“Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. vein: or, mine”
Silver. Hebrew, “Surely there is a vein, or mine, for silver.” (Haydock) — The sagacity of man has discovered all these things. Wonderful also is the instinct of animals, ver. 7. Yet wisdom comes from God alone; and those act rashly, who pretend to dive into his counsels in punishing his creatures and ruling the world. (Calmet)
“Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. earth: or, dust”
Stone. Protestants, “and brass is molten out of the stone.” (Haydock) — “When brass comes out of the mine it resembles stone, and being mixed with earth is refined in the fire.” (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxvi. 27.) (Menochius) — All this process would require much ingenuity and time. Tubalcain was a great artist before the deluge; (Genesis iv. 22.) but we cannot tell who were the inventors of these things, though (Calmet) the Greeks have specified the names of some who introduced these metals into their respective countries. (Pliny vii. 56.) (Haydock)
“He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.”
He (God) hath, &c. (Haydock) — Darkness, before which these inventions could not be made; (Menochius) or, man has been able to measure the hours of day and night by the shadow of the sun, and by other means. He always strives to perfect his works, and examines with care the mines which lay concealed in the most profound obscurity. (Calmet) — Precious stones and metals lie the deepest. (Menochius) — From the consideration of these beautiful works, men ought to raise their minds to the Creator, and wisely rest in him alone. (Worthington)
“The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.”
At. Nations are separated by waters from each other. (Calmet) — Some, like the Chinese, keep all strangers at a distance. (Haydock) — But the industry of man breaketh through all barriers. Hebrew, “a river separates a foreign nation forgotten by travellers; but these waters cannot stop man: they flow away.” (Calmet) — Protestants, “The flood breaketh out from the inhabitants, even the waters; forgotten of the foot, they are dried up; they are gone away from men.” Septuagint, “Sand cuts off a torrent: but those who forget the way of justice, have become infirm, and have been instable among mortals.” (Haydock) — Travellers are sometimes parted by a swelling torrent; (Sa) and waters, bursting forth suddenly, change the roads of men. (Worthington)
“As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.”
In its, &c. Hebrew and Septuagint, “and under it is turned up as it were fire,” which lies in it. (Haydock) — Fire, like Sodom; to which event Job alludes, chap. xxii. 20. (Calmet) — The furnaces to melt various metals have taken the place of corn, and occupy the land. (Menochius) — Men have extracted bitumen, &c., even from the lake of Sodom. (Pliny, [Natural History?] vii. 15.) — Nothing escapes them. (Calmet)
“The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. dust: or, gold ore”
Sapphires. The best are found in Media, in the country of the Taphyri, (Ptol.) or Raspires. (Herodotus iii. 94.) — Gold. This precious metal, like all others, is found in the bowels of the earth, (Haydock) and in the bed of rivers, in Ophir, Peru, &c. (Calmet)
“There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:”
Path of these metals, (Menochius) or a path in general. (Haydock) — They fly, as beasts roam about, without keeping the high road; yet never miss their way, or fail to return to their own place, though they may have crossed the sea or woods, and been absent many months. This instinct is one of the wonders of nature. (Calmet)
“The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.”
Merchants, who go the shortest road. (Haydock) — Hebrew, “of lions,” which find their deans without asking for the path. (Calmet)
“He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. rock: or, flint”
Roots, in quest of precious metals. (Menochius) — “Imus in viscera terræ et in sede Marium opes quærimus.” (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxiii. pref.)
“He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.”
Rivers. Or, the waters lodged in the mines. (Menochius) — He hath even cut canals through the hardest rocks, (Haydock) and sunk wells. (Calmet)
“He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light. overflowing: Heb. weeping”
Searched, by diving; (Calmet) or, Hebrew, “he bindeth the rivers from flowing;” diverting their course by dams, &c. This is another proof of the power of man. (Calmet) —Labor omnia vincit. (Horace)
“But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?”
Understanding, of supernatural things, which teaches us to love God, and to comprehend his counsels. This is very different from the human sagacity of which he has been speaking; and this is the gift of God alone. (Calmet)
“Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.”
Price. It has none, like other precious things, Baruch iii. 15. — In delights is not expressed in Hebrew or Septuagint. (Calmet) — But to live in misery is hardly to be accounted living, (Haydock) and the addition restrains the proposition, as some men possess this treasure, though not those who take no pains (Calmet) to mortify corrupt nature. (Haydock) — Chaldean, “it is not found in the land of the proud, whose life is spent in sin.” (Calmet) — True wisdom is found, not in natural, but in supernatural, things. (Worthington)
“It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It: Heb. Fine gold shall not be given for it”
Finest, obrizum, which has the colour of fire. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxiii. 3.) The old Vulgate and Septuagint read “locked-up gold,” aurum conclusum, (Calmet) and the Hebrew Segor, (Haydock) “that which is shut up,” like things of value: gold is sometimes specified, 3 Kings vi. 20.
“It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.”
Dyed, &c. Hebrew cethem ophir, (Haydock) “the shut up” (gold, though the Vulgate, Septuagint, &c., very in the interpretation) “of Ophir.” This country was famous for its gold. (Calmet) — Its situation is not clearly ascertained. St. Jerome seems to have placed it in India, with Josephus, “in the golden country,” now Malacca. — Stone. Protestants, onyx. Hebrew shoham (Haydock) means, probably, the emerald, Genesis ii. 12. (Calmet) — But these names are very indeterminate. Theodotion, from whom great part of this chapter is inserted in the Septuagint has “the gold of Ophir, and the precious onyx and sapphire.” (Haydock)
“The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. jewels: or, vessels of”
Gold. This is the third time it has been mentioned, according to its different degrees of excellence. Hence it is called by the most common name, (Calmet) zahab. (Haydock) — Crystal was formerly more “transparent” than we have it at present. (Calmet) — Zecucith (Haydock) denotes something of this kind. (Calmet)
“No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. coral: or, Ramoth”
Things. Hebrew Ramoth and Gabish (Haydock) are terms much controverted. The first may denote the unicorns, (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 17.) and the latter the thunderbolt, or ceraunia, which were in high request. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxvii. 9. Ezechiel (xiii. 11., and xxvii. 16.) mentions the former as carried by merchants to Tyre. These stones, which fell from the sky, were used by the Parthian magi, &c., for secret purposes. They have given rise to many fabulous accounts. Those which are to be seen, are by no means beautiful. (Calmet) — Yet if the people esteemed them, Job might well include them among other things of most value. Protestants, “No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls, for the price of wisdom is above rubies.” (Haydock) — The latter part of the verse would be rather, “the fishing for wisdom would be more difficult than that for pearls;” (Calmet) or, “the extraction of wisdom is above the drawing forth of peninim.” (Haydock) — The pinna is a kind of fish which is fastened to the bottom of the sea, by roots, of which the byssus was made, 1 Paralipomenon xv. 27. Pearls were commonly found in the Persian Gulf, near Idumea. The art of diving for them, and extracting them from the fish, was very difficult, but nothing in comparison with the labour requisite to discover wisdom. The ancients describe some pearls of a reddish gold colour. (Athen. iii. 13.) ( Jeremias’ Lamentations iv. 7.) — Adam, which is interpreted red, in Jeremias, means also any thing very shining; in which sense the word purpureus is used. (Horace vi. Ode 1.) (Bochart, Anim. p. 2, b. v. vi. (Calmet) and t. iii. 681. 91.) The opinion of this author seems preferable to that of Hutchinson and Cooke, who would translate peninim (Haydock) by “loadstones or magnets,” which the former says are like “reddish clay,” though they are really of a dusky iron grey, sometimes tinged with brown or red. This complexion would not be very beautiful. Yet the Nazarites are compared to peninim, (Lamentations iv.) and to snow, (Parkhurst) as they were of a most fair red and white, like pearls. (Haydock) — Though the ancients seem to have been acquainted with the loadstone or magnetic needle, particularly the Phenicians (Odys. viii. 556.) and Chinese, for many ages, yet it was never so common as to form a popular comparison. Aquila renders the word in question, periblepta, “conspicuous things;” and pearls were certainly highly valued by the Jews, &c. Parkhurst, in pone. — Theodotion, in the Septuagint, “draw forth wisdom before the inmost things.” — Both these versions agree with the Vulgate, as the most precious goods are kept out of sight. (Haydock) — Yet the deepest mines of gold do not require so much diligence and sagacity for us to discover and possess them, as wisdom does; but, in return, it will abundantly recompense the man who finds such a treasure, Ecclesiasticus vi. 19., and 24. (Pineda)
“The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.”
Ethiopia, on the east of the Red Sea. Pliny ([Natural History?] vi. 29.) mentions the isle of Chuthis, which was also famous for the topaz. — Dying. Hebrew cethem, (Haydock) which we have observed relates to gold, ver. 16.
“Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.”
Destruction. Hebrew abaddon, which is before (chap. xxvi. 6.) used to signify the bottomless abyss. There, too late! the dead become acquainted with the value and nature of wisdom. (Haydock) — But their knowledge is imperfect, and of no use to us. (Calmet)
“To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.”
Measure. He regulates the winds, and knows the drops of water, (Haydock) which to man is impossible, Proverbs xvi. 2.
“When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:”
Storms; or Hebrew, “for the lightning, which attends thunder.” (Calmet)
“Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out. declare: or, number it”
It. All the works of God proclaim his wisdom. (Haydock) — He never made an acquisition of it, but possessed it from all eternity, Proverbs viii. 23.
“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”
Understanding. This is the duty of man, and a thing of the utmost importance. This teaches us to adore God’s judgments (Calmet) in silence. (Haydock) — It is the most important instruction of the whole book. (Pineda) — Man must consider God’s works to fear Him; and by avoiding evil, and doing good, (Worthington) to shew true wisdom. (Haydock)