John Gill Commentary Job 28

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 gold ^F16 ; 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). They say 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 leaves ^F17 ;

so here there is a vein, or a "going out for the silver" ^F18 , 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 where 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 2:11Genesis 2:12); 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 Arabia ^F19 , but it was to be found with the Sabeans ^F20 , the near neighbours of Job; yes, 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 Pliny ^F21 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 where 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 gold ^F23 .

FOOTNOTES:

• F16: Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 3.
• F17: Peter Martyr. Decad. 3. l. 8.
• F18: (auwm) "exitus", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Drusius, Michaelis; "egressio", Vatablus.
• F19: Hieron. de loc. Heb. fol. 90. A.
• F20: Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 28.
• F21: Ut supra, (Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 33.) c. 4.
• F23: P. Martyr. Decad. 1. l. 10.

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" ^F24; which, being melted in a furnace, produces iron, a metal very serviceable for various uses, 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 observes ^F25 , called "chalcites", found in Cyprus, where was the first invention of brass, according to him, and from which 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) (33:25); 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 2:30Daniel 2:33); and to them are compared, and by them are represented many things in Scripture.

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: (rpem) "e pulvere", V. L. Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens.
• F25: Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 1, 2.

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 2:4Proverbs 2:5) .

The flood breaks out from the inhabitant
Or, "so that there is no inhabitant" ^F26 ; of the mine, as the miner may be said to be, who lives there continually; and, when a flood of water arises, which is a 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 ^F1 . A like figurative expression in (Psalms 137:5);

they are dried up, they are gone away from men ;
Though such a flood of waters rises apace, and flows in with great force, and threatens the miners' lives and the ruin of their works, yet they are not discouraged, but by means of engines, pumps, 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) (Revelation 12:15Revelation 12:16) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: (rg Mem) "qui accolas non fert", Tigurine version; "dimisso accola", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "ut non sit accola", Mercerus.
• F1: Vid. Senecae Nat. Quaest. l. 5. c. 15.

[As for] the earth, out of it comes 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, (Psalms 104:14Psalms 104:15) . The West Indians formerly made their bread of roots of the earth, particularly one called "jucca" ^F2 ; so Caesar's soldiers in distress made bread of a root called "chara", steeped in milk ^F3 :

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 comes, 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) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F2: P. Martyr, Decad 1. l. 1.
• F3: Caesar. Comment. Bell. Civil. l. 3. c. 48.