Job 39-41: The Behemoth and the Leviathan

Thoughts

Job 39

God speaks of His creation, illustrating themes with animal imagery.

The Mountain Goats and Deer (vv. 1–4)

• God asks if Job knows the timing of their births or witnesses their labor.

The Wild Donkey (vv. 5–8)

• God set it free from human control; it thrives in desolate lands.
• It mocks the noise of cities and refuses to be tamed.

The Wild Ox (vv. 9–12)

• Too powerful to serve humanity or be yoked for labor.
• Job cannot trust it for harvest or rely on it for work.

The Ostrich (vv. 13–18)

• Spreads her wings but lacks wisdom and care for her eggs.
• God made her foolish yet swift-she laughs at the horse and rider.

The Horse (vv. 19–25)

• Described as strength, fearlessness, and excitement for battle.
• It “laughs at fear,” rushing forward at the sound of trumpets.
• God gave it courage and power-Job did not.

The Hawk and the Eagle (vv. 26–30)

• The hawk soars and migrates by God’s wisdom, not Job’s.
• The eagle builds its nest high, seeing prey from afar.

Job 40

The Lord asks: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”

Job answers briefly and humbly: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?” He places his hand over his mouth.

God resumes questioning Job, calling him to again prepare himself “like a man.” “Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?”

God asks if Job has the strength, voice, or majesty of God. If Job can clothe himself with glory and humble the proud, then God would acknowledge his power.

The Behemoth: A mighty creature made by God, just as He made Job.The name “Behemoth” (בְּהֵמוֹת / bəhēmōt) is the plural form of the Hebrew word for “beast” (behemah). Could possibly mean hippopotamus, but verse 17 says “He makes his tail stiff like a cedar” which I am not sure they do.

• Feeds on grass like an ox but has unmatched power and muscle.
• Its bones are like “tubes of bronze”
• The first of God’s great works and only God can approach it.
• Lies under the lotus plants, untroubled by raging rivers.
• No one can capture it or subdue it with a snare.

Job 41

God asks if Job can “draw out Leviathan with a fishhook” or subdue him with any human tool.No chain, rope, or spear can restrain him. If Job tried to fight him, he would “remember the battle and not do it again.”

If even approaching Leviathan inspires fear, how much more should humans tremble before the One who made him?

Verse 11 “Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” Is later quoted by Paul in Romans 11:35.

God describes Leviathan:

• tightly sealed scales like a shield wall.
• No air passes between them
• Fire, light, and smoke imagery:
  • “His sneezings flash forth light,”
  • “Out of his mouth go flaming torches,”
  • “Smoke comes from his nostrils.”
• His heart is “hard as stone.”
• Weapons  have no effect.
• Iron and bronze are like straw or rotten wood to him.
• Even clubs bounce off; he laughs at human threats.
• “makes the deep boil like a pot” 
• He leaves a shining path on the water.
• He “looks on everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.”

Questions

Could Job’s friends hear this dialogue?

What was the Behemoth?

Application

Job wanted answers, and God gave him imagery of creation. A mountain goat giving birth, a wild donkey running free, and eagles soaring over the earth. Does Job have control over these beasts? Does Job worry about them? From the smallest parts of the earth to the Leviathan and Behemoth, God has everything under His hand. I am just like Job – I want answers, explanations, and I shout out my arguments to God. These chapters seem to encourage us to stop demanding answers and engage in worship. Instead of wanting answers, we should want God.