Job 28:9
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
He puts forth his hand on the rock; he overturns the mountains by the roots.
American King James Version (AKJV)
He puts forth his hand on the rock; he overturns the mountains by the roots.
American Standard Version (ASV)
He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
Man puts out his hand on the hard rock, overturning mountains by the roots.
Webster's Revision
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
World English Bible
He puts forth his hand on the flinty rock, and he overturns the mountains by the roots.
English Revised Version (ERV)
He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots.
Clarke's Job 28:9 Bible Commentary
He putteth forth his hand upon the rock, - Still there appears to be a reference to mining. Man puts his hand upon the rock, he breaks that to pieces, in order to extract the metals which it contains.
He overturneth the mountains - He excavates, undermines, or digs them away, when in search of the metals contained in them: this is not only poetically, but literally, the case in many instances.
Barnes's Job 28:9 Bible Commentary
He putteth forth his hand - That is, the miner in securing the precious metals and gems.
Upon the rock - Margin, "flint." The word used here (חלמישׁ challâmı̂ysh) occurs also in Psalm 104:8. Deuteronomy 8:15; Deuteronomy 32:13. It means "flint, silex;" and the idea is, that the miner approaches the hardest substances. He penetrates even the flint in searching for precious stones. Dr. Good renders it, "Sparry ore." Michaelis renders the same word in Deuteronomy 7:15, porphyry, or red granite. The idea is that nothing, however difficult, not even cutting down the hardest rocks, deters the miner from pursuing his work.
He overturneth the mountains by the roots - That is, he digs under them, and they fall. The root of a mountain means its base or foundation. The following passage from Pliny (Hist. Nat. xxxiii. c. iv. 21) furnishes an admirable illustration of this passage: Tamen in silice facilior existimatur labor. Est namque terra ex quodam argillae genere glarae mixta, Candidam vocant, prope inexpugnabilis. Cuneis earn ferreis aggrediuntur, et iisdem mallets; nihilque durius putant, nisi quod inter omnia auri lama durissima est. Peracto opere cervices fornicum ab ultimo caedunt, dantque signun ruinrae, eamque solus intelligit in cacumine montis pervigil. Hic voce, ictuque, repente operarios revocari jubet, pariterque ipse devolat. Mons fractus cadit in scse Iongo fragore, qui concipi humana mente non possit, et flatu incredibili. Spectant victores ruinam naturae.
Wesley's Job 28:9 Bible Commentary
28:9 He, &c. - This and the two next verses mention other eminent works of God, who overturneth rocks, and produceth new rivers.