Job 40:23

Modern

Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth.

Traditional

Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.

Literal

Though the river may press, he does not hurry off; he is secure, though the Jordan should burst forth toward his mouth.

Latin

Ecce absorbebit fluvium, et non mirabitur, et habet fiduciam quod influat Jordanis in os ejus.

Hebrew

English

Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his mouth.

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 13:10
And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Joshua 3:15
Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,
Psalm 55:8
I would hurry to my shelter, far from this raging tempest.”
Isaiah 28:16
So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.
Isaiah 37:25
I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

Jordan: A river and region, significant in Israel's history