Job 40:15-22 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 40:15-24

God, for the further proving of his own power and disproving of Job's pretensions, concludes his discourse with the description of two vast and mighty animals, far exceeding man in bulk and strength, one he calls behemoth, the other leviathan. In these verses we have the former described. ?Behold now behemoth, and consider whether thou art able to contend with him who made that beast and gave him all the power he has, and whether it is not thy wisdom rather to submit to him and make thy peace... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:15

Behold, now behemoth ,.... The word is plural, and signifies beasts, and may be used to denote the chiefest and largest of beasts, and therefore is commonly understood of the elephant; and certain it is that a single beast is described in the following account, and so the word is rendered, Psalm 73:22 ; The word is here rendered by the Septuagint θηρια , "beasts"; which is the word used by the Greeks F3 Suidas in voce θηρια . Plutarch in Eumenc. for elephants as "belluae", a word... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:16

Lo now, his strength is in his loins ,.... The strength of the elephant is well known, being able to carry a castle on its back, with a number of men therein; but what follows does not seem so well to agree with it; and his force is in the navel of his belly ; since the belly of the elephant is very tender; by means of which the rhinoceros, its enemy, in its fight with it, has the advantage of it, by getting under its belly, and ripping it up with its horn F19 Aelian. de Amimal.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:17

He moveth his tail like a cedar ,.... To which it is compared, not for the length and largeness of it; for the tail both of the elephant and of the river horse is short; though Vartomannus F3 Navigat. l. 4. c. 9. says, the tail of the elephant is like a buffalo's, and is four hands long, and thin of hair: but because of the smoothness, roundness, thickness, and firmness of it; such is the tail of the river horse, being like that of a hog or boar F4 Aristot. Plin. Solin. &... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:18

His bones are as strong pieces of brass: his bones are as bars of iron. Than which nothing is stronger. The repetition is made for greater illustration and confirmation; but what is said is not applicable to the elephant, whose bones are porous and rimous, light and spongy for the most part, as appears from the osteology F11 In Philosoph. Transact. vol. 5. p. 155, 156. of it; excepting its teeth, which are the ivory; though the teeth of the river horse are said to exceed them in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:19

He is the chief of the ways of God ,.... Or the beginning of them, that is, of the works of God in creation; which must be restrained to animals, otherwise there were works wrought before any of them were created. There were none made before the fifth day of the creation, and on that day was the river horse made; in which respect it has the preference to the elephant, not made till the sixth day. But if this phrase is expressive of the superior excellency of behemoth over other works of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:20

Surely the mountains bring him forth food ,.... Grass, which grows on mountains, and is the food of the river horse as well as of the elephant; and therefore is furnished with teeth like a scythe to mow it down; and it is not a small quantity that will suffice it, mountains only can supply it; and marvellous it is that a creature bred in a river should come out of it to seek its food on mountains. There is a creature in the northern parts, as in Russia, Greenland, &c.; which is called... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:21

He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed , and fens. This may be thought to agree very well with the river horse, the inhabitant of the Nile, where reeds in great plenty grew, and adjoining to which were fenny and marshy places, and shady trees; and, as historians relate F5 Ammian. Marcellin. l. 22. Bellonius & Achilles Tatius apud Bochart ut supra. (Apud Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 5. c. 14. Colossians 760 .) , this creature takes its lodging among high reeds, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:22

The shady trees cover him with their shadow ,.... Under which it lies, as in Job 40:21 ; which is thought not so well to agree with the elephant, since, according to Aelianus F8 Ibid. (Aelian. de Animal.) c. 31. and other writers, it lies not down, at least but rarely, but sleeps standing; it being very troublesome to it to lie down and rise up again; and besides it is represented by some authors F9 Ibid. l. 7. c. 6. as higher than the trees, and therefore this is supposed to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 40:15

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, etc.: but the words are not always taken in these senses. In this... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 40:15-24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:20

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:21

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 40:22

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 40:15

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