Job 28:2
New International Version
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

New Living Translation
They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock.

English Standard Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore.

Berean Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

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

New King James Version
Iron is taken from the earth, And copper is smelted from ore.

New American Standard Bible
“Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.

NASB 1995
“Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.

NASB 1977
“Iron is taken from the dust, And from rock copper is smelted.

Legacy Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock.

Amplified Bible
“Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is smelted from the stone ore.

Christian Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the ground, and copper is smelted from ore.

American Standard Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone.

Contemporary English Version
the same is done with iron and copper.

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

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Iron is taken from the ground, and rocks are melted for [their] copper.

Good News Translation
We dig iron out of the ground And melt copper out of the stones.

International Standard Version
Iron is taken from the ground; and copper is smelted from ore.

Majority Standard Bible
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.

NET Bible
Iron is taken from the ground, and rock is poured out as copper.

New Heart English Bible
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted out of the ore.

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.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Iron is taken from the dust, "" And bronze [from] the firm stone.

Young's Literal Translation
Iron from the dust is taken, And from the firm stone brass.

Smith's Literal Translation
Iron shall be taken from the dust, and stone will pour out brass.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone melted with heat is turned into brass.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Iron is taken from the earth, and ore, unbound by heat, is turned into brass.

New American Bible
Iron is taken from the earth, and copper smelted out of stone.

New Revised Standard Version
Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is smelted out of the stone.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And iron is melted from the dust, and from the rocks copper is melted
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Iron is taken out of the dust, And brass is molten out of the stone.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For iron comes out of the earth, and brass is hewn out like stone.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Where Can Wisdom Be Found?
1“Surely there is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. 2Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. 3Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.…

Cross References
Proverbs 2:4
if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,

Isaiah 48:10
See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

Jeremiah 6:29-30
The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain, for the wicked are not purged. / They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them.”

Ezekiel 22:18-22
“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver. / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem. / Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you. ...

Deuteronomy 8:9
a land where you will eat food without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.

1 Kings 7:46
The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.

1 Chronicles 22:14
Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.

2 Chronicles 2:7
Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David provided.

Psalm 12:6
The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.

Psalm 66:10
For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver.

Proverbs 17:3
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.

Zechariah 13:9
This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

Malachi 3:3
And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Luke 12:33-34
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


Treasury of Scripture

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

Iron

Genesis 4:22
And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

Numbers 31:22
Only the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Deuteronomy 8:9
A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

earth.

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Brass Changed Copper Dust Earth Fire Firm Iron Melted Molten Ore Rock Stone
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Brass Changed Copper Dust Earth Fire Firm Iron Melted Molten Ore Rock Stone
Job 28
1. There is a knowledge of natural things
12. But wisdom is an excellent gift of God














Iron is taken from the earth
The Hebrew word for "iron" is "בַּרְזֶל" (barzel), which signifies strength and durability. In ancient times, iron was a valuable resource, essential for tools and weapons, symbolizing human ingenuity and the ability to harness the earth's resources. The phrase "taken from the earth" emphasizes the extraction process, reflecting humanity's God-given dominion over creation as seen in Genesis 1:28. This dominion involves not only stewardship but also the responsibility to use resources wisely and ethically. The historical context reveals that ironworking was a significant technological advancement, marking the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, which allowed for stronger implements and a profound impact on society and warfare.

and copper is smelted from ore
The Hebrew word for "copper" is "נְחֹשֶׁת" (nechoshet), often associated with wealth and trade in the ancient Near East. Copper, like iron, required a process of refinement, known as smelting, to be transformed from raw ore into usable metal. This process is a metaphor for spiritual refinement, where trials and tribulations purify and strengthen one's faith, as seen in passages like 1 Peter 1:7. The act of smelting involves intense heat, symbolizing the fiery trials believers may endure to emerge purer and more resilient. Historically, copper was used extensively in the construction of the Tabernacle and Temple, signifying its importance in worship and daily life. The mention of "ore" underscores the hidden potential within the earth, much like the latent potential within each person that God seeks to develop through His divine plan.

Verse 2. - Iron is taken out of the earth (see the comment on Job 20:24). Iron was found in the hills of Palestine (Deuteronomy 8:9), in the trans-Jordanic region (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud,' 4:8. § 2), in the sandstone of the Lebanon ('Hist. of Phoenicia,' p. 47), and in Egypt ('Hist. of Ancient Egypt,' vol. 1. p. 93), probably also in many other places. It is scarcely ever found except in the shape of iron ore, and so has to be "taken out of the earth." And brass is molten out of the stone. By "brass" we must understand copper, since the amalgam brass is never found in a natural state. Copper was yielded abundantly in very early times by the mines which the Egyptians worked in the Sinaitic peninsula ('Hist. of Ancient Egypt,' vol. 1. pp. 93, 94). It was also obtainable from Palestine (Deuteronomy 8:9), Cyprus ('Hist. of Phoenicia,' p. 311), and Armenia (Ezekiel 27:13). Sometimes it is found pure, but generally in the shape of copper ore, which has to be "molten" for the pure metal to run off.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Iron
בַּ֭רְזֶל (bar·zel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement

is taken
יֻקָּ֑ח (yuq·qāḥ)
Verb - QalPass - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

from the earth,
מֵעָפָ֣ר (mê·‘ā·p̄ār)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

and copper
נְחוּשָֽׁה׃ (nə·ḥū·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5154: Copper, bronze

is smelted
יָצ֥וּק (yā·ṣūq)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6694: To pour out, smelt, utter

from ore.
וְ֝אֶ֗בֶן (wə·’e·ḇen)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 68: A stone


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OT Poetry: Job 28:2 Iron is taken out of the earth (Jb)
Job 28:1
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