Job 28:6
The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
Original Language Analysis
מְקוֹם
of it are the place
H4725
מְקוֹם
of it are the place
Strong's:
H4725
Word #:
1 of 6
properly, a standing, i.e., a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific); also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or mind)
סַפִּ֥יר
of sapphires
H5601
סַפִּ֥יר
of sapphires
Strong's:
H5601
Word #:
2 of 6
a gem (perhaps used for scratching other substances), probably the sapphire
וְעַפְרֹ֖ת
and it hath dust
H6083
וְעַפְרֹ֖ת
and it hath dust
Strong's:
H6083
Word #:
4 of 6
dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth, mud
Cross References
Job 28:16It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.Exodus 24:10And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.Revelation 21:19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;Isaiah 54:11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.Song of Solomon 5:14His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
Historical Context
Lapis lazuli, mined in Afghanistan, was traded throughout the ancient Near East for jewelry and decoration. Gold dust was panned from riverbeds or extracted from quartz veins. Job's description demonstrates knowledge of sophisticated mining and metallurgy. The passage emphasizes human technological achievement while ultimately subordinating it to the greater quest for wisdom, which no amount of mining can uncover.
Questions for Reflection
- How does recognizing the noetic effects of sin—that human reason alone cannot discover God—humble our intellectual pride?
- What does it mean that spiritual treasures require different 'mining techniques' than earthly ones?
- How should Christians value scientific and technological achievement while recognizing wisdom's supernatural source?
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Analysis & Commentary
The stones of it are the place of sapphires—the Hebrew sappir (סַפִּיר) likely refers to lapis lazuli, highly prized in antiquity, not modern sapphire. And it hath dust of gold (aphar zahav, עֲפַר זָהָב)—even common earth in certain locations contains gold particles. Job describes geological treasure: precious stones and gold dust extracted from the earth's depths through human ingenuity.
Yet this marvel of human achievement serves to highlight wisdom's inaccessibility. If miners can penetrate earth's deepest recesses to extract lapis and gold, why can't they find wisdom (verse 12)? The poem's logic moves from easier to harder: humans master physical extraction but remain bankrupt regarding spiritual insight. This Reformed emphasis on noetic effects of sin appears here—the fall corrupted human reason, making divine truth inaccessible apart from revelation. Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians 2:14: "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God."