Job 28:1

Vein for the silver. This chapter is one of the oldest and finest pieces of natural history in the world. It is also one of the great poems of all literature. This chapter is not an argument but a meditation. Its design seems to be to show that man must accept divine providence even though he may not understand it. Job shows that man has made surprising discoveries regarding nature, yet true wisdom is found only in the fear of the Lord.

The mining of silver and gold is mentioned as an example of the skill of man. Elsewhere mining is mentioned in the OT only in Deut. 8:9, where Canaan is described as a land of iron and copper. Diodorus describes ancient mining operations thus: The shafts follow veins of quartz deep into the mountain. Fire was used to make the stone brittle, then it was hoed out by men who carried lamps. The quartz was crushed, pounded into dust, and washed until the gold remained (see Emian, Life in Ancient Egypt, p. 463 ff). The book of Job reveals that, even in his far-off days, such arts were known (see Gen. 2:11, 12; 4:22).