Behemoth

Behemoth (Hebrew: בהמות‎, behemoth (modern: behemot)) is a beast mentioned in Job 40:15–24. Suggested identities range from a mythological creature to an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros or crocodile. Some creationists believe it to be a description of a sauropod[1] due to its tail being described as like a cedar tree. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity.

In Jewish apocrypha and pseudepigrapha such as the 2nd century BCE Book of Enoch, 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. According to this text Leviathan lives in "the Abyss", while Behemoth the land-monster lives in an invisible desert east of the Garden of Eden (1 Enoch 60:7–8). A Jewish rabbinic legend describes a great battle which will take place between them at the end of time: "...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]." Then, "from the beautiful skin of the Leviathan, God will construct canopies to shelter the righteous, who will eat the meat of the Behemoth and the Leviathan amid great joy and merriment." (Artscroll siddur, p. 719).

Identity

Since the 17th century CE there have been many attempts to identify Behemoth. The reference to Behemoth's "tail" that "moves like a cedar" presents a problem for most of these readings, since it cannot easily be identified with the tail of any animal. Some have identified the cedar as an elephant trunk, but it might instead refer to Behemoth's penis, since the Hebrew word for "move" can also mean "extend", and the second part of the verse speaks of the sinew around his "stones" (not, as in the translation provided above, his "thighs"). The Vulgate seems to endorse such a reading by using the word "testiculorum". Russian cognate бегемот (begemot) actually means hippopotamus (From third quarter of 18th century. The earlier name is гиппопотам (gippopotam).). Another opinion is that Behemoth is a product of the imagination of the author of Job, a symbol of God's power: in verse 24 he is described as having a ring ("snare") through his nose, a sign that he has been tamed by Yahweh. Some Young Earth creationists identify Behemoth as possibly a sauropod dinosaur, claiming that no other animal but a sauropod dinosaur has a tail that "moves like a cedar". The belief that dinosaurs and humans lived together, however, contradicts the scientific evidence that the last of the sauropods became extinct about 66 million years ago when a large asteroid struck the Earth, and that modern humans did not exist until around 50,000 years ago.[12] The Dictionnaire Infernal has depicted Behemoth as a humanoid Elephant Demon with a round belly. This depiction of Behemoth is a huge soldier of Satan that lives in Hell. Behemoth is an infernal watchman who also presides over the gluttonous banquets and feasts. It is also said that Behemoth has also enjoyed a certain renown for his voice where he was regarded as Hell's official demonic singer.

HGS Session References

HGS Sessions - Clearing Dorado, Leo Minor, Musca, Perseus constellations - 3/23/2015

See Also

Leviathan Races