Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, October 27th, 2024
the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

King James Version

Job 28:2

Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Art;   Brass;   Iron;   Molding;   Readings, Select;   Thompson Chain Reference - Arts and Crafts;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arts of the;   Brass, or Copper;   Earth, the;   Iron;   Metals;  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Mine;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Brass;   Mines;   Holman Bible Dictionary - God;   Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Brass;   Mining and Metals;   Wisdom;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Iron;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Brass;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Metals;   Mines, Mining;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Mine;  

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock.
English Revised Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.
Update Bible Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.
New Century Version
Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is melted out of rocks.
New English Translation
Iron is taken from the ground, and rock is poured out as copper.
Webster's Bible Translation
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass [is] melted [out of] the stone.
World English Bible
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted out of the ore.
Amplified Bible
"Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted from the stone ore.
English Standard Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Irun is takun fro erthe, and a stoon resolued, `ethir meltid, bi heete, is turned in to money.
Berean Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Contemporary English Version
the same is done with iron and copper.
American Standard Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.
Bible in Basic English
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone is changed into brass by the fire.
Complete Jewish Bible
iron is extracted from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Darby Translation
Iron is taken out of the dust, and copper is molten out of the stone.
Easy-to-Read Version
Iron is dug out of the ground, and copper is melted out of the rocks.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Iron is taken out of the dust, and brass is molten out of the stone.
King James Version (1611)
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brasse is molten out of the stone.
New Life Bible
Iron is taken out of the earth. And copper is melted from the rock.
New Revised Standard
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Yron is taken out of the dust, and brasse is molten out of the stone.
George Lamsa Translation
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is smelted out of the stone.
Good News Translation
We dig iron out of the ground And melt copper out of the stones.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Iron, out of the ore, is taken, and, stone, poureth out copper;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.
Revised Standard Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Where yron is digged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone.
Christian Standard Bible®
Iron is taken from the ground,and copper is smelted from ore.
Hebrew Names Version
Iron is taken out of the eretz, And copper is smelted out of the ore.
Lexham English Bible
Iron is taken from dust, and he pours out copper from ore.
Literal Translation
Iron is taken out of the earth, and bronze is smelted from stone.
Young's Literal Translation
Iron from the dust is taken, And [from] the firm stone brass.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
where yron is dygged out of the grounde, & stones resolued to metall.
New American Standard Bible
"Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.
New King James Version
Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.
Legacy Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the dust,And copper is smelted from rock.

Contextual Overview

1 Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. 3 He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death. 4 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 As for the earth, out of it cometh bread: and under it is turned up as it were fire. 6 The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold. 7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen: 8 The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it. 9 He putteth forth his hand upon the rock; he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 10 He cutteth out rivers among the rocks; and his eye seeth every precious thing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Iron: Genesis 4:22, Numbers 31:22, Deuteronomy 8:9, 1 Chronicles 22:14

earth: or, dust

Reciprocal: Exodus 25:3 - brass

Cross-References

Genesis 24:10
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.
Genesis 24:29
And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.
Genesis 24:50
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord : we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
Genesis 25:20
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
Genesis 28:5
And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Genesis 28:15
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Genesis 28:20
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
Genesis 29:1
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
Genesis 31:18
And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 32:10
I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Iron is taken out of the earth,.... Very easily, and in great plenty, and is more common, being in most countries, is nearer the surface of the earth, and here said to be taken "out of the dust" x; which, being melted in a furnace, produces iron, a metal very serviceable for various rises, and without which there is scarce any thing to be done, and therefore was with brass of early invention. Tubalcain, son of Lamech, supposed to be the Vulcan of the Heathens, a worker in iron, is said to be the instructor of every artificer in brass and iron, Genesis 4:22;

and brass [is] molten [out of] the stone; out of a brassy stone, called "cadmai", as Pliny says, and also out of another, as he observes y, called "chalcites", found in Cyprus, where was the first invention of brass, according to him, and hence perhaps copper had its name; but it is plain from Scripture, the places before referred to, that it was invented elsewhere, and long before Cyprus was known; or a "stone melted becomes brass", see Deuteronomy 8:9; of these four metals was the image in Nebuchadnezzar's vision, which represented the four monarchies of the world, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, Daniel 2:30; and to them are compared, and by them are represented many things in Scripture.

x מעפר "e pulvere", V. L. Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens. y Nat. Hist. l. 34. c. 1, 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Iron - As has been remarked above, iron was early known, yet probably its common use indicates a more advanced state of civilization than that of gold and silver. The Mexicans were ignorant of the use of iron, though ornaments of gold and silver elegantly worked abounded among them. Iron is less easily discovered than copper, though more abundant, and is worked with more difficulty. Among the ancient nations, copper was in general use long before iron; and arms, vases, statues, and implements of every kind were made of this metal alloyed and hardened with tin, before iron came into general use. Tubal Cain is indeed mentioned Genesis 4:22 as the “instructor of every artificer in brass and iron,” but no direct mention is made of iron arms Numbers 35:16 or tools Deuteronomy 27:5, until after the departure from Egypt. According to the Arundelian Marbles, iron was known one hundred and eighty-eight years before the Trojan war, about 1370 years B.C.; but Hesiod, Plutarch, and others, limit its discovery to a much later period. Homer, however, distinctly mentions its use, Iliad xxiii. 262:

Η δε γυνᾶικα ὲΰζώνα;, πολιον τε σίδηρον.

Hē de gunaikas euzōnas, polion te sidēron.

That by the “sideros” of the poet is meant iron, is clear, from a simile which he uses in the Odyssey, derived from the quenching of iron in water, by which he illustrates the hissing produced in the eye of Polyphemus by piercing it with the burning stake:

“And as when armorers temper in the ford

The keen edged pole-axe or the shining sword,

The red-hot metal hisses in the lake,

Thus in the eye-ball hissed the plunging stake.”

Odyssey ix. 391; Pope

Iron is mentioned in the time of Og king of Bashan, 1450 B.C. It was at first, however, regarded as of great value, and its use was very limited. It was presented in the temples of Greece as among the most valuable offerings, and rings of iron have been found in the tombs of Egypt that had been worn as ornaments, showing the value of the metal. One of the reasons why this metal comes so slowly into use, and why it was so rare in early times, was the difficulty of smelting the ore, and reducing it to a malleable state “Its gross and stubborn ore,” says Dr. Robertson (America, B. iv.) “must feel twice the force of fire, and go through two laborious pocesses, before it becomes fit for use.” It was this fact which made it to Job such a proof of the wisdom of man that he had invented the process of making iron, or of separating it from the earthy portions in which it is found.

Is taken out of the earth - Margin, “dust.” The form in which iron is found is too well known to need description. It is seldom, if ever, found in its purity, and the ore generally has so much the appearance of mere earth, that it requires some skill to distinguish them.

And brass - נחוּשׁה nechûshâh. Brass is early and frequently mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 4:22; Exodus 25:3; Exodus 26:11, et al.), but there is little doubt that copper is meant in these places. Brass is a compound metal, made of copper and zinc - containing usually about one third of the weight in zinc - and it is hardly probable that the art of compounding this was early known; compare the notes at Job 20:24. Dr. Good renders this, “And the rock poureth forth copper.” Coverdale, “The stones resolved to metal.” Noyes, “The stone is melted into copper.” Prof. Lee, “Also the stone (is taken from the earth) from which one fuseth copper.” The Hebrew is, literally,” And stone is poured out יציק copper.” The Septuagint renders it, “And brass is cut like stones;” that is, is cut from the quarry. The word “stone” here in the Hebrew (אבן 'eben) means, doubtless, “ore” in the form of stone; and the fact mentioned here, that such ore is fused into the נחוּשׁה eht nechûshâh, is clear proof that copper is intended. Brass is never found in ore, and is never compounded in the earth. A similar idea is found in Pliny, who probably uses the word “aes” to denote copper, as it is commonly employed in the ancient writings. Aes fit ex lapide aeroso, quem vocant Cadmiam; et igne lapides in nes solvantur. Nat. Hist. xxxiv. i. 22. On the general subject of ancient metallurgy, see Wilkinsoh’s Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, vol. iii. chapter ix.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 28:2. Iron is taken out of the earth — This most useful metal is hidden under the earth, and men have found out the method of separating it from its ore.

Brass is molten out of the stone. — As brass is a factitious metal, copper must be the meaning of the Hebrew word נחושה nechusah: literally, the stone is poured out for brass. If we retain the common translation, perhaps the process of making brass may be that to which Job refers; for this metal is formed from copper melted with the stone calamine; and thus the stone is poured out to make brass.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile