and now the Spanish West Indies; but nearer to Job than these gold was found; there were not only mountains that abounded with gold near to Horeb, in the desert of Arabia , but it was to be found with the Sabeans , the near neighbours of Job; yea, the Ophir before referred to was in Arabia.
Some understand this of the place where pure gold is found already refined, and needs no melting and refining; and of such Pliny speaks, and of large lumps and masses of it; but for the most part it lies in ore, which needs refining; and so here it may intend the place where it is found in the ore, and from whence it is taken and had to the place where it is refined; for melting places used to be near where the golden ore was found; and so when Hispaniola was first found by Columbus, the gold that was dug out of the mountains of Cibana, and other places, were brought to two shops, which were erected with all things appertaining to melt and refine it, and cast into wedges; and so early as that, in these two shops, were molten yearly three hundred thousand pound weight of gold .
Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 3. Peter Martyr. Decad. 3. l. 8. auwm "exitus", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Drusius, Michaelis; "egressio", Vatablus. Hieron. de loc. Heb. fol. 90. A. Plin. Nat. Hist. l.
6. c. 28. Ut supra, (Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 33.) c. 4. P. Martyr. Decad. 1. l.