Job 28:11

"He cuts out channels among the rocks. His eye sees every precious thing."

Key Reflection

In first-century Israel, the concept of mining and extracting precious metals from rocky terrain was well-known. The imagery in Job 28:11 reflects the laborious process of cutting through hard rock to find valuable minerals, illustrating a divine wisdom that surpasses human understanding. The original audience would have recognized this as a metaphor for searching for true wisdom, which is more valuable than material riches and can only be found by following God’s guidance.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

He bindeth the floods from overflowing -Margin, Weeping The Hebrew also is “from weeping”מבכיmı̂bekı̂y; referring to the water which trickles down the shaft of the mine. The idea is, that even the large streams which break out in such mines, the fountains and springs which the miner encounters in his operations, he so effectually restrains that they do not even trickle down or “weep” on the sides of the shaft, but it is left perfectly dry. This is necessary in opening mines of coal or minerals, and in making tunnels or other excavations.

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