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Behemoth and Leviathan, an engraving by William Blake

Behemoth is a creature mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. In Hebrew it can be rendered as בהמות, Bəhēmôth, Behemot, B'hemot; in Arabic بهيموث (Bahīmūth) or بهموت (Bahamūt) . Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Bahamut (Arabic: BahamÅ«t) is a giant omnipotent being in Arabian mythology, thus the Christian counterpart, Behemoth and the vocabulary significance. ... Image File history File links Behemoth3. ... Image File history File links Behemoth3. ... William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. ... Behemoth is the name of an unique creature in Jewish scripture. ... The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Bahamut (Arabic: BahamÅ«t) is a giant omnipotent being in Arabian mythology, thus the Christian counterpart, Behemoth and the vocabulary significance. ...

The word is most likely a plural form of בהמה (bəhēmāh ("animal")). It may be an example of pluralis excellentiae, a Hebrew method of expressing greatness by pluralizing a noun; it thus indicates that Behemoth is the largest and most powerful animal.

Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity. Look up metaphor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Characteristics

The text from the Book of Job 40 (King James Version Bible) is as follows: The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ...

15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
16 Lo now, his strength [is] in his loins, and his force [is] in the navel of his belly.
17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his thighs are wrapped together.
18 His bones [are as] strong pieces of brass; his bones [are] like bars of iron.
19 He [is] the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach [unto him].
20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
22 The shady trees cover him [with] their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, [and] hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
24 He taketh it with his eyes: [his] nose pierceth through snares.

The passage describes Behemoth in this way: it was created along with man (40:15a), it is herbivorous (40:15b), it has strong muscles and bones, and it lives in the swamp (40:21).

In Jewish belief, Behemoth is the primal unconquerable monster of the land, as Leviathan is the primal monster of the waters of the sea and Ziz the primordial monster of the sky. Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. Leviathan (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Twisted; coiled) was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). ... Leviathan, Behemoth and Ziz The ziz (Hebrew: ×–×™×–) is a giant bird in Jewish mythology, said to be large enough to be able to block out the sun with its wingspan; similar to the Kar, the Khara, the Hadhayosh, and another, Has-meal. ...

There is a legend that the Leviathan and the Behemoth shall hold a battle at the end of the world. The two will finally kill each other, and the surviving men will feast on their meat. According to midrash recording traditions, it is impossible for anyone to kill a behemoth except for the person who created it, in this case the God of the Hebrews. A later Jewish haggadic tradition furthermore holds that at the banquet at the end of the world, the behemoth will be served up along with the Leviathan and Ziz. Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. ... Aggadah ( Aramaic אגדה: tales, lore; pl. ... Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. Leviathan (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Twisted; coiled) was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). ... Leviathan, Behemoth and Ziz The ziz (Hebrew: ×–×™×–) is a giant bird in Jewish mythology, said to be large enough to be able to block out the sun with its wingspan; similar to the Kar, the Khara, the Hadhayosh, and another, Has-meal. ...

Behemoth also appears in the Apocryphal Book of Enoch, giving the following description of this monster's origins there mentioned as being male, as opposed to the female Leviathan: To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

"And that day will two monsters be parted, one monster, a female named Leviathan in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water; and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden." - 1 Enoch 60:7-8

There is another Jewish hymn recited on the festival of Shavuot (celebrating the giving of the Torah), known as Akdamut, wherein it says: "...The sport with the Leviathan and the ox (Behemoth)...When they will interlock with one another and engage in combat, with his horns the Behemoth will gore with strength, the fish [Leviathan] will leap to meet him with his fins, with power. Their Creator will approach them with his mighty sword [and slay them both]." Thus, "from the beautiful skin of the Leviathan, God will construct canopies to shelter the righteous, who will eat the meat of the Behemoth [ox] and the Leviathan amid great joy and merriment, at a huge banquet that will be given for them." Some rabbinical commentators say these accounts are allegorical (Artscroll siddur, p. 719), or symbolic of the end of conflict. The Fall of Man by Lucas Cranach, a 16th century German depiction of Eden The Garden of Eden (from Hebrew גַּן עֵדֶן ) is described in the Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, lived after they were created by God. ... Shavuot, also spelled Shavuos (Hebrew: שבועות (Israeli Heb. ... It has been suggested that Tawrat be merged into this article or section. ... ArtScrolls edition of Akdamus Akdamus Milin (or Akdamut Milin, The Introduction) is a prominent piyyut (Jewish liturgical poem) recited annually on Shavuot. ... Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. Leviathan (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Twisted; coiled) was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). ... A siddur (Hebrew: סידור; plural siddurim) is a Jewish prayer book over the world, containing a set order of daily prayers. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Meaning

Leviathan, Behemoth and Ziz

Many have interpreted Behemoth as a mythical animal. However, some have attempted to identify it with real animals. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. Leviathan (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Twisted; coiled) was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). ... Leviathan, Behemoth and Ziz The ziz (Hebrew: ×–×™×–) is a giant bird in Jewish mythology, said to be large enough to be able to block out the sun with its wingspan; similar to the Kar, the Khara, the Hadhayosh, and another, Has-meal. ...

In the book of Job, both Behemoth and Leviathan are listed alongside a number of mundane animals, such as goats, eagles, and hawks, leading many Christian scholars to surmise that Behemoth and Leviathan may also be mundane creatures. Suggested animals include the water buffalo, rhinoceros and the elephant, but the most common suggestion is the hippopotamus.^[1] Some readers also identify a hippopotamus in Isaiah's bahamot negeb or "beasts of the south" (30:6). Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Genera Several, see below. ... Genera Accipiter Micronisus Melierax Urotriorchis Erythrotriorchis The term hawk refers to birds of prey in any of three senses: Strictly, to mean any of the species in the bird sub-family Accipitrinae in the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. ... For the controversy at the University of Pennsylvania, see Water buffalo incident. ... Black Rhino from Howletts Wild Animal Park For other uses, see Rhinoceros (disambiguation). ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758[2] Range map[1] The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), from the Greek ‘ιπποπόταμος (hippopotamos, hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river), is a large, mostly plant-eating African mammal, one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other being the Pygmy Hippopotamus). ... The Book of Isaiah (Hebrew: Sefer Yshayah ספר ישעיה) is one of the books of Judaisms Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Isaiah. ...

Others disagree with these identifications, pointing to the fact that the animal's tail "moves like a cedar" (40:17), an unlikely description for any of these animals. Scholars maintaining identification with the elephant say that "tail" could describe an elephant's trunk. ^[2] Moreover, some suggest that "tail" is a euphemism for male genitalia. Support for this is based on another meaning of the Hebrew word "move" which means "extend" and on the second part of verse 17 describing the sinew around its "stones" (the Vulgate uses the word "testiculorum").^[3] The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century version in Latin, partly revised and partly translated by Jerome on the orders of Pope Damasus I in 382. ...

Many Young Earth Creationists propose that the Behemoth is a dinosaur. Some sort of sauropod is usually proposed since large sauropods had tails "like a cedar". Adherents of the sauropod-behemoth viewpoint hold that the further descriptions given in Job (i.e., bone strength equaling bronze and iron; the use of Hebrew plural to describe a singular specimen), along with the attributive "chief of the ways of God," and the description "like a cedar" (זְנָבוֹ כְמוֹ-אָרֶז (z'navo kamo arez)) to describe the tail itself point to an animal of immense proportions; hence a sauropod or equivalent. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Families Brachiosauridae Camarasauridae Cetiosauridae Diplodocidae Euhelopodidae Nemegtosauridae Titanosauridae Vulcanodontidae Sauropoda, the sauropods, are a suborder or infraorder of the saurischian (lizard-hipped) dinosaurs. ...

Critics argue that according to the fossil record, and the spoon or pencil-shaped teeth of the sauropods themselves, sauropods were tree-browsers that lived 225 million years ago, and went extinct some 65 million years ago. Furthermore, they cite that the earliest grass fossils date to the late Cretaceous ^[4], while the sauropods were in decline, and as such, critics insist that Sauropods would predate the appearance and rise of both people and grasses. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fossil. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ...

Also, critics cite that the Behemoth is said to eat grass like an ox, meaning it would chew cud; but sauropods lacked molar teeth, and were incapable of chewing. The spoon or pencil-shaped teeth of sauropods allowed them to pull vegetation into their mouths, which would then be swallowed. In response to this, creationists cite that the Hebrew term used in Job for ox (baqar) can denote any classification of herding animals that were common at the time of writing (presummably domesticated). Cud is a bolus of semi-degraded food regurgitated from the reticulorumen of a ruminant. ... Molar may refer to: Molar (tooth), the fourth kind of tooth in mammals. ... Gastroliths (gizzard stones) are rocks which are usually found in association with fossils of herbivorous animals thought to lack teeth, such as birds or, further in the past, dinosaurs. ...

Other cultures

The Hebrew behemoth is sometimes equated with the Persian Hadhayosh, as the Leviathan is with the Kar and the Ziz with the Simurgh. The Arabic behemoth is known by the name Bahamut. The beliefs and practices of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian Plateau and its borderlands, as well as areas of Central Asia from the Black Sea to Khotan (modern Ho-tien, China), form Persian mythology. ... The Hadhayosh is a land creature from ancient Persian mythology that is often likened to the Behemoth of modern and Hebrew culture. ... Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. Leviathan (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Twisted; coiled) was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). ... Sassanid silk twill textile of a Simorgh in a beaded surround, 6-7th c. ... Bahamut (Arabic: BahamÅ«t) is a giant omnipotent being in Arabian mythology, thus the Christian counterpart, Behemoth and the vocabulary significance. ...

See also

• Akdamus
• Behemoth (band)
• Tarasque
• Leviathan

ArtScrolls edition of Akdamus Akdamus Milin (or Akdamut Milin, The Introduction) is a prominent piyyut (Jewish liturgical poem) recited annually on Shavuot. ... Behemoth is an influential Polish blackened death metal band. ... A model of the Tarasque, viewed from the front. ... Destruction of Leviathan. 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré. Leviathan (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Twisted; coiled) was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). ...

Notes

1. ^ Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible, p76.
2. ^ Mitchell (1987)
3. ^ Mitchell (1987)
4. ^ The Earliest Remains of Grasses in the Fossil Record [1]

References

• Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed); , Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5. 
• Mitchell, Stephen, 1987. The Book of Job. San Francisco: North Point Press. Cited in R. T. Pennock, 1999, Tower of Babel, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ...

External links

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Behemoth.
• Putting God on Trial- The Biblical Book of Job contains a major section on the literary use of Behemoth.