CHAPTER XXVIII.

1. Has the origin of silver been discovered, Or the place of gold which is refined."

r While the justice of God is assuredly seen in the unhappy fate of the wicked, the cruel misery of virtuous persons, like Job, is still an unexplained mystery. The mortal is here compelled to acknowledge a higher wisdom in the duration of earthly things, into which he is unable to penetrate, although he may have succeeded in abstracting the precious metals from their deep deposits under the earth. But Job has already in so far discovered the riddle of his life (although much yet remains that is dark and mysterious), as to know that God has sent affliction upon him, in order to try his piety. This sense must be taken in connection with verse 12. Man has found the native place of silver and of gold, but the abode of wisdom is as yet undiscovered, and thus he can, at will, procure the deep concealed metal; but not so wisdom. In this way, we may understand the commencing ', if we somewhat anticipate the conclusion of Job; the seat of wisdom can no man reach, although he may have learned to extract the shining metal from

2. Iron is taken out of the dust,

And brass is extracted from stone."

the darkness of the depths of the earth. Literally “there is an exit for the silver."

is espe

cially used of water. Vide Isa. xli. 18, where it is united with '. Under ch. xxxviii. 27, we

find D, i. e. the place where the young verdure sprouts up. "Which is refined;" this serves more closely to designate metal originally concealed in the earth. The gold which is already refined is not intended, but that which must first be purified. PP is thus used of refining metal, only

in Piel in Malachi iii. 3. Vide Ps. xii. 7. 1 Chron. xxviii. 18; xxix. 4. The sense would be frustrated by translating with the Vulgate, "auro locus est, in quo conflatur," so that is supplied.

s Literally "He (man) fuses the stone like brass," i. e. he knows how to extract brass from stone. To

P tert. fut. kal., we supply as subject

(vide verse 13 below) which might be omitted in the whole passage as being self-evident, as else. where the name of the divinity. In illustration of the word, vide Plinius Nat. Hist. xxxiv. 1, and xxxvi. 21: Aes fit ex lapide aeroso, quem vocant Cadmium; et igne lapides in aes solvuntur."

3. Man maketh an end of darkness,

And thoroughly searcheth out the stone of obscurity, and of the night of death.t

4. A stream breaks forth by the side of the stranger."

Concerning, vide ch. xxvi. 10, literally, "ad omnem consummationem." We need not inquire what is the peculiar stone meant by that of the thickest darkness. Job knows it not himself: but he means the stone, whatever it may be, which is embedded the deepest in the bowels of the earth. There is no need to follow the ancient commentators, who thought the earth's centre was here designated. Schultens enumerates sixteen theories on this subject.

u

"Cimmeriae tenebrae; quas me exsuperaturum vix sperare ausim!" exclaimed Schultens. The commentators, who attend to the connection, agree that this verse refers to the bold and dangerous labours of miners in the deepest clefts of the earth; they only differ concerning the meaning of individual expressions. The explanation is impeded by conceiving the words to refer to some special branch of mining. But if we are contented with a general explanation, the verse is plain. Three causes render the life of the miner unpleasant; 1. an enduring combat with the watery element; 2,

Lo there, how they whom the foot forsaketh,

remoteness from human society; 3. a dangerous progress in the dark galleries and vaults of the earth. These three difficulties are poetically described in this verse: The first hemistich, depicts the miner's surprise when a sudden stream rushes past him from the bowels of the earth. The miner is well named, for he is only a stranger at the bottom of his shaft. There is no need to follow the more recent commentators (Eichhorn, De Wette, and Gesenius), in their idea that is to be taken in the meaning (not elsewhere occurring

?.

in the Hebrew), of the Arabic foot of a moun

جر

tain (a stream breaks forth from the foundation of a mountain). Nor need we follow Rosenmüller,

"From thence, where he (man) dwells, doth he bring forth canals." The latter, like many other modern commentators, takes, not in the

common sense, but in that which does not elsewhere occur, of shaft, canal, where then transit. stands

for to break through.

Literally, they are forgotten by the foot, i. e. the foot does not secure them in their descent to the

Hang, and flit far from mankind."

5. Out of the earth springeth nourishment, And beneath it is stirred up with fire.*

6. The abode of the sapphire are the stones of the earth,

depths of the earth, but they must have recourse

to ropes.

The bold expression of the original

-adverts to the want of cus הַנִּשְׁכָּחִים מִנִי רֶגֶל

tom on the part of miners of using their feet in proceeding securely. That has a demonstra

tive meaning before

'], is justly remarked

T:

by Pareau in loco, vide his explanation of this chapter in his Comment. immort. et vit. fut. not.

It might also be explained: "They stagger more than men use to do," i. e. their unsteady gait resembles less the firm tread of mortals than the flitting of shadows in the realms of the dead. But, according to our explanation, the gloomy separation of miners from mankind is expressed.

* This verse must be regarded as a sentimental reflection. It is as if the mortal might be termed ungrateful to the gracious earth which nourishes him, while he makes such violent inroads upon her hidden treasures. Plinius has expressed a similar idea. "Persequimur omnes ejus (terrae) fibras, vivimusque super excavatam. Imus in viscera ejus,