The behemoth, and the leviathan, are mentioned by God as Job begins to justify himself and question God about his catastrophic troubles. God responds by comparing His creation of these fantastic beasts to the meekness and smallness of Job.
We don't know exactly what a behemoth is, but in Job 40 we are offered some clues. The behemoth is familiar to Job, a plant eater (verse 15), lives near water (verses 21–22), is very strong (verses 16–18), and only its Creator can tame it. We learn that it is impossible to capture a behemoth (verse 24).
So, what is it? Some say a hippopotamus, rhinoceros, or elephant, but Job 40:17 says this creature has a cedar-like tail, so those animals don't seem to fit. Some say the behemoth is a surviving dinosaur, such as a diplodocus or apatosaurus. These work because they are ten times the size of an elephant in weight, are the largest of all land animals, and had tree-trunk-like tails.
Genesis 1:24–27 says that all animals were created the same day God created man. We don't know exactly when dinosaurs became extinct, nor exactly why, but it is plausible that some existed during Job's time.
When Job questioned God, God told him to be ready to be questioned himself. Then, God points to the behemoth and the leviathan, asking Job to compare his inability to even hunt these beasts to God's ability to create them. Truly our God is powerful and mighty. He is worthy of our worship, respect, and awe.
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