Job 40:15

Modern

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.

Traditional

Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

Literal

Behold, please, Behemoth, which I made with you; he eats grass like the ox.

Latin

Ecce behemoth quem feci tecum, fœnum quasi bos comedet.

Hebrew

English

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.

After listing natural animals, God described Behemoth and "Leviathan" as creatures humans cannot control (39:1–30; 40:15–24; 41:1–34). Job could not control the wild donkey or ox (39:5–12; 40:15–24). However, God created and could control them, and Job had to accept this fact (41:2).
Here, Behemoth appears to be a natural creature:

It is an animal God made, just as he made Job (40:15).
It is not a fierce predator but eats grass like an ox (40:15).
It is in a poem about God’s creation of the natural world, not in a myth about the world's formation. Most commentators think Behemoth is the hippopotamus, a large, grass-eating animal (40:15–19). It rests in the river among lotus plants and reeds (40:21). Like the wild ox, Behemoth is strong (40:16–18, 24; 39:11). Yet it is mostly peaceful (40:20–23).

Theme notes and profiles

Genesis 1:24–26
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
Psalm 104:14
He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth:
Job 40:20
The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby.
Job 39:8
He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing.

Behemoth: A powerful, majestic creature described in the Bible