Job 28:1-11, Wisdom in mining
"There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
Man puts an end to the darkness;
he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.
Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft,
in places forgotten by the foot of man;
far from men he dangles and sways.
The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
sapphires come from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.
Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
Man's hand assaults the flinty rock
and lays bare the roots of the mountains.
He tunnels through the rock;
his eyes see all its treasures.
He searches the sources of the rivers
and brings hidden things to light.
People dig shafts to mine for precious metals. Man endures great difficulties, dangling on ropes in deep shafts, showing great ingenuity in searching out gold, silver, iron and copper. Man's ingenuity and creativity exceed that of the sharp-eyed falcon or the powerful lion.
In this paragraph, Job both displays man's wisdom in mining and also sets up the metaphor for mankind's search for wisdom.
"But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
Man does not comprehend its worth;
it cannot be found in the land of the living.
The deep says, `It is not in me';
the sea says, `It is not with me.'
It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed in silver.
It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx or sapphires.
Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.
Although we are very creative in our mining for precious minerals, Wisdom is even harder to find! Wherever one looks, wisdom is priceless. It is even more precious that the gold, silver and priceless gems we find in the dark mines.
Job 28:20-22, Where is wisdom?
"Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds of the air.
Destruction and Death say, `Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'
The metaphor of mining in the dark recesses of the earth continues. Wisdom hides from the living but even Death and Destruction, inhabitants of darkness, only hear rumors of it, and do not see it.
Job 28:23-27, Only God understands wisdom
God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
Only God has access to Wisdom. He finds Wisdom and uses it in the wind, water, rain and storms, in all the forces of nature.
Job 28:28, Only God understands wisdom
And he said to man, `The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.'"
God alone knows wisdom. All mankind can do is "fear God." That, and shunning evil, is the best we can do with wisdom.
Proverbs 8 personifies Wisdom, picturing Wisdom as calling out to mankind, asking for people to listen to her. There Wisdom also claims (Proverbs 8: 22-31) to have been created with the beginning of Creation. Job's ode to Wisdom here will be reflected by God's statements, in the final chapters, about His Creation and mankind's knowledge of it.
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