So, lets just recap briefly what weve been told by god about this creature. Job is a poem, its language not only poetic, but features hebrew words and phrases not found in any other book of the bible. Behemoth and leviathan in the book of job creation ministries. Suggested identities range from a mythological creature to an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or buffalo. Look at behemoth, which i made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. In jewish apocrypha and pseudepigrapha such as the 2nd century bce book of enoch, behemoth is the primal unconquerable monster of the land, as. Gods description of this animal focuses on its great size and strength in comparison to job s smallness and human frailty. It appears that god uses the opportunity of job s repentance to correct him in the strongest possible terms. The behemoth is a large animal mentioned in job 40.
What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly. The word in hebrew is really the natural plural of beh. According to the passage, the behemoth is an oxlike creature that feeds on grass. At the end, rabbi kushner teaches the mythic creatures behemoth and leviathan provide the key to understanding job. On the contrary, it is described as a grasseating animal job 40. Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.
What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of. A history of the factory and the making of the modern world depicts a world in retreat that still looms large in. The identification of behemoth has always been a great difficulty with commentators. In behemoth, manufacturing still looms large the new. A good word study can help us set aside our assumptions, and understand what the bible actually says about this awesome creature being pointed out to job. Behemoth is a powerful beast with strong legs job 40. Behemoth and leviathan, the two enigmatic animals mentioned in the book of job, are commonly equated with a hippopotamus and a crocodile, respectively. Job s increased humility has put him in the position to accept what god has to say. Exegesis of job 40 and 41 indicates that a hippopotamus and a crocodile are not likely candidates for these enormous creatures described by job. Behemoth definition is a mighty animal described in job 40. It is almost universally conceded by bible scholars that the historical background for the book of job is in the postflood period of the patriarchal era.
Modern language has picked up on the biblical description and uses the word behemoth to mean anything. In job 4041, god introduces job to two new characters. According to the passage, the behemoth is an oxlike creature that feeds on grass, yet is so large that his tail is the size of a cedar tree. The book of job describes this massive animalbut it is shrouded in mystery. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity. Identifying behemoth and leviathan in the book of job. Before god gets into behemoth and leviathan, god gives a very strongly worded repudiation of job s questioning of his justice in verses 7 to 14.
It ranks first among the works of god, yet its maker can approach it with his sword. If behemoth was a dinosaur see earlier section, then a behemoth type must have been on the ark, because the lord used the behemoth as an illustration in teaching job. While the most widely applicable book in the bible, job. While the most widely applicable book in the bible, job is also the most widely. Behemoth beast mentioned in the book of job thoughtco. Behemoth is not described as a horrible and rapacious animal, as in several creation myths.
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