And the gold of that land [is] good: there [is] bdellium and the onyx stone.
Ver. 12. And the gold of that land is good.] But pale, because it feareth, saith one, wittily, those many that lie in wait for it. Sed melius est pallens aurum, quam fulgens aurichalcum. a The common cry is, "Who will show us any good?" Psa 4:6 That will I, saith God to Moses, when he gave him a glimpse of his glory. Exo 33:19 and I will "show thee, O man, what is good," &c. Ostendam tibi omne bonum Mic 6:8-9 As for gold, how good soever in itself, it is to men but an imaginary good at best: for it is opinion which setteth the price upon it: brass or leather, forma publica percussum saith Seneca, that is, stamped for coin, may pass as well as gold; it did so some time in the Roman provinces; and here in England also, in the time of the barons' wars. Yea, gold oft proves to the possessors a real evil. Pro 1:19-20 It doth always so, when it gets within them, b as it did within the covetous Pharisees, so that they "said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence". as Job 31:24 Pindar saith, it was an opinion of the people concerning Rhodes, that Jupiter rained down gold upon that city, so rich it was; yet is it now in slavery to the Turk. America is said to have as much gold ore as other earth: yet are the Americans bound by the proud Spaniard to be both popish and poor upon pain of death. Susiana, the country here called Havilah, the gold whereof is so good, had its name from Shushan or Susa, the palace of the kings of Persia, the stones whereof were joined together with gold, saith Cassiodorus: yet is it now called, in the Persian tongue, Valdac, from the poverty of the place. "Trust not," therefore, "in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy". 1Ti 6:17
And the onyx-stone.] Precious stones are but earth blemished and impure. terra maculae et immunditiae.
a Bernard.
b τα ενοντα