Job Chapter 28 verse 1 Holy Bible
Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.
read chapter 28 in ASV
Truly there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is washed out.
read chapter 28 in BBE
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold which they refine;
read chapter 28 in DARBY
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
read chapter 28 in KJV
Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
read chapter 28 in WBT
"Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine.
read chapter 28 in WEB
Surely there is for silver a source, And a place for the gold they refine;
read chapter 28 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerses 1-28. - The connection of this chapter with the preceding is somewhat obscure. Probably we are to regard Job as led to see, even while he is justifying God's ways with sinners (Job 27:8-23), how many and how great are the difficulties in the way of forming a single consistent theory of the Divine action, which shall be applicable to all cases. Hence he comes to the conclusion that God is incomprehensible by man and inscrutable; and that it is only given to man to know him sufficiently for his practical guidance. To impress this on his hearers is his main object (vers. 12-28); and, to impress it the more, he introduces it by a sharp contrast. Wonderful as is man's cleverness and ingenuity in respect of earthly things and physical phenomena (vers. 1-11), with respect to heavenly things and the spiritual world - wherewith true wisdom is concerned - he knows next to nothing. All that he knows is just enough to guide his conduct aright (ver. 28). Verse 1. - Surely there is a vein for the silver; literally, an issue for silver? i.e. a place or places whence it is drawn forth from the earth. The silver-mines of Spain were very early worked by the Phoenicians, and produced the metal in great abundance (see the author's 'History of Phoenicia,' p. 314). But Asia itself was probably the source whence silver was obtained in primitive times. And a place for gold where they fine it; or, fuse it. Gold is very widely spread over the earth's surface, and in ancient times was especially abundant in Arabia (Diod. Sic.. 2:1; 3:42; Strabo, 16:4. ยง 18; Pit,y, 'Hist. Nat.,' 6:32, etc.); so that Job might easily have been acquainted with the processes of fusing and refining it. Two processes of refining are mentioned by Diodorus as practised by the Egyptians (3:11).
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersXXVIII.(1) Surely there is a vein for the silver.--In this chapter Job draws out a magnificent contrast between human skill and ingenuity and Divine wisdom. The difficulty to the ordinary reader is in not perceiving that the person spoken of in Job 28:3 is man, and not God. Man possesses and exercises this mastery over nature, but yet is ignorant of wisdom unless God bestows it on him. That Job should say this is but natural, after his painful experience of the want of wisdom in his friends.
