Job 40:15-24 | The Way of Scripture

Job 40:15-24

Why is Behemoth part of the Lord’s answer?

Berean Standard Bible

15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox. 16 See the strength of his loins and the power in the muscles of his belly. 17 His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are rods of iron. 19 He is the foremost of God’s works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20 The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby. 21 He lies under the lotus plants, hidden among the reeds of the marsh. 22 The lotus plants conceal him in their shade; the willows of the brook surround him. 23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth. 24 Can anyone capture him as he looks on, or pierce his nose with a snare?

What is the context?

Behemoth is introduced as a creature made alongside Job, eating grass yet possessing extraordinary strength. Bones and limbs are compared with bronze and iron, and the animal rests among water plants without fearing a raging river.

The closing challenge asks who can capture it. The creature is within the Maker’s world, but beyond Job’s easy mastery.

The passage brings divine power close to an imposing living creature. Its images should first be heard as part of the questions about what Job can govern.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Wesley reports a hippopotamus identification. The USCCB note instead reads a primeval chaos creature with features partly drawn from a hippopotamus, emphasizing God’s control over forces people cannot master. These are different readings of the portrait; neither makes an exact modern species identification a necessary premise of the passage’s argument.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

No deeper study linked yet.

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