Job 40:15
“Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job 40:15
“Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
God points to Behemoth, not just as a powerful creature, but as one He made alongside Job, highlighting their shared creation. This majestic "beast" is described eating grass like an ox, a surprising detail emphasizing God's unique design for even the most formidable creatures, making them herbivorous rather than fearsome predators.
God is responding to Job's continued questioning and demands for an explanation of his suffering, using powerful imagery of immense creatures to display His absolute sovereignty and power. After describing the wild animals in Job 39, God introduces two colossal beasts, Behemoth on land and Leviathan in the sea, as further examples of His creation that Job cannot control or even comprehend. The description of Behemoth, a creature of immense strength that eats grass like an ox, serves to highlight the vast gap between humanity's capabilities and God's divine might.
When God describes incredible creatures, He often uses familiar things to help us grasp their scale. But what happens when the comparison itself is part of the mystery?
In Job 40:15, God introduces Behemoth by saying, 'Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.'
Built to Amaze
The word 'Behemoth' itself is a bit of a puzzle. It looks like a plural form of the Hebrew word for 'cattle,' but here it's used for a single, immense creature. This suggests it's not just any beast, but the ultimate 'beast,' a creature of exceptional size and power. Many scholars have debated what animal this truly is – the elephant, the hippopotamus, or perhaps even an extinct giant like the mammoth have all been proposed. The text doesn't give a definitive answer, and that's intentional.
Familiarity in the Fantastic
God uses the familiar image of an ox to describe Behemoth's diet: 'he eats grass like an ox.' This is a crucial detail. For such a massive, powerful creature to be a herbivore is remarkable. It highlights God's design: even creatures of immense strength aren't necessarily predators. They are part of His creation, fulfilling their specific purpose without inherently being a threat to others just by their existence.
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This comparison to an ox does a few things:
God made Behemoth 'as He made you.' What does this shared creation tell us about our relationship with the animal kingdom, and our place in God's grand design?
The phrase 'which I made as I made you' (or 'with thee' in some translations) in Job 40:15 is profound. It's not saying Behemoth is the same kind of being as Job, but that God is the same Creator for both.
One Creator, Vastly Different Beings
God is asserting His sovereign power as the sole Creator. He made Job, with all his complex humanity, and He also made Behemoth, a creature of immense power and specific design. This statement serves to:
Job's Place in the Order
While Behemoth is described with awe-inspiring power, its inclusion alongside Job in the Creator's statement emphasizes that Job, too, is a special creation. He is made 'with' this mighty beast, but is clearly intended to have a different role and relationship with his Creator. The challenge for Job is to recognize God's ultimate authority over all His creations, not just the ones he understands or controls.
Understand the original words
hēn · Hebrew Interjection
An imperative used to draw attention to a significant reality or divine work; it signifies that the reader should pause to consider the implications of what is being presented.
bĕhēmôt · Hebrew Noun
A powerful, massive creature symbolic of untamable strength and chaos in the created order; it serves as a testimony to God's sovereign creative power that is beyond human control.
This verse highlights God's creation of every kind of living creature, including 'livestock' and 'wild animals,' which directly parallels the divine statement in Job that God made Behemoth just as He made Job.
Psalm 104:24This psalm celebrates the vastness and variety of God's creation, mentioning the creatures in the sea and on land, reinforcing the idea that immense and powerful creatures like Behemoth are part of God's deliberate design and provision.
Matthew 6:26Jesus points to the birds of the air as examples of God's care, noting that they neither sow nor reap, yet are fed; this connects to Behemoth eating grass, showing God's provision for even the most massive and seemingly wild creatures.
Romans 1:20This passage speaks of God's 'eternal power and divine nature' being clearly perceived through what has been made; the description of Behemoth serves as a powerful illustration of God's awesome power and creative genius, far beyond human comprehension.
wesleyJob 40:15: "Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox."
40:15 Behemoth - Very learned men take the leviathan to be the crocodile, and the behemoth to be the river - horse, which may fitly be joined with the crocodile, both being well known to Joband his friends, as being frequent in the adjacent parts, both amphibious, living and preying both in the water and upon the land. And both creatures of great bulk and strength. Made - As I made thee. Grass - The river - hors…
clarkeJob 40:15: "Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox."
Behold now behemoth - The word בהמות behemoth is the plural of בהמה behemah, which signifies cattle in general, or graminivorous animals, as distinguished from חיתו chayetho, all wild or carnivorous animals. See Genesis 1:24 . The former seems to mean kine, horses, asses, sheep, etc., and all employed in domestic or agricultural matters; the latter, all wild and savage beasts, such as lions, bears, tigers, et…
God points to Behemoth, not just as a powerful creature, but as one He made alongside Job, highlighting their shared creation. This majestic "beast" is described eating grass like an ox, a surprising detail emphasizing God's unique design for even the most formidable creatures, making them herbivorous rather than fearsome predators.
God is responding to Job's continued questioning and demands for an explanation of his suffering, using powerful imagery of immense creatures to display His absolute sovereignty and power. After describing the wild animals in Job 39, God introduces two colossal beasts, Behemoth on land and Leviathan in the sea, as further examples of His creation that Job cannot control or even comprehend. The description of Behemoth, a creature of immense strength that eats grass like an ox, serves to highlight the vast gap between humanity's capabilities and God's divine might.
God is responding to Job's continued questioning and demands for an explanation of his suffering, using powerful imagery of immense creatures to display His absolute sovereignty and power. After describing the wild animals in Job 39, God introduces two colossal beasts, Behemoth on land and Leviathan in the sea, as further examples of His creation that Job cannot control or even comprehend. The description of Behemoth, a creature of immense strength that eats grass like an ox, serves to highlight the vast gap between humanity's capabilities and God's divine might.
"“Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox." — God points to Behemoth, not just as a powerful creature, but as one He made alongside Job, highlighting their shared creation. This majestic "beast" is described eating grass like an ox, a surprisi…
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