Job 28:3
in Job 28Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Man setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.
KJV
He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
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This verse in Job 28
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
He setteth an end to darkness - That is, man does. The reference here is undoubtedly to the operations of mining, and the idea is, that man delves into the darkest regions; he goes even to the outer limits of darkness; he penetrates everywhere. Probably the allusion is derived from the custom of carrying torches into mines. And searcheth out all perfection - Makes a complete search; examines everything; carries the matter to the utmost.
This site's exposition
Surely there is a mine for silver
on Job 28:1-3
"Surely there is a mine for silver" opens the fullest account of mining in the ancient world. Delitzsch notes how advanced mining already was in the patriarchal world. Clarke reads the miner who "probes the farthest recesses" as reaching every corner of the working.
This site's exposition
Man puts an end to the darkness
Barnes reads the verse as mining: man goes to the farthest limits of darkness and penetrates everywhere. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown picture torches carried into the deepest gloom. Wesley takes the ore of darkness as precious stones hidden where no living thing can dwell.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"He has set a place for darkness," he says; he was right in saying "a place," because darkness knows how to give way and fade away [before the daylight]. Who drives this obscurity away? From where does such beautiful order in such a situation come? Then he discusses his power, and then his wisdom in order to persuade us that he does not want to call God to account. Why darkness, he says? Do we really know anything at all? God can do anything. He does everything with wisdom.
The Medieval Church2 voices
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book XVIII · Written before 604.
proposed
He hath set a time to darkness, and Himself vieweth the end of all and everyone. He hath Himself 'set a time to the darkness,' i.e. bounds to the wicked, where they should cease to be wicked. Whence it is said to them by the Apostle; Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Like as to the other disciples as well the same great teacher saith, The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore put off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
He then proceeds to examine other things which have a determined time and place from divine disposition and so are subject to divine knowledge. The greater part of these are hidden from men. The darkness of night hides the sun and many other things from …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Perfection - Whatever is deeply wrought in the deepest caverns. Stones of darkness - The precious stones which lie hid in the dark bowels of the earth, where no living thing can dwell.
He setteth an end to darkness,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
"Man makes an end of darkness," by exploring the darkest depths (with torches). all perfection--rather, carries out his search to the utmost perfection; most thoroughly searches the stones of darkness and of the shadow of death (thickest gloom); that is, the stones, whatever they be, embedded in the darkest bowels of the earth [UMBREIT] (Job 26:10).
He setteth an end to darkness - As it is likely Job still refers to mining, the words above may be understood as pointing out the persevering industry of man in penetrating into the bowels of the earth, in order to seek for metals and precious stones. Even the stones that lay hidden in the bowels of the earth he has digged for and brought to light, and has penetrated in directions in which the solar light could not be transmitted; so that he appears to have gone to the regions of the shadow of death. Mr. Good translates: “Man delveth into the region of darkness; and examineth, to the uttermost limit, the stones of darkness and death-shade.”
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| קֵ֤ץ׀ | ketz | an end | H7093 → | 67 times |
| שָׂ֤ם | sam | someone puts | H7760 → | 584 times |
| לַחֹ֗שֶׁךְ | lachoshekh | to the darkness | H2822 → | 80 times |
| וּֽלְכָל־ | ulekhol- | and to every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| תַּ֭כְלִית | takhlit | outermost part | H8503 → | 5 times |
| ה֣וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| חוֹקֵ֑ר | choker | [is] searching for | H2713 → | 27 times |
| אֶ֖בֶן | ʾeven | [the] stone of | H68 → | 273 times |
| אֹ֣פֶל | ʾofel | gloom | H652 → | 9 times |
| וְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃ | vetzalmavet | and deep darkness | H6757 → | 18 times |
קֵ֤ץ׀an end
ketzH7093 →67 times
שָׂ֤םsomeone puts
samH7760 →584 times
לַחֹ֗שֶׁךְto the darkness
lachoshekhH2822 →80 times
וּֽלְכָל־and to every
ulekhol-H3605 →5413 times
תַּ֭כְלִיתoutermost part
takhlitH8503 →5 times
ה֣וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
חוֹקֵ֑ר[is] searching for
chokerH2713 →27 times
אֶ֖בֶן[the] stone of
ʾevenH68 →273 times
אֹ֣פֶלgloom
ʾofelH652 →9 times
וְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃and deep darkness
vetzalmavetH6757 →18 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 2:4if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
it leads to
- Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that…
- Proverbs 16:16
How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
- Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal…
- Job 3:21
who long for death that does not come, and search for it like hidden treasure,
- Proverbs 8:18–19
With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and righteousness.
- Matthew 13:44
Through
Ecclesiastes 1:13And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 3:10
I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
- Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
- Ecclesiastes 3:10
Through
Luke 16:8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:5
For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Job
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XVIII; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON JOB 27:14-28:3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.