He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
The mining picture in Job 28 ends here. Water floods the shaft, so the miner shuts it off and lifts out what the earth had buried. Then comes the question that gives this line its weight: a man who can do all this still has to ask where wisdom is.
The Miner's Last Obstacle
Before this verse, the miner has sunk his shaft and followed the vein. When underground water threatens the work, he moves it out of his way.
Samuel RidoutComing back to the search for treasure, Job describes this fruitless hunt, in which man lays hold of the rocks and overturns the mountains… He cuts his way deep down, following the vein like a river in its course, and looking with greedy eyes at the rich shining treasures locked up inside. If water flows in, he finds a way to divert it, so that he can go after the hidden wealth he has now uncovered.
Who Dams the Streams?
Commentators differ on who is acting in verses 9–11. Most take it as the miner. One reads the subject as God, whose dams block the digger instead of helping him.
Leslie M. GrantBut God's hand does what creatures cannot. It even overturns mountains at the roots, to uncover what lies hidden beneath (v.9). In the rocks "He sees every precious thing," which man would not discover until God saw fit to expose it (v.10). On streams where man may expect to find treasure, He places dams that thwart men's intentions. But in the end, even what is hidden God brings forth (v.11).
Real Skill, Wrong Prize
Whoever drains the water, the success is real. That is what makes the next question so sharp.
William Kelly"He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle, and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light. But where shall wisdom be found?" No, there is no wisdom in all that. There is self in all that. There is what will make a man rich; there is what will bring money and perhaps distinction; but where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Well, it is not on the earth.
The Effort Nobody Spends
The verse describes enormous trouble taken for metal. Ridout turns that energy into a question about the better treasure.
Samuel RidoutAgain we ask: why will men not work this hard for the "hidden wisdom"? Why will they not sift it out where it lies so close by, or, if need be, remove by faith the very mountains of difficulty? If "the course of this world" would sweep over the true riches like a river, why do men not stop it, or turn it away from them, so that they can have what is worth more than all wealth? "The one who seeks finds" is still true. But the seeking and the finding are not what the toil for gold would suggest.
Capacity Is Not the Problem
The mind that drains a flooded mine is a remarkable thing. Its failure to find God is therefore not a failure of ability.
The Bible Treasury"He can cut out channels among the rocks, and his eyes see every precious thing. He can dam up the streams, and bring what is hidden out to light" (Job 28). But he has lost the knowledge of God through sin, and lost all desire for that knowledge. "No one understands; no one seeks for God." The guilt is not in the capacity, but in the will. "People loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil."
Where It Is Found
If wisdom is not under the ground, it has to come from somewhere else.
William KellyTrue wisdom and true understanding are not found in the earth at all! It comes down from heaven. It is found only in Christ… There was a report of that One who is Himself wisdom, and who is the Giver of wisdom to the meek. It was by death that it came to us.
Summary
- Dig: the miner shuts off the underground water and lifts buried wealth into daylight. It is the peak of human skill in the chapter.
- Differ: commentators split on who acts. Most see the miner. One sees God, uncovering what no creature could reach.
- Fall short: the digging succeeds and still misses the prize — "there is no wisdom in all that. There is self in all that."
- Will, not skill: the same mind that masters rock and flood has lost the desire for God; "the guilt is not in the capacity, but in the will."
- Descend: wisdom is never dug up; it comes down from heaven, and is found in Christ.