Job 40:13-23

13 Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness.

14 Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you.

15 "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.

16 See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles.

17 He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

18 His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.

19 He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

20 Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there.

21 He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh.

22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him.

23 Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,

Job 40:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 40

In this chapter Job is called upon to give in his answer, Job 40:1,2, which he does in the most humble manner, acknowledging his vileness and folly, Job 40:3-5; and then the Lord proceeds to give him further conviction of his superior justice and power, Job 40:6-9; and one thing he proposes to him, to humble the proud, if he could, and then he would own his own right hand could save him, Job 40:10-15; and observes to him another instance of his power in a creature called behemoth, which he had made, and gives a description of, Job 40:15-24.

Footnotes

• [a]. A large animal, exact identity unknown