CategorySymbol / Creature
Modern Equivalentpowerful creature in Job; symbol of God’s creative power.
KJV Word TypeCreature name / symbolic power term
DefinitionA mysterious creature described in Job 40:15–24, often interpreted as a hippopotamus or a symbol of God’s power.
Key Verses"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox." (Job 40:15)
KJV Usage NoteAppears in Job as a powerful creature used to display God’s creative authority and human limitation.
Common MisunderstandingBehemoth should not be reduced only to a modern animal identification; in Job it chiefly displays God’s power over creation.
EtymologyFrom Hebrew bəhēmōth (plural of bəhēmāh, "beast").