12. But this WISDOM, where can it be found, And where is this place of understanding? 13. Mortal man knoweth not its path, Nor can it be found in the land of the living. 14. For the depth saith, "Not in me is this;" And the sea saith, "It is not with me." The sagacity that has invented the miner's art has not discovered it, where the human race inhabit; the depths they have penetrated to, have not disclosed it; the waters of the sea, which have added many precious productions to the treasures of the land, have not yielded this; nor has its surface, passed over by the adventurous mariner, who has brought to us so many new and rare productions of foreign countries, ever afforded this. No; the merchant, in the interchange of the articles of commerce, has never met with that wisdom which explains the dealings of God. 15. Sealed-gold is not given in exchange for it, a Nor is silver weighed for its purchase. • Perhaps, "Where is the bed of understanding," and in the following line: "Man knoweth not its rein." We have four terms for gold in this passage, 5, Bra, ari, and 15. Though interpreters are not exactly agreed as to their different meanings, there is no doubt the terms in this passage distinguish the different states of purity in which this precious metal was in ancient times exposed to barter by the merchants. If be derived from the Hebrew, to enclose,' whence, an enclosure;' we may suppose it to refer to those small packages, or sealed up quills, in which gold-dust is sometimes, to this day, exposed to sale by those who collect it. If with Simon we derive from the Arabic,rubuit,' 16. It is not set out with the ingot of Ophir, With the rare onyx, or the sapphire. 17. It is not arranged against' bright gold or crystal, Nor, as an exchange, with' vessels of pure native gold. 18. It is not mentioned with coral and pearl; Ay, to draw forth wisdom, is more than rubies 6 can do.' 19. It is not arranged against the tophaz of Cush; For the pure ingot it is not set out. Our traffickers and merchants have never procured it; amongst all the precious articles of their commerce with distant nations, they have never met with it; nor could the exhibition of the costliest goods or ornaments, or most valuable jewels, ever 6 • aurum rubrum sive rutilum,' 'red gold.' It denoted, probably, gold containing a mixture of copper. And we are informed *, that at present, among the eastern nations, it is customary for the dealers in gold, for want of skill to refine it, to exhibit it for sale with whatever combination of other metal they find it. D of Ophir, taking Mr. Parkhurst's explanation, marked,' or stamped,' may denote gold brought from that celebrated mart, and known by the stamp, ingot, or bullion of Ophir'. And as we meet with the same term, together with the epithet 'pure,' on, perhaps the ingots of Ophir were of different degrees of purity, according to the standard denoted by the stamp. is a very general term for gold, from a root that signifies to shine,' or glitter.' 15 from 115, abstergere, inundare, is supposed to denote that gold which is found pure in its native state. a no signifies strictly to strew,' or lay on the ground,' as the Moors and negroes in Africa still do the goods that they barter against each other, till both parties are satisfied with the exchange. * Marsden's History of Sumatra. draw it from its concealment, in the view of its being offered as an exchange". 20. This wisdom, then, whence does it come, And where is this place of understanding : 21. Since it is hid from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the heavens ? Wisdom and understanding, we shall not fail to bear in mind, applies to that knowledge of God and of his ways, which can unravel the mystery of his We have, in this remarkable passage, the most ancient picture of the commerce of the world. All ancient authors agree, that maritime trade, and the art of navigating the seas for that purpose, began first to be developed, either on the coasts of the Mediterranean, by the Sidonians, the descendants of Sidon, the eldest son of Canaan, or by the inhabitants of the eastern coast of the Red-sea, afterwards called Idumea. Speaking of the inhabitants of this country, Professor Goguet observes," it is certain, that they applied themselves to it,"-to "a sea-trade,”-in the earliest ages. We have evidence of this both in sacred and profane writers. These last are almost unanimous in considering Erythras as the inventor of navigation. They fix the place of his residence towards the eastern parts of the Red-sea. The situation of Job could have been at no great distance from this earliest seat of commerce; and, not unlikely, was placed near to the track of communication between the two great marts of the foreign trade in the most remote antiquity-Sidon, on the coast of Canaan, and the ports of Arabia, on the Red-sea. This will account for the progress of the arts, and for the frequent allusion to ships, and to the precious productions imported from foreign countries, which we meet with in this book. It accounts, also, for the circumstance, that at this very early period the travelling companies of Saba and Taman already traversed the deserts of Arabia;' and, that its ruder inhabitants were so soon addicted to their accustomed pillage. How uniformly has the most civilized part of the world been fixed upon by Providence for the site of the church of God! providence, and show the sure reward of them that diligently seek him, as well as his judgment on transgressors. Of this wisdom, Job maintains, nothing can be learned by any researches of man, or from all the experience of life; in short, this present world does not contain the elements of this knowledge. But we shall know it hereafter. That state, which we believe to succeed to this present life, is alone capable of giving any information about it. 22. Destruction and Death alone' have said, "With our ears we have heard the report of it. 23. "Elohim hath distinguished its path, "And He knoweth its place. 24. "For He can see to the extremities of the earth, "Beneath the whole heavens can he behold. 25. "When he made a balance for the wind, "And disposed the waters by measure ; 26. "When he made a decree for the rain, "And a track for the lightnings of the thunder; 27." Then did he see and survey it, "He disposed it in order, and also explored it". 28. "And to man he hath said, "Lo, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, This sublime speech, which, I think, should be considered as put into the mouths of Destruction and Death, plainly declares the opinion of Job; that, in order to understand the wise plans and scheme a Or, according to another reading, has disposed, or established its path,' or, the place where it will be found.' , another epithet of Deity, signifying, from its common usage, lord,' or 'master.' of the Almighty, we must wait "the great teacher, Death." Then shall we know why things are as they are,' and understand God's treatment of mankind, both of the just and of the unjust. "Known unto God are all his ways from the beginning of the world." The same wisdom, which has created and arranged the phenomena of the heavens, has fixed the eternal destinies of men; but no man can understand love or hatred by all that is before him; there is one event unto all, to the just and to the unjust, to him that feareth God, and to him that feareth him not.' But death will lead to the explanation of all; it will be seen in an after-state. All that God has thought fit to reveal to man, in his present state, is, that the fear of the Lord-true religion is his wisdom, and to depart from evil will manifest the best understanding. So far we know; for all other explanation we must wait : the course of this world is not so ordered, as to discover the equity of the moral government of God. We must look for the proper compensation in a life to come, for whatever has been wrong in this present world. SECTION XVIII. Job's Reflections on his former Prosperity. Chap. xxix. Ver. 1. And Job continued to carry on his parable, and he said: 2. O that it were with me, as in former months, As in the days when Eloah protected me! |