Job 40:15

Job 40:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
• New International Version (NIV)“Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.

Context of Job 40:15

13[Crush and] hide them in the dust together; Shut them up in the hidden place [the house of death]. 14[If you can do all this, Job, proving your divine power] then I [God] will also praise you and acknowledge That your own right hand can save you. “Behold now, Behemoth, which I created as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. 16See now, his strength is in his loins And his power is in the muscles and sinews of his belly. 17He sways his tail like a cedar; The tendons of his thighs are twisted and knit together [like a rope].

Job 40:15 word by word

הִנֵּה־נָ֣א בְ֭הֵמוֹת אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֣יתִי עִמָּ֑ךְ חָ֝צִ֗יר כַּבָּקָ֥ר יֹאכֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Behold now behemothבְּהֵמוֹתbehêmôth · BehemothH930
• which I madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• with thee; he eatethאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• grassחָצִירchâtsîyr · grassH2682
• as an oxבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241

Cross-references for Job 40:15

• Genesis 1:24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds”; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].
• Job 40:20Surely the mountains bring him food, And all the wild animals play there.
• Job 39:8He explores the mountains as his pasture And searches after every green thing.
• Psalms 104:14He causes grass to grow for the cattle, And all that the earth produces for cultivation by man, So that he may bring food from the earth—

Commentaries on Job 40:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Behold 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, etc.: but the words are not always taken in these…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Behold now behemoth - Margin, “or, the elephant, as some think.” In the close of the argument, God appeals to two animals as among the chief of his works, and as illustrating more than any others his power and majesty - the behemoth and the leviathan. A great variety of opinions has been entertained in regard to the animal referred to here, though the “main” inquiry has related to the question whether the “elephant” or the “hippopotamus” is denoted. Since…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-24Verses 15-24 God, for the further proving of his own power, describes two vast animals, far exceeding man in bulk and strength. Behemoth signifies beasts. Most understand it of an animal well known in Egypt, called the river-horse, or hippopotamus. This vast animal is noticed as an argument to humble ourselves before the great God; for he created this vast animal, which is so fearfully and wonderfully made. Whatever strength this or any other creature…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-24After listing natural animals, God described Behemoth and "Leviathan" as creatures humans cannot control (39:1–30; 40:15–24; 41:1–34). Job could not control the wild donkey or ox (39:5–12; 40:15–24). However, God created and could control them, and Job had to accept this fact (41:2). Here, Behemoth appears to be a natural creature: It is an animal God made, just as he made Job (40:15). It is not a fierce predator but eats grass like an ox (40:15). It is…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-2415-24. God shows that if Job cannot bring under control the lower animals (of which he selects the two most striking, behemoth on land, leviathan in the water), much less is he capable of governing the world. behemoth--The description in part agrees with the hippopotamus, in part with the elephant, but exactly in all details with neither. It is rather a poetical personification of the great Pachydermata, or Herbivora (so "he eateth grass"), the idea of…Read the comment

Topics related to Job 40:15

• Behemoth
• Elephant
• God
• Hippopotamus

In the dictionaries

• Abase
• Array
• Behemoth
• Compass
• Disannul
• Grass
• Leek
• Thunder
• Elephant
• Ivory

Commentaries on Job 40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings