The Lord Challenges Job-1

Job 40:15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

God’s questioning about two animals

God’s first speech displayed a panorama of nature including 12 animals, but in His second speech His zoom lens focused on only 2 animals. God thereby impressed Job with his mere puniness and with God’s majestic power.

Behold...

הִנֵּה

hinnêh

hin-nay'

Prolonged for lo! Also as expressing surprise, if: though ; lo!: - behold, lo, see.

now...

נָא

nâ'

naw

A primitive particle of incitement and entreaty, which may usually be rendered I pray, now or then; added mostly to verbs (in the imperative or future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjugation: - I beseech (pray) thee (you), go to, now, oh.

Behemoth

It is not certain what animal is referred to here. Critics and naturalists have studied this passage and concluded that either the elephant or hippopotamus is meant. Some difficulties remain, however, for parts of the description don’t fit either animal. Perhaps it refers to an animal that is now extinct. Beasts of tremendous size roamed the earth in prehistoric times. Bones have been found to indicate a creature 25 feet tall and 60 feet long. Its toe bones were about 3 feet long and one tooth weighed 4 lbs. 8 ozs. The fact that behemoth was "chief of the ways of God" (Job 40:19) suggests that it was something more than an elephant or a hippopotamus. Whatever the animal was, it was made when Adam was created. God’s statement, "which I made with thee," means He made behemoth when He created man.

A Sixteen-fold Description of Behemoth:

1. He eats grass like an ox (Job 40:15).

2. His strength is in his loins (Job 40:16).

3. His force is in his belly.

4. His tail is like a cedar (Job 40:17).

5. The sinews of his stones are wrapped together.

6. His bones are as strong pieces of brass (Job 40:18).

7. His bones are like bars of iron.

8. He is chief of the ways of God (Job 40:19).

9. He can be killed by the sword of God (implying that it would be difficult for man to kill him).

10. He feeds upon the mountains (Job 40:20).

11. He lies under shady trees (Job 40:21-22).

12. He lies in the reeds and fens (swamps).

13. He feeds in the willows of the brook (Job 40:22).

14. He drinks a great amount of water (Job 40:23).

15. He is a slow-moving creature.

16. Man cannot take him off guard or take him in a snare (Job 40:24).

behemoth,...

בְּהֵמוֹת

b^ehêmôth

be-hay-mohth'

In form a plural of properly a dumb beast, especially any quadruped or animal, but also a singular of Egyptian derivation: a water ox, that is, the hippopotamus or Nile horse: - Behemoth.

which...

אֲשֶׁר

'ăsher

ash-er'

A primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as adverb and conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.: - X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how (-soever), X if, (so) that ([thing] which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither (-soever), who (-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.

I (God) made...

עָשָׂה

‛âśâh

aw-saw'

A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application: - accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress (-ed), (put in) execute (-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, [fight-] ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ([a feast]), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, practice, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be [warr-] ior, work (-man), yield, use.

with...

עִם

‛im

eem

From to associate; by implication to overshadow (by huddling together): - become dim, hide; adverb or preposition, with (that is, in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English): - accompanying, against, and, as (X long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from (among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-) to, with (-al).

thee; he eateth...

אָכַל

'âkal

aw-kal'

A primitive root; to eat (literally or figuratively): - X at all, burn up, consume, devour (-er, up), dine, eat (-er, up), feed (with), food, X freely, X in . . . wise (-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, X quite.

grass...

חָצִיר

châtsı̂yr

khaw-tseer'

Perhaps originally the same as a court or abode: - court, from the greenness of a courtyard; grass; also a leek (collectively): - grass, hay, herb, leek.

as an ox...

בָּקָר

bâqâr

baw-kawr'

From to plogh or break forth, that is, to inspect, care fore, admire, consider: ; a beeve or animal of the ox kind of either gender (as used for ploughing); collectively a herd: - beeve, bull (+ -ock), + calf, + cow, great [cattle], + heifer, herd, kine, ox.