Behold Behemoth...

Well, I was reading in Job 40 this morning and read about the behemoth and really just decided to try to figure out what exactly the behemoth might be. I remember all too often of hearing people say that dinosaurs appear in Scripture and then citing this "behemoth." So, I decided that I should figure out for sure what I think this animal is and I thought I'd share my opinion with you. Now of course if could be an animal that is now extinct that we don't know anything about, but I'm gonna stick with animals that I actually know about. First off, I'm going to rule out any dinosaurs like an apatosaurus (widely known as a brontosaurus to most people) because I tend to rule out any possibility of dinosaurs with the flood. Maybe I'm wrong on that... but maybe I'll look into it and talk about it another day. So, back to the behemoth. I really believe that God is speaking about a hippo right here, let me explain my reasoning.  Job 40, starting in verse 15.

15Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. Clearly, this animal is an herbivore. 16What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! This is clearly one stout animal, and when you look at the area of the Jordan river, the biggest animals were probably the elephant, hippo, and rhino. Hippos are said to have extremely strong stomach muscles. Just look at the belly on this guy!

 17His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. This is probably one of the most confusing verses... and the one that opens up the widest variety of options and puts into question many others. Some translations will say that tail could possibly mean trunk, which would make an elephant a prime candidate. But many translations say "stiffens" rather than "sways" meaning that his tail is hard like a cedar rather than long (besides I've never really seen a cedar move like an elephant's trunk before). From what I understand, a hippo's tail actually becomes stiff when it becomes frightened or when it is running. And if you look at a hippo's tail (their tails are much thicker than I thought they were; see below) and imagine it being stiff then I could see how it may seem like a cedar.

18His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. 19He ranks first among the works of God, yet his Maker can approach him with his sword. 20The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby. 21Under the lotus plant he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. 21The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him. 23When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth. Sounds to me like this animal spends a whole lot of time "hidden" in the water. 24Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose? This animal cannot be captured by somebody because all you see are its eyes and nose above water. This animal is too big to try to drag around by a nose ring. What animal can you think of that stays in the water but all you can see is its eyes and nose?