Job 40:15
New International Version
“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.

New Living Translation
“Take a look at Behemoth, which I made, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox.

English Standard Version
“Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.

Berean Standard Bible
Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.

King James Bible
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

New King James Version
“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.

NASB 1995
“Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.

NASB 1977
“Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Behold now, Behemoth, which I made along with you; It eats grass like an ox.

Amplified Bible
“Behold now, Behemoth, which I created as well as you; He eats grass like an ox.

Christian Standard Bible
Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like cattle.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like an ox.

American Standard Version
Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee; He eateth grass as an ox.

Contemporary English Version
I created both you and the hippopotamus. It eats only grass like an ox,

English Revised Version
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as all ox.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. It eats grass as cattle do.

Good News Translation
Look at the monster Behemoth; I created him and I created you. He eats grass like a cow,

International Standard Version
"Please observe Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like an ox.

Majority Standard Bible
Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.

NET Bible
"Look now at Behemoth, which I made as I made you; it eats grass like the ox.

New Heart English Bible
"See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

World English Bible
“See now behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Now behold, behemoth, "" That I made with you: He eats grass as an ox.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, I pray thee, Behemoth, that I made with thee: Grass as an ox he eateth.

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold now, the great beast which I made with thee; he will eat grass as an ox.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold behemoth whom I made with thee, he eateth grass like an ox.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, the behemoth, whom I created along with you, eats hay like an ox.

New American Bible
Look at Behemoth, whom I made along with you, who feeds on grass like an ox.

New Revised Standard Version
“Look at Behemoth, which I made just as I made you; it eats grass like an ox.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold now the hippopotamus which I made for you; he eats grass like an ox.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, Behemoth which I have made with you; he eats grass like an ox
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; He eateth grass as an ox.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But now look at the wild beasts with thee; they eat grass like oxen.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Humbles Himself Before the LORD
14Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can save you. 15Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox. 16See the strength of his loins and the power in the muscles of his belly.…

Cross References
Genesis 1:24-25
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. / God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:14-15
He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth: / wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his heart.

Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Psalm 50:10-11
for every beast of the forest is Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills. / I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are Mine.

Genesis 2:19-20
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. / The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Psalm 8:6-8
You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet: / all sheep and oxen, and even the beasts of the field, / the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

Isaiah 43:20
The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.

Psalm 104:24-25
How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. / Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.

Genesis 1:30
And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Psalm 147:9
He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.

Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

Colossians 1:16
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”


Treasury of Scripture

Behold now behemoth, which I made with you; he eats grass as an ox.

behemoth.

which

Genesis 1:24-26
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so…

he

Job 40:20
Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.

Job 39:8
The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.

Psalm 104:14
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

Jump to Previous
Beast Eateth Eats Feeds Food Grass Great Ox
Jump to Next
Beast Eateth Eats Feeds Food Grass Great Ox
Job 40
1. Job humbles himself to God
6. God stirs him up to show his righteousness, power, and wisdom
16. Of the behemoth














Look at Behemoth
The term "Behemoth" is often understood to refer to a large, powerful creature. In the context of Job, it symbolizes God's creation and power. The identity of Behemoth has been debated, with some suggesting it could be a hippopotamus, elephant, or even a now-extinct creature. The term itself is a plural form in Hebrew, possibly indicating greatness or majesty. This creature serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the complexity of His creation, which is beyond human understanding.

which I made along with you
This phrase emphasizes that Behemoth, like humans, is a creation of God. It underscores the shared origin of all living beings, pointing to the Genesis account of creation where God made all creatures. This connection highlights the order and intentionality in God's creation, suggesting that humans and animals are part of a larger divine plan. It also serves to remind Job of his place within the created order, reinforcing the theme of humility before God.

He feeds on grass like an ox
This description of Behemoth's diet suggests a peaceful, herbivorous nature, contrasting with the creature's immense size and strength. The comparison to an ox, a domesticated animal known for its strength and utility, may imply that even the most formidable creatures are under God's control and provision. This imagery can be linked to other biblical passages where God provides for all His creatures, such as Psalm 104:14, which speaks of God providing grass for cattle. It also reflects the harmony and balance within God's creation, where even the mightiest creatures have their place and purpose.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man of great faith and patience, who undergoes severe trials and questions God's justice.

2. God
The Creator, who speaks to Job out of the whirlwind, challenging Job's understanding of divine wisdom and power.

3. Behemoth
A creature described by God, symbolizing His power and the majesty of His creation. The exact identity of Behemoth is debated, but it is often considered a large, powerful land animal.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in Creation
God reminds Job of His supreme power and wisdom through the example of Behemoth, a creature beyond human control or understanding.

Humility Before God
Job is called to recognize his limitations and the vastness of God's creation, prompting humility and trust in God's greater plan.

The Majesty of God's Creation
Behemoth serves as a testament to the intricate and powerful design of God's creation, encouraging believers to marvel at and respect the natural world.

Trust in God's Wisdom
Just as God manages the complexities of creation, He is capable of overseeing the complexities of our lives, inviting us to trust in His wisdom and timing.(15) Behemoth.--The identification of behemoth has always been a great difficulty with commentators. The word in Hebrew is really the natural plural of beh?m?h, which means domestic cattle; and this fact would suggest the idea that more than one animal may be meant in the description (Job 40:15-24), which scarcely seems to answer to one and the same. In this way the Job 40:15-20 would describe very well the elephant, and Job 40:21-24 the hippopotamus. The objection to this is, that beh?m?h is commonly used of domestic cattle in contrast to wild beasts, whereas neither the elephant nor the hippopotamus can come under the category of domestic animals. There is a word in Coptic (p-ehe-emmou, meaning water-ox), used for the hippopotamus, which may, perhaps, lie concealed in behemoth. Then the difficulty is to make the description answer throughout to the hippopotamus (e.g., Job 40:20), since the hippopotamus does not frequent mountains, neither does it exactly eat grass like an ox (Job 40:15).

Which I made with thee.--Fellow-creatures of thine, to inhabit the world with thee: thus skilfully reminding him that he had a common origin with the beasts. . . .

Verses 15-24. - This passage, together with the whole of ch. 41, has been regarded by some critics as an interpolation. Its omission would certainly not affect the argument; and it is thought, in some respects, to contain traces of a later age than that which most commentators assign to the remainder of the book, or, at any rate, to the greater portion of it. The recurrence to the animal creation, when the subject seemed to have been completed (Job 39:30), is also a difficulty. But, on the other hand, as there is no variation, either in the manuscripts or in the versions, and no marked difference either of style or tone of thought between the rest of the book and this controverted passage, it is best regarded as an integral portion of the work, proceeding from the same author, although perhaps at a later period. No one denies that the style is that of the best Hebrew poetry, or that the book would be weakened by the excision of the passage. "Le style," says M. Renan, "est celui des meilleurs endroits du poeme. Nulle part la coupe n'est pins vigoreuse, le parallelisme plus sonore.' Verse 15. - Behold now behemoth. "Behemoth" is ordinarily the plural of behemah "a beast;" but it is scarcely possible to understand the word in this sense in the present passage, where it seems to be a noun singular, being followed by singular verbs, and represented by singular pronouns. Hence modern critics almost unanimously regard the word here as designating "some particular animal." The mammoth, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, and the elephant have been suggested. Of these the mammoth is precluded by the want of any evidence that it existed in Job's day, and the rhinoceros by the absence of any allusion to its peculiar feature. Authorities are divided almost equally between the elephant and the hippopotamus; but the best recent Hebraists and naturalists incline rather to the latter. Which I made with thee; i.e. "which I created at the same time as I created thee" (Genesis 1:24-26). He eateth grass as an ox; i.e. he is graminivorous, not carnivorous. This is admitted to be true of the hippopotamus, which lives in the Nile during the day, and at night emerges from the river, and devastates the crops of sugar-cane, rice, and millet.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Look at
הִנֵּה־ (hin·nêh-)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

Behemoth,
בְ֭הֵמוֹת (ḇə·hê·mō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 930: A water-ox, the hippopotamus, Nile-horse

which
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I made
עָשִׂ֣יתִי (‘ā·śî·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

[along] with you.
עִמָּ֑ךְ (‘im·māḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

He feeds on
יֹאכֵֽל׃ (yō·ḵêl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

grass
חָ֝צִ֗יר (ḥā·ṣîr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2682: Green grass, herbage

like an ox.
כַּבָּקָ֥ר (kab·bā·qār)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1241: Beef cattle, ox, a herd


Links
Job 40:15 NIV
Job 40:15 NLT
Job 40:15 ESV
Job 40:15 NASB
Job 40:15 KJV

Job 40:15 BibleApps.com
Job 40:15 Biblia Paralela
Job 40:15 Chinese Bible
Job 40:15 French Bible
Job 40:15 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Job 40:15 See now behemoth which I made as (Jb)
Job 40:14
Top of Page
Top of Page