. ; the
order of divine Providence, the wise disposal of thing, and the reasons
thereof. In the first sense it is applicable to all the things before
mentioned; to spiritual wisdom in men, supernatural grace, experimental
religion, and real godliness; the worth of which is not known by carnal men,
they despise it, and scoff at it; and to the Gospel, which is reckoned
foolishness by them, and is of no account; and so is Christ himself rejected
and disallowed of men, though chosen of God, and precious both to him and them
that believe, who only know the price and value of him:
neither is it found in the land of the living; meaning not
wisdom, though that in every sense is not from below, or earthly, but from
above, and heavenly, but the price of it; and the sense is, that there is
nothing in the whole globe that is equal to its worth, or can be proposed as a
valuable consideration for it.
Job 28:14 14 The deep says, ‘It is
not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
YLT
14The deep hath said, `It
[is] not in me,' And the sea hath said, `It is not with me.'
The depth saith, it is not in me,.... That is,
the deep places of the earth, that are dug in it, the mines, and the like,
could they speak, they would say there are no metal, nor minerals, no rich
treasures of gold and silver ore, of pearls and precious stones, in the bowels
of it, that are of the value of wisdom, or to be compared to it:
and the sea saith, it is not with me; had that a
voice to speak, it would freely declare, that there is nothing in its vast
compass, at the bottom of it, or to be got out of it, as corals that grow in
it, and pearls fished from thence, after mentioned, that are a sufficient price
for wisdom. Some understand these words, the former part of miners and
colliers, and such sort of men, that dig and live in the depths of the earth;
and the latter part of mariners, that are employed on the sea, who are
generally ignorant and carnal men, and void of the knowledge of wisdom in every
view of it; but the sense first given is best.
Job 28:15 15 It cannot be purchased for
gold, Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
YLT
15Gold is not given for it,
Nor is silver weighed -- its price.
It cannot be gotten for gold,.... Having in general
said that there is nothing in the whole compass of the terraqueous globe,
nothing that is upon the surface of the earth, or in the bowels of it, or in
the vast ocean, that is an equivalent price for wisdom, Job descends to
particulars, and instances first in gold, that being the most valuable of
metals; the word here used for it signifies "shut up"F23סגור συγκλεισμον,
Sept. "conclusum", Tigurine version; "clausum", Bolducius.
, because it is first shut up in the earth, out of which it is dug, and when
taken from thence, and refined, and made into coins or vessels, it is shut up
among the treasures of men; the words may be more literally rendered,
"gold shall not be given instead of it"F24לא יתז־תחתיה "non dabitur
pro ea", V. L. Montanus, Schultens. ; as a sufficient price, or valuable
consideration for it:
neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof; in former
times this metal used to be delivered, in buying and selling, not by the number
and value of pieces, but by weight, in rude masses and lumps, and even when
coined into shekels; see Genesis 23:16.
Job 28:16 16 It cannot be valued in the
gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire.
YLT
16It is not valued with pure
gold of Ophir, With precious onyx and sapphire,
It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir,.... Which is
often spoken of in Scripture as choice gold, if not the best; See Gill on 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 See Gill on Exodus 28:9; see
Gill on Exodus 28:18, and
See Gill on Exodus 28:20; but
not so precious, or of such value as wisdom. PlinyF25Nat. Hist. l.
37. c. 6. 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 sapphire he
makes mention of before; see Gill on Job 28:6. The word
for "valued" is by some rendered "strowed"F26תסלה "verbum significat sternere", Michaelis. ,
as goods are when they are exposed to sale; but wisdom should not be laid, or
put on a level with these, though so excellent and precious.
Job 28:17 17 Neither gold nor crystal
can equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
YLT
17Not equal it do gold and
crystal, Nor [is] its exchange a vessel of fine gold.
The gold and the crystal cannot equal it,.... Crystal
was found in an island of the Red sea, situated before Arabia, called Neron,
and in another, which from a gem found in it bears the name of Topazion, and
may be thought therefore to be well known by Job; and though it is not now of
so much account, it formerly was very valuable. PlinyF1Ut supra,
(Nat. Hist. l. 37.) c. 2. makes mention of a crystal vessel, sold for 150,000
sesterces, about 1250 pounds sterling; and of two crystal cups broke by Nero in
his fury, on hearing of some losses, to punish the then present age, that no
other men might drink out of them: some render it "amber", which is
found in Prussia, and being at a great distance from Job's country, might be
the more valuable there; and PlinyF2Ib. c. 5. speaks of it as had in
as great esteem as gems: the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin versions, and others,
translate it "glass"F3זכוכית υαλος, Sept.
"vitrum", V. L. Tigurine version, Cocceius. which had its original
from Phoenicia, near Judea; so Pliny saysF4Ut supra, (Nat. Hist.) l.
36. c. 26. Joseph. de Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 10. sect. 2. from the lake Cendevia,
within the roots of Mount Carmel, in Phoenicia, near Judea, springs the river
Belus, from whence glass came first; and he speaks of Sidon (a city in
Phoenicia) as famous for it; and TacitusF5Hist. l. 5. c. 7.
observes, that the river Belus glides in the Jewish sea, and about the mouth of
it sand is gathered and mixed with nitre, and boiled into glass; and this being
near the country where Job dwelt, it is thought be had knowledge of it; and
from this passage someF6Neri Praefat. ad. lib. de re vitriaria. have
concluded the great antiquity of glass; and if it is true what AelianusF7Var.
Hist. l. 12. c. 3. relates, that when the monument of the ancient Belus (the
first king of Babylon) was dug up by Xerxes, the son of Darius, that there was
found a glass urn, where lay a body in oil, it must be in use before the times
of Job. An Arabic chronologerF8Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. p. 33.
affirms what be had from men conversant in history, that in Egypt, after the
flood, there were men learned in various sciences, and among the rest in
alchemy, and had knowledge of burning glasses; though the invention of these,
and of a glass globe, is ascribed to ArchimedesF9Vid. Fabritii
Bibliothec. Gr. l. 3. c. 22. sect. 11. 15. , who lived somewhat later than two
hundred years before Christ. There was great plenty of glass very early in
Ethiopia, after mentioned, in which they enclosed their dead, that they might
be seen through itF11Diodor. Sic. l. 2. p. 102. Herodot. Thalia,
sive, l. 3. c. 24. ; and if it was in use in Job's time, and especially if it
was then a late invention, it might be highly valued, and therefore placed here
with things of the greatest worth. In the times of Nero, Pliny saysF12Ut
supra. (Nat. Hist. l. 36. c. 26.) two small glass cups were sold for six
thousand sesterces, or forty five pounds sterling, and according to others near
fifty pounds; and the same writer relates, that in the times of Tiberias an art
was found out to make glass flexible and malleable; but was ordered to be
destroyed, lest the value of gold, silver, and brass, should be lessened by it.
The Targum renders the word here used a looking glass; See Gill on Joshua 11:8. Some
think the diamond or adamant is meant, and others that it is a general name for
all sorts of precious stones, they being clear, transparent, and lucid, as the
word signifies:
and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold; set in fine
gold; or "vessels" of it, more valuable than gold itself, being made
of gold, purified, refined, and wrought by art into curious forms; and yet
wisdom is so valuable as not to be exchanged for these. Mr. Broughton takes
this fine gold, or gold of Phaz, to be the same with Fess in Barbary, which had
its name from a heap of gold there found when its foundation was laid; for
"fess" with the Arabs signifies goldF13Leo African.
Descript. Africae, l. 3. p. 273. .
Job 28:18 18 No mention shall be made
of coral or quartz, For the price of wisdom is above rubies.
YLT
18Corals and pearl are not
remembered, The acquisition of wisdom [is] above rubies.
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls,.... Coral is
a marine plant, is as hard as a stone, and of such value as to be reckoned
among precious stones; See Gill on Ezekiel 27:16. In
Arabia Felix, on the shore of the Red sea, is a place called CoraliaF14Plin.
Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28. ; it may be from coral found there. Pearls are from
shellfish taken out of the sea, though these seem rather intended in the next
clause: the words "ramoth" and "gabish" are left
untranslated by some, and by others are taken for precious stones, though
unknown, so called because they are found in high places, which both words
signify. The Targum renders the first by "sandalchin", and seems to
be the same with the sardonyx, a precious stone found in Arabia, and which
found there is by PlinyF15Ib. l. 37. c. 6. said to excel. Junius and
Tremellius render it by "sandastros"; which, as Pliny saysF16Ib.
c. 7. , some call "Garamantis", being bred in a place of that name in
India; and he also observes, that it is found in Arabia towards the south, and
has shining golden drops in the body of it; it is a sort of a carbuncle.
"Gabish" seems to have some affinity with "chabazios",
mentioned by OrpheusF17 περι λιθων,
p. 240. as a precious stone; but whatever precious stones are meant, as it is
hard to determine what, they are not to be spoken of with wisdom, or to be
compared to it:
for the price of wisdom is above rubies; or rather
pearls, as BochartF18Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 6. col. 681,
&c. seems to have abundantly proved, who renders the words,
"the
extraction of wisdom is greater than the extraction of pearls;'
and
so the Targum; there being, as he thinks, an allusion to the extraction of
pearls out of the sea by divers into itF19Of fishing for pearls in
this way, see the Account of it in Vartoman. Navigat. l. 3. c. 2. in P. Martyr.
Decad. 3. l. 2. and Oviedo de Occident. Ind. c. 4. and with nets, Aelian. de
Animal. l. 15. c. 8. Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 9. c. 35. ; who get them through
much art, difficulty, and danger; and he observes, that there is a double
extraction, or drawing them out, first of the shellfish out of the sea, and
then of the pearls out of the shells; but the drawing out of wisdom, or the
attainment of that; is more difficult, and superior to it, as well as attended
with greater advantage; see Proverbs 3:15 and
See Gill on Lamentations 4:7;
and though of pearls some are very large, OviedoF20Ut supra. (Oviedo
de Occident. Ind. c. 4.) speaks of one that weighed thirty one carats, and
another twenty six; some as big as hazel nuts, and even as a middling walnut,
and of very great price, as that bought by Pope Paul at 44,000 ducatsF21P.
Martyr, Decad. 3. l. 10. ; that by Philip the Second, of the size of a pigeon's
egg, valued at an hundred forty four thousand ducats; that drank by Cleopatra
at a draught, reckoned worth eighty thousand pounds sterling; and that of the
emperor of Persia, bought at 110,400 poundsF23See Chambers's
Dictionary on the word "Pearl". ; yet the price of wisdom is above
them.
Job 28:19 19 The topaz of Ethiopia
cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
YLT
19Not equal it doth the topaz
of Cush, With pure gold it is not valued.
The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it,.... Not
Ethiopia Abyssinia, or that which lies beyond Egypt in Africa; for, as
LudolphusF24Hist. Ethiop. l. 1. c. 7. says, there are no gems found
there, or very rarely; but Cush, as the word is, or Arabia Chusaea, the same
with the country of Midian, and the parts adjacent; see Habakkuk 3:7; hence
Zipporah, the wife of Moses, who was of that country, is called an Ethiopian
woman, Numbers 12:1; and
this was near Job's country, who knew the produce of it; and here the topaz is
found, as many writers observe. Diodorus Siculus saysF25Bibliothec.
l. 3. p. 172. , in Ophiodes, an island in the Arabian gulf, belonging to the
Troglodytes, the topaz is found, which is a very clear stone, pleasant to the
sight, like to glass, and affording a wonderful golden colour; and with him
StraboF26Geograph. l. 16. p. 529. agrees, who relates there is an
island called Ophiodes, from its being freed from serpents by the king's
orders, which killed men that came there for topazes; which, he says, is a
clear stone of a golden colour, and so refulgent, that it is not easy to see it
in the daytime, being so surrounded with light; but at night it is seen by
those that gather it, who set a vessel for a sign, and then dig for it in the
daytime; and, he adds, a multitude of men are hired by the kings of Egypt, to
gather and keep these stones, and men from stealing them; and, according to
ArchelausF1Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 8. , the topaz is found
in Chitis, an island in Arabia, where the Troglodytes digging for herbs and
roots find it; and, as Juba relatesF2Apud ib. , there is an island
called Topazion, in the Red sea, three hundred furlongs (about 73 miles) from
the continent, which is cloudy, and is therefore often sought for by
navigators; whence he says it had its name Topazion, which in the language of
the Troglodytes signifies to seek, and the topaz itself in their language so
signifies; in the Samaritan version of Exodus 39:10; it is
called Dachetah, from the Arabic wordF3Vid. Castel. Lex. Heptaglott.
col. 686, 693. "Dachatz", the language of the Troglodytes, which
signifies to seek and search by removing the earth with the foot. This island
seems to be the same with Topazos, which PlinyF4Nat. Hist. l. 6. c.
29. says is an island of the Arabians, and gave name to a gem, meaning the
topaz; but the truth rather is, that the gem gave name to the island: upon the
whole, it is no wonder, as BrauniusF5De Vest. Sacerdot. Heb. p. 649.
observes, that this gem should be called by Job the Arabian topaz. The Targum
here calls it a green pearl; and some have thought the emerald is meant, which
is of that colour; and the emeralds of Ethiopia are praised by some, according
to JubaF6Apud Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 37. c. 5. ; and in Egypt were
emerald mines the Ethiopians laid a claim toF7Heliodor. Ethiop. l.
8. 1. & 9. 6. ; and there were emeralds also in Arabia, as the above Juba
relates; however, be this what it may, as it is most likely to be the topaz, it
is not equal in value to wisdom, no, not the largest topaz ever known; not even
that of the great Mogul, which weighs more than an hundred fifty seven carats,
valued at 271,500 French poundsF8Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr p. 747. ;
and according to TavernierF9Apud Braunium de Vest. Sacerdot. Heb. p.
649, 650. it weighs almost an hundred fifty eight carats, and was bought at Goa
for almost 272,000 florins:
neither shall it be valued with pure gold; that is most
refined and freed from dross; they are not to be laid together as of equal
value; See Gill on Job 28:16, where
the same word is used.
Job 28:20 20 “From where then does
wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?
YLT
20And the wisdom -- whence
doth it come? And where [is] this, the place of understanding?
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of
understanding? The same questions as in Job 28:12; repeated
to set forth the superior excellency of wisdom, and to carry on the discourse,
and lead on to other things concerning it. See Gill on Job 28:12.
Job 28:21 21 It is hidden from the eyes
of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air.
YLT
21It hath been hid from the
eyes of all living. And from the fowl of the heavens It hath been hidden.
Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living,.... Meaning
not the beasts of the field, as some interpret it; this makes the sentiment
jejune and trifling; but rational creatures, men, so the Septuagint, Eve is
said to be the mother of, Genesis 3:20;
wisdom, as a perfection in God, displayed in his works of creation and
providence, is but imperfectly known by men; and the secret reasons of his
providential dealings with men, good and bad, are hid from all at present; and
as for spiritual wisdom or godliness, and the Gospel of Christ, and Christ
himself, they are hid from the eyes of all natural and carnal men, though ever
so wise and prudent in other things:
and kept close from the fowls of the air, or
"heaven"F11השמים
"caeli", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ; either the devils so called,
because they dwell in the air, and are the posse or power of the air, Ephesians 2:2; and
because of their ravenous and cruel disposition, and swiftness to do mischief;
see Luke 8:5; or rather
the holy angels, as Jarchi, whose habitation is in heaven, and who are swift to
do the will of God, and are represented as having wings like fowls; though
these know much, yet the wisdom of God in his providence, in the doctrines of
the Gospel, and Christ himself, the Wisdom of God, are in a good measure hid
from them; at least their knowledge is imperfect, and they are desirous of
prying more into these things, 1 Peter 1:12,
unless men of the most piercing and penetrating geniuses, that soar aloft in
the things of nature, and make the greatest discoveries therein, and yet know
nothing of divine and spiritual things, of the arcanas of Providence or of
grace, should be meant.
Job 28:22 22 Destruction and Death say,
‘We have heard a report about it with our ears.’
YLT
22Destruction and death have
said: `With our ears we have heard its fame.'
Destruction and death say,.... Meaning the dead
that are in the pit of destruction, the grave; not their dead bodies there,
devoid of life and sense, and know not anything, but their souls; either the
damned in hell, or the saints in heaven: the Targum is, the house of
destruction, and the angel of death; or rather it regards such as are dead, who
while alive had only a report of this wisdom; wherefore if their records and
writings, or traditions handed down from them, are inquired into, the result of
the information they will give concerning it will amount to no more than this:
we have heard the fame thereof with our ears; it has been reported
to us there is such wisdom, but what it is we know not; and this is all that we
can say about it.
Job 28:23 23 God understands its way, And
He knows its place.
YLT
23God hath understood its
way, And He hath known its place.
God understandeth the way thereof,.... And he only; not the
way that men can come at the knowledge of wisdom, which at present appears to
be past finding out; but rather the way which wisdom itself takes, and is in
the deep, and its footsteps not known by any other, and the grounds and reasons
of its taking such a course it does; which are only understood by the Lord: it
may be applied to spiritual wisdom in men, and the way to come at it; which God
only knows and instructs in, and is his special and peculiar gift; and to Christ,
the wisdom of God, and the way which he has taken in the council and covenant
of grace and peace, for the salvation of his people; and which he took in time,
in the assumption of human nature, and by sufferings and death to obtain it for
them:
and he knoweth the place thereof; the seat of wisdom
within himself, the source of all his dealings with men, his sovereign will and
pleasure in his own heart; the place of spiritual wisdom and knowledge, the
heart of a regenerate man, where his Gospel is, and has come with power, and
took place and works effectually; and where Christ, the Logos, the Wisdom of
God is, even with himself, and in his bosom, as in the times of Job, and now at
his right hand, in human nature.
Job 28:24 24 For He looks to the ends of
the earth, And sees under the whole heavens,
YLT
24For He to the ends of the
earth doth look, Under the whole heavens He doth see,
For he looketh to the ends of the earth,.... In this
and some following verses, reasons and are given, which abundantly show that
God must know the way and place of wisdom; since all the parts and places of
the earth, even to the ends of it, are seen by him, and all creatures and
things in it; nor is there anything in heaven, earth, and hell, that is hid
from him; and therefore if there is a way to it, or a place for it, he must
needs know it; where its direction is, or where it steers its course, and takes
up its abode
and seeth under the whole
heaven; the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field, the inhabitants
of the world, and all that is done in it; everything falls under the eye of his
omniscience, and under the notice of his providence, which extends to all
creatures and things throughout the whole earth, and under the compass of the
heavens; and since all places and persons are obvious to his view, and all
subject to his all wise and disposing providence, and are ordered, directed,
and governed, according to his sovereign will and pleasure; the path of wisdom,
and the place of understanding, he must be acquainted with; and particularly
his all seeing eye, and all powerful providence, are concerned in the following
things, and in which there are wonderful proofs of his knowledge and wisdom.
Job 28:25 25 To establish a weight for
the wind, And apportion the waters by measure.
YLT
25To make for the wind a
weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
To make the weight for the wind,.... He indeed makes the
wind itself, holds it in his fists, and brings it forth out of his treasures,
and lets it go, or restrains it, at his pleasure; he gives it an inclination to
this or that or the other point of the heavens, and a force to blow with,
greater or lesser, as he pleases, either for the good and benefit of men, or
for the punishment of them; he raises the stormy wind, which fulfils his word
and his will; and he makes it subside and become a calm when he thinks fit; he
can make it heavier or lighter, add to or take from its weight, so that it
becomes more or less pressing on bodies it meets with; he can make a rough wind,
and stay that in the day of his east wind; he can make the rain in some sense a
weight to it; he can wet its wings with it, and bear it down and cause it to
rest and be still; and he that knows from whence it comes, and whither it goes,
though we do not, being wholly under his direction, must know the way and place
of wisdom:
and he weigheth the waters by measure; or, "in
a measure"F11במדה "in
mensura", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Beza. ; in the hollow of
his hand, where he poises them; see Isaiah 40:12; some,
because there is a seeming impropriety in weighing by, or with a measure,
render it "out of a measure"F12"Ex mensura",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus. Mr. Broughton translates the
words, "and held the waters in a measure"; in his hand, as before, or
in the sea; weight and measure being both applied to the waters, may denote the
perfect and exact knowledge God has of them, and of his great and diligent
concern in Providence about them, he ordering and disposing of them according
to his will; and which is greatly the sense of the word used for weighing; and
so the Targum paraphrases it,
"the
waters he prepares (orders or disposes of) by measure.'
These
waters, as they seem to be distinguished from rain in Job 28:26, may
design the waters of the sea and rivers; with these the earth at first was
covered, which being ordered off of it, and a place provided for them, they
were gathered into it, and measured and bounded in it by shores and sand, that
they might not overflow the earth; which is a wonderful instance of the
providence of God, in weighing and measuring the waters; of which also there
was a singular instance at the general deluge, when the windows of heaven were
opened, and the fountains of the great deep broke up, which overflowed the
whole earth, and the highest mountains in it; and after a time went off at the
command of God, and the earth was dry as before: the tides, the ebbing and
flowing of the sea, and the flux and reflux of rivers, from and to the same
place, are surprising things, and wholly owing to the power and providence of
God; the causes and reasons of which are unknown to us, but are well known to
him, who weighs and measures the waters, which flow in a regular course; and
who therefore must know the way and place of wisdom and understanding.
Job 28:26 26 When He made a law for the
rain, And a path for the thunderbolt,
YLT
26In His making for the rain
a limit, And a way for the brightness of the voices,
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of
the thunder. Decreed within himself that he would give it; for rain is his
gift alone, and which none of the vanities of the Gentiles can give, and a
wonderful blessing to the earth it is; and which God bestows on all sorts of
men, both good and bad, and causes it to fall sometimes on one place and
sometimes on another, sometimes in greater, sometimes in lesser showers; and
according to his sovereign pleasure he gives or withholds it; the effects of
which are quickly seen. Mr. Broughton renders the clause, "he made a bound
for the rain, and a way for the lightning of thunder", or "the
lightning and the thunder", as Ben Gersom, who thinks the copulative ו, "and", is wanting. Thunder is from God, it is
his voice, and the word here used is in the plural number, "voices"F13קולות "vocum", Piscator, Mercerus, Drusius. ,
signifying various claps of thunder; and lightning generally accompanies it,
which, though first perceived, they are both at once the eye doing its office
quicker than the ear; and a cloud also is usual; and so some render the word
for lightning, as in Zechariah 10:1; it
may signify the way of the lightning out of the thunder cloud, and attending
claps of thunder; the thunder breaks the cloud and makes a path for the
lightning: the Targum is,
"a
path for the lightnings, which run with the voices or thunders;'
but,
though the course or path the lightning steers is very quick and very extensive
from east to west, and cannot be traced by us. God that made it knows it, and
he knows the path and place of wisdom. Sephorno interprets this of the thunder
and lightnings at the giving of the law, which he understands by wisdom, as do
other Jewish writers: PlinyF14Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 43. speaks of
thunder and lightning as chance matters; but SenecaF15Nat. Quaest.
l. 2. c. 13. 31. more truly
ascribes them to divine power and Providence, as here.
Job 28:27 27 Then He saw wisdom[b] and
declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out.
YLT
27Then He hath seen and
declareth it, He hath prepared it, and also searched it out,
Then did he see it, and declare it,.... His own wisdom, when
he made and executed his decrees concerning rain, lightning, and thunder; he
saw it in himself, and as it appeared in the works of his hands, which he
looked on and approved of, and saw that all was very good; and he declared it
to others, by his works of nature and providence; for they declare the glory of
God, and particularly the glory of his wisdom:
he prepared it, yea, and searched it out; he prepared
it in his counsels, according to which he wrought all things in the creation,
and still does in Providence; and his searching out denotes his perfect
knowledge of it, and the way and course of it, or he takes with it, though it
is unsearchable, and past finding out by us. Mr. Broughton understands this of
a person, as do some others, even Christ, the Wisdom of God; rendering the
words, "then he saw her, and showed her", &c. and so the passages
in Proverbs 8:27, may
be a comment on these words and the foregoing; for when the above decrees were
formed in the divine mind, then he "saw" his Wisdom, his Logos, his
eternal Son; for he was by him, and with him, and in him, lying in his bosom;
he looked at him in creation, and made man after his image, the idea he had
formed of his human nature, and made all things for his sake; and he viewed him
with the utmost delight and pleasure, as being the express image of his person;
he declared him to be his only begotten Son, saying, "this day I have
begotten thee", Psalm 2:7; be made
him known to the angels, as the Targum here expresses it, and what he designed
to do by him, and with him; which occasioned the revolt of many of them from
him; and he declared him to Adam as soon as there was an opportunity and
occasion for it; he prepared him in his eternal purposes to be the Redeemer and
Saviour of his people, to be the Head of the church, and the Judge of quick and
dead; he searched him out in his infinite wisdom, and found him, singled him out,
laid help on him with his holy oil anointed him, and appointed him to be the
ransomer of his chosen ones, Job 33:24.
Job 28:28 28 And to man He said, ‘Behold,
the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is
understanding.’”
YLT
28And He saith to man: --
`Lo, fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to turn from evil [is]
understanding.'
And unto man he said,.... What follows; unto
Adam, so some render it, as Mr. Broughton; taking what is after delivered to be
said to the first man; either by suggesting it to his mind and conscience, and
inscribing it on his heart, where the law of God was written, and by which he
was directed to fear God and avoid evil; or by the express command he gave him
not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge; thereby instructing him to
fear him, and abstain from evil; which, had he done, would have been his
highest wisdom, and a proof of it, and of his understanding; but it seems best
to understand it in general of the sons of men, as the Targum and others: this
is the substance of what God says in his works, which are done that men might
fear him, and stand in awe of him, Psalm 33:6; and in
his word, and by his prophets, and their ministry in all ages; whereby it
appears, that this is the whole of men, to fear God and keep his commandments, Ecclesiastes 12:14.
Some render the words, "but unto men he said"F16ויאמר ειπε δε,
Sept. "dixit autem", Tigurine version, Beza; "dixit vero",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; though he knows his own wisdom, and the
way and place of it, the course it steers in Providence, and has seen,
observed, and shown it; has prepared, disposed, ordered, and searched it out,
and perfectly knows it, and the causes and reasons of it; yet he has not
thought fit to make these known clearly to men; who therefore must be content
they should be secrets to them, and attend to the wisdom which is revealed, and
is of the greatest importance and consequence to them; namely, what follows,
behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; by which is
meant, not a fear of his wrath, and of eternal damnation, but an affection for
God with reverence of him; such as is peculiar to children, a godly filial
fear; and which is consistent with strong faith, great joy, and true courage;
is opposite to pride and self-confidence, and takes in the whole worship of God
both external and internal: and it is called the fear of the Lord, because he
is the object and author of it; it is not from nature, or in men naturally, but
comes from the grace of God, and is a gift of it; it is wrought in conversion,
and is increased by the discoveries of the love and goodness of and is that
wisdom which God makes his people know, in the hidden part; no man is wise till
he fears the Lord; and when that grace is put into him, he begins to be wise,
for this is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 1:7; and
is a principal part of it, and very profitable to men, both for this life, and
for that to come; and therefore it is their highest wisdom to be concerned for
it: the heart of God is towards them that fear him; his eye is upon them; his
hand communicates to them; his secret with them; he sets a guard of angels
about them; causes the sun of righteousness to arise on them, and he has laid
up much for them, for time and eternity:
and to depart from evil is understanding; this is the
fruit and effect of the fear of the Lord, through which men have an hatred of
sin, and an aversion to it, and are careful not to commit it; through it they
depart from evil, and abstain from all appearance of it; see Proverbs 8:13; and
it puts them upon a regard to God and his commandments, and to all that is
good, and which is an evidence and proof of a good understanding, Psalm 111:10. Now
Job suggests by this, that his friends should be solicitous about, and
satisfied with, such wisdom and understanding as this, and not pry into the
secrets of Providence, and the wisdom of that, which are not to be found out;
and so cease to charge him with being an hypocrite, and a wicked man, because
of the dealings of God with him, which were not to be accounted for: and by
this Job appears to be a good man, and had an experience what he here
expresses; that he was one that feared God and eschewed evil, according to the
testimony given of him, Job 1:1; and this
he gave proof of his former life and conversation; of which an account is given
in the following chapter.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)