Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 28:10
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
10. cutteth out rivers ] The word “rivers” is that commonly used to denote the canals into which the Nile was divided, and might be translated canals or channels. Such canals might be intended for drawing off the water accumulating in the mine. The second clause suggests, however, that the word rather means passages or galleries, cut in order to pursue the vein, for it is said, “his eye seeth every precious thing.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks – That is, in his operations of mining, he cuts channels for the water to flow off through the rocks. This was done, as it is now, for the purpose of drawing off the water that accumulates in mines.
His eye seeth every precious thing – Every valuable mineral or precious stone that lies imbedded in the rocks. It is evident from this, that mining operations were carried to a considerable extent in the time of Job. The art of thus penetrating the earth, and laying open its secret treasures, indicate an advanced stage of society – a stage much removed from barbarism.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 28:10
His eye seeth every precious thing.
Every precious thing
These words refer to the miner who digs for the treasure hidden in the earth. He finds the vein of silver, and the place for the gold. But if mans eye sees the precious things, let us think how God sees them.
I. He sees the promise and possibility. There are many things of which, at a glance, men can see the worth; things that proclaim themselves loudly. Some things only the genius can see. The gold is in the quartz, but invisible. And what a poor thing is humanity! How hard it is to find in many people any promise of any goodness, any possibility of any worth. But lo! our God bends over us, and to Him this humanity is infinitely precious. To Him it is a pearl of great price, for which He hath given all, that He may purchase it for His own. This is the glory of our God; this is the meaning of His salvation–that He sees in humanity an infinite worth, that which He can uplift and beautify and transform into His own very image and likeness.
II. He sees the effort and will, where others see only the poor result. God does not measure what we bring to Him, He weighs it. He knows what it cost.
III. He sees the great result, where we see but the process. God sees for Joseph the throne of Egypt; the sceptre of that great nation is in his hand. But what does Joseph see when carried off by the Midianites? Thus is it ever that God sees the glorious result when we see but the dreary processes. He hears the joyous shout of harvest home, where we have only the chill earth and the darkness of the grave. This is our safety and our blessedness–to give ourselves to Him who knows how to turn us to the beat account, and to let Him have His own way with us perfectly. (Mark Guy Pearse.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks] He cuts canals, adits, c., in the rocks, and drives levels under ground, in order to discover loads or veins of ore. These are often continued a great way under ground and may be poetically compared to rivers, channels, or canals.
His eye seeth every precious thing.] He sinks those shafts, and drives those levels, in order to discover where the precious minerals lie, of which he is in pursuit.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He maketh channels among the rocks to convey away that water which was breaking in upon him, and if not thus diverted, would have spoiled his work; of which See Poole “Job 28:4“. Having with great art and indefatigable industry broke through all difficulties, he at last arriveth at his end, and finds out those precious treasures which he sought for.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. He cuts channels todrain off the waters, which hinder his mining; and when the watersare gone, he he is able to see the precious things in theearth.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He cutteth out rivers among the rocks,…. By cleaving rocks asunder in order to find out things of value in the cliffs of them; or by cutting his way through them, the miner opens a course for rivers and floods of water, to drain off from his mines, and so can go on with his works more comfortably, and with success; though sometimes they sink through high rocks, till they go so far below their basis, that they can go no further for water, in some places forty or fifty fathom deep i:
and his eye seeth every precious thing; in the cliffs of the rock, or at the bottom of the rivers and floods, as they go off, or in the mines he digs, even gold or silver, or precious stones: hence came the fable of Lynceus, and from him the phrase of Lyncean eyes k, who was said to see all things under the earth, because he was the first that searched for metals, as brass, silver, c. and in search of them carried lamps, or links, under the earth l. This verse is also by some ascribed to God, who is said to cleave the fountain and the flood, and to dry up mighty rivers and also to open rivers in high places, in hills, mountains, and rocks, as well as sometimes in the middle of the valleys, Ps 74:15; and who, in a spiritual sense, has cut out and opened the river of his pure love and grace, which flows from the throne of God and the Lamb; and the fulness of grace in Christ, which is as rivers of water in a dry land; and the graces of the Spirit in his people, which flow out of them as rivers of living water; and his word and ordinances in his church, which are the rivers of pleasure he makes his saints to drink of in it: and his eye of omniscience, which sees all things in particular, sees all the precious things in nature; the precious things of heaven, and earth, and sea; the precious things brought forth by the sun and moon; and the precious tidings of the ancient mountains and everlasting hills, the gold, silver, and precious stones that lie hid in the bowels of them, De 33:13; and who also sees all precious persons, and things, in a spiritual sense; he beholds his precious Son, his precious blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, with delight and pleasure; and his eye of love, grace, and mercy, upon the precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, jewels, and precious stones; and sees all the precious graces of the Spirit in them, with acceptance and good will.
i Philos. Transaet. abridged, vol. 2. p. 469. k Horat. Sermon. l. 1. Satyr. 2. v. 90. l Palaephat. de Incredib. c. 10.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10. Rivers In the sense of canals or water-courses. The fact that the word , here used, is of Egyptian origin, (the word aur of the hieroglyphics, signifying river,) is an indication that Job may be describing the Egyptian mines and mode of mining, perhaps those in the Sinaitic districts, either in the wady Magharah or that of Sarabit. “To wash the ruins,” says Pliny, “they bring rivers from the tops of mountains a hundred miles off. They carry aqueducts over the valleys, and sometimes hew a way for those pipes THROUGH THE ROCKS.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 28:10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
Ver. 10. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks ] i.e. By cleaving hardest rocks, he draws in store of water to wash the inward parts of the earth, that he may see what gold lieth hidden there; as also, to wash and purge his metals, which require much washing. This is the work of his hands. And then for his eye, and as a reward of his labour (for the diligent hand maketh rich, Pro 10:4 , and in all labour there is profit, Pro 14:23 ).
His eye seeth every precious thing
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
every precious thing: Pro 14:23, Pro 24:4, Hab 3:9