SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:4
si como a la plata la buscares, y la escudriñares como a tesoros;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Proverbs 2:4
Verse 4. If thou seekest her as silver ] How do men seek money? What will they not do to get rich? Reader, seek the salvation of thy soul as earnestly as the covetous man seeks wealth; and be ashamed of thyself, if thou be less in earnest after the true riches than he is after perishing wealth. Hid treasures ] The original word signifies property of any kind concealed in the earth, in caves or such like; and may also mean treasures, such as the precious metals or precious stones, which are presumptively known to exist in such and such mines. And how are these sought? Learn from the following circumstance: In the Brazils slaves are employed to scrape up the soil from the bed of the Rio Janeiro, and wash it carefully, in order to find particles of gold and diamonds; and it is a law of the state, that he who finds a diamond of so many carats shall have his freedom.
This causes the greatest ardour and diligence in searching, washing out the soil, picking, &c., in order to find such diamonds, and the greatest anxiety for success; so precious is liberty to the human heart. This method of searching for gold and precious stones is alluded to in chap. iii. 13-15. In this way Solomon wishes men to seek for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; and he who succeeds finds the liberty of the children of God, and is saved from the slavery of sin and the empire of death.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. If thou seekest her as silver , etc.] That is, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; which all signify and relate unto one and the same thing, expressed here by “her”: namely, the doctrine of wisdom, or Christ; that is, the Gospel, and a spiritual and experimental knowledge and understanding of it, and the truths thereof; which are as desirable and valuable as silver, and more so; and which may be fitly compared to it, and be preferred before it, for their purity, solidity, and duration; (see <19B972> Psalm 119:72 Corinthians 3:12); and are to be sought after with as much and more eagerness, affection, and diligence, as silver is by those who are most covetous of it, ( Proverbs 8:10); and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures ; the Gospel is a treasure, ( Corinthians 4:7); an accumulation of riches. It contains rich truths, things valuable for their antiquity; for being far fetched and dearly bought, coming from heaven, and sealed by the blood of Christ, and the holy martyrs of Jesus; and for the abundance of them; there are treasures of wisdom and knowledge in the Gospel, and in Christ the sum and substance of it, who is full of truth as well as grace, (Colossians 2: 3 John 1:14). It contains rich blessings of grace, such as are spiritual, solid, and substantial, sure and irreversible; and a multitude of them, ( Romans 15:29); and also rich promises, exceeding great and precious ones; which are absolute and unconditional, suited to the various cases of God’s people, and sure to all the seed: and it reveals the riches of God’s goodness, his special goodness in Christ; the unsearchable riches of Christ; and the riches both of grace and glory. And under this notion of a treasure is it to be searched for, and as an hid treasure; in allusion to what is laid up in the cabinets of princes, or lies in the bowels of the earth, as precious stones: Pliny says, that “topazin”, in the language of the Troglodytes, has the signification of seeking, because “topazes” are diligently sought for and searched after; (see Gill on “ Job 28
