Humans Can Mine the Earth
Study note
The poem begins by describing the amazing things people can do. They mine silver, gold, iron, and copper from deep in the earth. They dig tunnels where no bird flies and no lion walks. They cut channels through rock and find every precious thing. Human skill and technology are remarkable.
1 'There are mines where people dig out silver, and places where gold gets melted down and purified.' Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
2 'Iron is pulled out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the rock.' Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
3 'People light lamps and push back the darkness underground. They search the deepest, darkest places for valuable ore.' He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.
4 'They cut shafts deep into the earth, far from where anyone lives, in places travelers have long forgotten. They dangle and swing back and forth, far from other people.' The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
5 'Up on the surface, the earth grows food. But down below, it is turned inside out as if by fire.' As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire.
6 'Sapphires are found inside its rocks, and flecks of gold are mixed in with its dust.' The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold.
7 'No hawk has ever spotted that hidden path with its sharp eyes. No bird of prey has ever flown over it.' There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen:
8 'The proudest wild animals have never set foot on it. No lion has ever walked that way.' The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
9 'People chip away at the hardest rock. They turn whole mountains upside down from the base.' He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
10 'They carve tunnels straight through solid rock. Their eyes catch sight of every precious treasure.' He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.
11 'They block up rivers at their source to keep them from flowing, and they pull hidden things out into the daylight.' He bindeth the floods from overflowing; and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light.
But Where Can Wisdom Be Found?
Study note
The poem then asks the crucial question: but where can wisdom be found? No one knows its value. The deep sea says, 'It is not in me.' Wisdom cannot be bought with gold, silver, onyx, sapphire, crystal, coral, pearls, or rubies. It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing. Even the realm of the dead has only heard a rumor of it.
12 'But wisdom -- where do you go to find that? Where exactly does understanding make its home?' But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
13 'No human being knows its true value. It cannot be found anywhere in the land of the living.' Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.
14 'The deepest ocean says, "It is not down here with me." The sea says, "I do not have it either."' The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.
15 'You cannot buy it with gold. There is no amount of silver that can match its price.' It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.
16 'All the gold from Ophir cannot equal its worth. Neither can the finest onyx or sapphire.' It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.
17 'Gold and crystal do not even come close. You cannot trade a pile of golden jewelry for it.' The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.
18 'Coral and pearls are not even worth bringing up. The cost of wisdom is way beyond the value of rubies.' No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
19 'The topaz from Ethiopia cannot match it. Even the purest gold is not enough to buy it.' The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.
20 'So where does wisdom come from? Where is the place where understanding lives?' Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
21 'It is hidden from the sight of every living creature. Even the birds soaring through the sky cannot find it.' Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.
22 'The place of destruction and death itself admit, "All we have ever heard about it is a rumor."' Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears.
God Alone Knows Wisdom
Study note
Only God understands the way to wisdom. He sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made rules for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm -- then he saw wisdom and examined it. And to humanity he said: 'The fear of the Lord -- that is wisdom. To turn away from evil -- that is understanding.' This is one of the most important verses in the book.
23 'Only God understands how to get to wisdom. He is the only one who knows exactly where it lives.' God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
24 'Because he can see all the way to the farthest edges of the earth. He looks out over everything under the entire sky.' For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 'When he decided how strong the wind should blow and measured out exactly how much water there should be,' To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 'when he made the rules that govern the rain and mapped out the path every thunderstorm should follow --' When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 'then and there, he looked at wisdom and studied it inside and out. He set it in place and put it to the test.' Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
28 'And then he told human beings, "Respecting the Lord -- that is true wisdom. Turning your back on evil -- that is real understanding."' And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.