Job 28:9

“He putteth forth his hand upon the rock, etc.] The discourse is carried on concerning the miner, and digger in the earth for metals and precious stones; who meeting with a rock or flint, and a ridge of them, is not discouraged, but goes to work therewith, and with his hammer in his hand lays upon the rock or flint, and beats it to pieces, and with proper instruments cuts through it; and using fire and vinegar, as Pliny f972 observes, makes his way into it, and oftentimes by splitting it discovers gold f973 or silver, or precious stones, in it: he overturneth the mountains by the roots; or turns them up from the roots; he roots them up, he undermines them; he turns up the earth at the roots…”

“rock--flint. He puts forth his hand to cleave the hardest rock. by the roots--from their foundations, by undermining them.”

“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 Psalms 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,…”

“He, &c. - This and the two next verses mention other eminent works of God, who overturneth rocks, and produceth new rivers. Job 28:10”

“rock: or, flint he overturneth: Nah 1:4-6 Job 28:10”

“9 He layeth his hand upon the pebbles; He turneth up the mountains from the root. 10 He cutteth canals through the rocks; And his eye seeth all kinds of precious things. 11 That they may not leak, he dammeth up rivers; And that which is hidden he bringeth to light. 12 But wisdom, whence is it obtained? And where is the place of understanding? Beneath, whither no other being of the upper world penetrates, man puts his hand upon the quartz or rock. חלּמישׁ (perhaps from חלם, to be strong, firm: Arabic, with the reduplication resolved, chalnubûs, like עכּבישׁ, Arab. ‛ancabûth, vid., Jesurun, p. 229) signifies here the quartz, and in general the hard stone; שׁלח יד בּ something like our "to…”