Job 40:17

He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.

He moveth {H2654} his tail {H2180} like a cedar {H730}: the sinews {H1517} of his stones {H6344} are wrapped together {H8276}.

He can make his tail as stiff as a cedar, the muscles in his thighs are like cables,

His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

He moveth his tail like a cedar: The sinews of his thighs are knit together.

Job 40:17 is part of God's awe-inspiring description of Behemoth, a colossal creature presented to Job as evidence of divine power and the limits of human understanding. This verse specifically details two remarkable features of Behemoth, emphasizing its immense strength and unique physical characteristics.

Context

This verse is situated within a lengthy discourse where God addresses Job from a whirlwind, challenging Job's perspective and understanding of divine justice and creation. Beginning in Job chapter 38, God systematically questions Job's knowledge and power, presenting various aspects of creation—from the cosmos to powerful creatures—to demonstrate His own incomparable wisdom and sovereignty. Behemoth, followed by Leviathan in Job 41, serves as a prime example of God's creative might, far exceeding human ability to control or even fully comprehend.

Key Themes

  • Divine Omnipotence: The description of Behemoth's incredible power and structure underscores God's unlimited strength and ability to create and sustain even the mightiest beings.
  • Human Humility: By showcasing such a creature, God aims to humble Job, demonstrating that if Job cannot even contend with a beast of God's creation, how much less can he contend with God Himself. This leads to Job's ultimate response of humility and repentance.
  • Mystery of Creation: The unique and formidable nature of Behemoth highlights the vastness and mystery of God's creative design, inviting awe and wonder rather than full intellectual comprehension.

Linguistic Insights

  • "He moveth his tail like a cedar": The Hebrew word for "cedar" (erez) refers to the mighty cedar of Lebanon, renowned for its immense size, strength, and straightness. This comparison suggests Behemoth's tail is not thin or flexible like that of a common animal, but rather thick, powerful, and perhaps stiff, like a tree trunk. This detail is crucial in identifying the creature, often leading scholars to consider large, powerful herbivores such as a hippopotamus or elephant, or even larger, now-extinct creatures.
  • "The sinews of his stones are wrapped together": The term "stones" (Hebrew: pachad) here refers to the creature's thighs or loins, the musculature of its hindquarters. "Wrapped together" (chabash) emphasizes the incredible density, strength, and intertwined nature of its muscles and tendons in this region. This highlights the immense power and stability of Behemoth's lower body, necessary to support its colossal frame and powerful tail.

Practical Application

Job 40:17, and the broader description of Behemoth, serves as a powerful reminder of God's majesty and sovereign control over all creation. It encourages believers to:

  • Cultivate Humility: Recognize our limited understanding in comparison to God's infinite wisdom and power.
  • Trust God's Design: Be awestruck by the intricate and powerful workings of creation, which testify to a masterful Creator.
  • Find Peace in His Sovereignty: If God can manage and sustain such immense and wild creatures, He can certainly be trusted with the complexities of our lives and the world.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Job 41:23

    The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
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