Job 41:24

41:24 Its heart ¹  is hard as rock,

hard as a lower millstone.

Job 28:3

28:3 Man puts an end to the darkness; ² 

he searches the farthest recesses

for the ore in the deepest darkness. ³ 

Job 38:6

38:6 On what ⁴  were its bases ⁵  set,

or who laid its cornerstone –

[41:24]  ¹ tn The description of his heart being “hard” means that he is cruel and fearless. The word for “hard” is the word encountered before for molten or cast metal.

[28:3]  ² sn The text appears at first to be saying that by opening up a mine shaft, or by taking lights down below, the miner dispels the darkness. But the clause might be more general, meaning that man goes deep into the earth as if it were day.

[28:3]  ³ tn The verse ends with “the stone of darkness and deep darkness.” The genitive would be location, describing the place where the stones are found.

[38:6]  ³ tn For the interrogative serving as a genitive, see GKC 442 §136.b.

[38:6]  ⁴ sn The world was conceived of as having bases and pillars, but these poetic descriptions should not be pressed too far (e.g., see Ps 24:2, which may be worded as much for its polemics against Canaanite mythology as anything).