No mention shall be made of coral, or of crystal: for the price of wisdom is above rubies.
All Commentaries on Job 28:18 Go To Job 28
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Things. Hebrew Ramoth and Gabish (Haydock) are terms much controverted. The first may denote the unicorns, (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 17.) and the latter the thunderbolt, or ceraunia, which were in high request. (Pliny, xxxvii. 9. Ezechiel (xiii. 11., and xxvii. 16.) mentions the former as carried by merchants to Tyre. These stones, which fell from the sky, were used by the Parthian magi, for secret purposes. They have given rise to many fabulous accounts. Those which are to be seen, are by no means beautiful. (Calmet)
Yet if the people esteemed them, Job might well include them among other things of most value. Protestants, "No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. "(Haydock)
The latter part of the verse would be rather, "the fishing for wisdom would be more difficult than that for pearls "(Calmet) or, "the extraction of wisdom is above the drawing forth of peninim. "(Haydock)
The pinna is a kind of fish which is fastened to the bottom of the sea, by roots, of which the byssus was made, 1 Paralipomenon xv. 27. Pearls were commonly found in the Persian Gulf, near Idumea. The art of diving for them, and extracting them from the fish, was very difficult, but nothing in comparison with the labour requisite to discover wisdom. The ancients describe some pearls of a reddish gold colour. (Athen. iii. 13.) ( Jeremias' Lamentations iv. 7.)
Adam, which is interpreted red, in Jeremias, means also any thing very shining; in which sense the word purpureus is used. (Horace vi. Ode 1.) (Bo chart, Anim. p. 2, b. v. vi. (Calmet) and t. iii. 681. 91.) The opinion of this author seems preferable to that of Hutchinson and Cooke, who would translate peninim (Haydock) by "loadstones or magnets "which the former says are like "reddish clay "though they are really of a dusky iron grey, sometimes tinged with brown or red. This complexion would not be very beautiful. Yet the Nazarites are compared to peninim, (Lamentations iv.) and to snow, (Parkhurst) as they were of a most fair red and white, like pearls. (Haydock)
Though the ancients seem to have been acquainted with the loadstone or magnetic needle, particularly the Phenicians (Odys. viii. 556.) and Chinese, for many ages, yet it was never so common as to form a popular comparison. Aquila renders the word in question, periblepta, "conspicuous things "and pearls were certainly highly valued by the Jews Parkhurst, in pone.
Theodotion, in the Septuagint, "draw forth wisdom before the inmost things. "
Both these versions agree with the Vulgate, as the most precious goods are kept out of sight. (Haydock)
Yet the deepest mines of gold do not require so much diligence and sagacity for us to discover and possess them, as wisdom does; but, in return, it will abundantly recompense the man who finds such a treasure, Ecclesiasticus vi. 19., and 24. (Pineda)
