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NASB | Job 40:15 ¶ "Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Job 40:15 ¶ "Behold now, Behemoth, which I created as well as you; He eats grass like an ox. |
Bible Question: Why not? |
Bible Answer: Greetings heapshake! Job 40:17 states, "He bends his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together." (NASB) The English Standard Version does a little bit different rendition of this verse by stating, "He makes his tail stiff like a cedar.." The MacArthur Study Bible has an interesting quote here at this verse.. "40:15-24 behemoth. While this is a generic term used commonly in the OT for large cattle or land animals, the description in this passage suggests an extraordinary creature. The hippopotamus has been suggested by the details in the passage (vv. 19-24). However, the short tail of a hippo is hardly consistent with v.17, where tail could be translated "trunk." It could refer to an elephant, who could be considered "first" or chief of God's creatures whom only He can control (v.19). Some believe God is describing His most impressive creation of land animals, the dinosaur species, which fit all the characteristics." (1) I agree with the last statement by MacArthur, that the 'behemoth' spoken of in Job 40:15 would be describing a dinosaur. However, you posed a question of how the tail of this creature (behemoth) is like a cedar, or which part of a cedar is being symbolized. If you take a close look at the different renderings of this verse in the NASB and ESV above, then you will see that the NASB states that the creature's tail is "like a cedar", whereas the ESV states that the tail is "stiff like a cedar." In conclusion, its quite possible to say that the original intention of this verse was to compare the 'integrity' or strength of the creature's tail to a cedar tree, instead of its mobility or flexibility. And that interpretation does make sense to us today, since we still have cedar trees around, and we can see just how sturdy they are. Blessings to you, Makarios (1) MacArthur Study Bible (NKJV), 1997, Word Publishing, John MacArthur, Author and General Editor, http://www.gty.org |