Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.
In Job 27:1-23 Job had tacitly admitted that the statement of the friends was often true, that God vindicated His justice by punishing the wicked here: but still the affliction of the godly remained unexplained. Man has, by skill, brought the precious metals from their concealment. But the Divine Wisdom, which governs human affairs, he cannot similarly discover, (12, etc.) However, the image from the same metals (Job 23:10) implies Job has made some way toward solving the riddle of his life-namely, that affliction is to him as the refining fire to gold.
Vein - a mine, from which it goes forth, Hebrew - i:e., is dug.
Place for gold - `a place where gold may be found, which men refine.' Not as the English version, "a place-where," etc., (Malachi 3:3.) Contrasted with gold found in the bed and sand of rivers, which does not need refining, as the gold dug from a mine does. Golden ornaments have been found in Egypt of the times of Joseph.