He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.
Parallel translations
- KJV The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant; even the waters forgotten of the foot: they are dried up, they are gone away from men.
- BSB Far from human habitation he cuts a shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways.
- NKJV He breaks open a shaft away from people; In places forgotten by feet They hang far away from men; They swing to and fro.
- NASB “He sinks a shaft away from inhabited areas, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing, away from people.
- NLT They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives. They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Miners sink shafts in remote places, dangling and swinging far from human society to reach the ore.
Overview
This verse pictures the dangerous, lonely work of mining, with men suspended deep in shafts far from where people live. The imagery underscores the extraordinary effort humans expend for material wealth. It heightens the chapter's contrast: however far men descend to find earthly riches, wisdom cannot be reached by digging but must be received from God.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 28:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.