The behemoth of Job 40 is enigmatic in that each theory on its identity faces valid criticism. The description provided in the text resulted in scholars suggesting a variety of animals, but each suggestion faces serious criticism. The context of Job 40 may contribute to our identification of this creature. To some extent, an unscientific timeline discredits the identification that best suits the biblical description of physical features. Some groups within multiple denominational affiliations believe that it is viable to identify the behemoth as a prehistoric beast. So, what was the behemoth?The focus of the essay is on the Behemoth of the Book of Job and the various, often zany, attempts to identify it with something we already knew. As I have noted before, Behemoth is a cosmological monster associated with Leviathan. I think "mythological creature" is the right answer.[...]
The essay would have benefited from attention to other ancient references to Behemoth (always with Leviathan), notably in 1 Enoch 60:7-8, 4 Ezra 6:49-52, and Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch 29:4. There are also mentions in the rabbinic literature (summarized here in Ginzburg's Legends of the Jews) and the early piyyutim.
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