He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives; they are forgotten by travelers; they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
Job 28:4 sits inside a picture of mining. Miners cut shafts in lonely places and go down into the dark, all for metal and gems buried underground. The skill is real. The question Job is heading toward is one that skill cannot answer.
The engineering Job describes
Job writes here like a man who knows the mining trade.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinJob shows that he had a good knowledge of mining operations. He knows of veins of silver and how men refine gold. Men take iron out of the earth and melt copper out of stone. Then he describes the miner with his lamp. The miner makes an end to the darkness as he digs into the mountains, and then he sinks a shaft. They are so far down that the foot passing above knows nothing of where they are. He mentions the dangers of mining too: "they hang (suspended by ropes) far from men, they swing to and fro." Man does all this, risking life and comfort, to get gold and the treasures of the earth.
Another writer reads the same details the same way: the shaft is opened where nobody lives, and rope is the only way in.
Leslie M. GrantHe sinks a shaft into the earth in places away from civilisation (v.4), let themselves down by ropes, and swing to and fro with the object of finding the metal they desire.
A second reading of the line
Commentators differ over what the verse describes. Working from an older English translation, one writer reads it as underground water, not as men hanging on ropes. He explains why water matters so much in a mine.
William Kelly"The flood breaks out from the inhabitant" — water there is very dangerous. So the great point is to get rid of it safely. They drain it or turn it aside so that they may work their mine. "Even the waters forgotten of the foot." That is, waters that people do not walk beside — not rivers and streams, but water deep in the earth. "They are dried up; they are gone away from men." That is the drainage, done to carry the work on.
What sends men down there
One writer names the motive behind all the skill.
William KellyHe knows how to pursue his way despite the darkness, which he overcomes with artificial light. He goes on no matter what the danger — a danger learnt every now and then at the cost of life. We see the shaft formed far away from human dwelling. We see the means used to carry men where none could walk, suspended by ropes, it would seem, and swinging to and fro… Man's daring resources, with covetousness behind, conquer all difficulties.
Another writer sets this against what the surface of the earth already gives.
Samuel RidoutMen will give their lives for gold. They are not content with the fertile earth that yields food for man's need… What man seeks after is wealth, gold, jewels, glory. For these he is ready to trade his very life and soul… The typical and spiritual teaching here is very clear: "But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." Of course this does not mean that these precious things are sinful in themselves, or that their proper use is unnecessary. But the restless craving for them shows the poor heart of man, seeking what can never satisfy.
(The words quoted inside are 1 Timothy 6:8, given here in the ESV.)
Reaching everywhere, finding nothing
All this reach ends at a wall.
F. B. HoleThey dig down, they divert the underground stream, they make paths untrodden by the strongest of beasts or the most keen-sighted of birds. But in all this searching they never find wisdom… Men may discover much. Since Job's day they have discovered a great deal more. But wisdom eludes them.
The energy misdirected
One writer turns the miner's persistence into a question.
Samuel RidoutAgain we ask: why will men not work like this for the "hidden wisdom"? Why will they not sift it out as it lies so close by, or, if need be, remove in faith the very mountains of difficulty… "The one who seeks finds" is still true. But the seeking and the finding are different from what the toil for gold would suggest. The wisdom is hidden, the way to it is not known, because God is not known, and men will not listen to Him.
Where, then, does the chapter land? The answer does not come from the mine.
William KellyMan knows nothing of wisdom; but it is not here… It is not in this world. It is not in man as he is. Eagerness after present objects only shuts it out… The answer comes at last from God Himself: "The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding."
Summary
- Dig — The verse pictures a shaft cut far from any settlement. Men hang on ropes in the dark, far below any foot that passes above.
- Danger — Men pay for this with their lives. The skill is real, and so is the covetousness behind it.
- Depth — Man reaches where no bird flies and no lion treads, and still comes up empty of wisdom.
- Disagreement — Commentators differ on the wording. Some read men hanging by ropes. Others read underground water, drained off so the mine can be worked.
- Direction — Turn that same tireless search toward God, and it finds what the mine never held. The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and turning from evil is understanding.