Behemoth and the book of Job
Behemoth is a creature mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. In Hebrew it is rendered Behemot in Arabic (Bahimuth) or (Bahamut) .
It may be an example of pluralis excellentiae, a Hebrew method of expressing greatness by pluralizing a noun; thus indicates Behemoth is the largest and most powerful animal.
Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity.
The text from the Book of Job 40
15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with
thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
16 Lo now, his strength [is] in his loins,
and his force [is] in the navel of his belly.
17 He moveth his tail like a
cedar: the sinews of his thighs are wrapped together.
18 His bones [are as]
strong pieces of brass; his bones [are] like bars of iron.
19 He [is] the chief
of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach [unto him].
20
Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
21
He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
22 The
shady trees cover him [with] their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him
about.
23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, [and] hasteth not: he trusteth that
he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
24 He taketh it with his eyes: [his]
nose pierceth through snares.
The passage describes a large powerful animal that appears to be herbivorous (40:15).
In Jewish belief, Behemoth is a
primal unconquerable monster of the land, as Leviathan is the primal monster of
the waters of the sea and Ziz the primordial monster of the sky.
There
is a legend Leviathan and the Behemoth shall hold a battle at the end of the world.
The two will finally kill each other, and the surviving men will feast on their
meat. According to midrash recording traditions, it is impossible for anyone to
kill a behemoth except for the person who created one, in this case the God of
the Hebrews. A later Jewish haggadic tradition furthermore holds that at the banquet
at the end of the world, the behemoth will be served up along with the Leviathan
and Ziz.
Behemoth also appears in the Apocryphal Book of Enoch, giving the following description of this monster's origins there mentioned as being male, as opposed to the female Leviathan:
"And that day will two monsters be parted, one monster, a female named Leviathan in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water; and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden." - 1 Enoch 60:7-8
Behemoth can be interpreted as a mythical animal. However, some attempted to identify it with real animals.
In the book of Job, both Behemoth and Leviathan are listed alongside a number of mundane animals, such as goats, eagles, and hawks, leading many Christian scholars to surmise Behemoth and Leviathan may also be mundane creatures. Suggested animals include a water buffalo, rhinoceros and the elephant, but the most common suggestion is the hippopotamus. Some readers also identify a hippopotamus in Isaiah's bahamot negeb or "beasts of the south" (30:6). Indeed, one of the Russian words for hippopotamus is which does not carry the same mythical connotations in Russian. Although the animal's tail "moves like a cedar" (40:17), an unlikely description for any of these animals, "tail" could describe an elephant's trunk. Moreover, some suggest that "tail" is a euphemism for male genitalia. Support for this is based on another meaning of the Hebrew word "move" which means "extend" and on the second part of verse 17 describing the sinew around its "stones" (the Vulgate uses the word "testiculorum"). Some have suggested a crocodile as it can move like tail, and maybe they did not see it eating meet. Some say a Ape. As an Ape may lie under tress. Some a giraffe. Maybe a rhino as a rhino has a tusk which could be the bar of iron. Maybe a cow, or buffalo. Or a deer, or moose. Maybe a giant snake as he moves like tail.
Others disagree, pointing to the fact that Behemoth is called "chief of the ways of God" (40:19), indicating it is not a mere animal.
Some Young Earth Creationists propose Behemoth is a dinosaur. Some sort of sauropod is usually proposed since large sauropods had tails "like a cedar". This interpretation has been criticized as a intentionally misleading selective quote, as the full sentence reads "He moveth his tail like a cedar", suggesting that it is a simile for the swaying motion of the tail, rather than a description of the tail's shape. Contrary to this, adherents of the sauropod-behemoth viewpoint hold further descriptions given in Job (i.e., bone strength equaling bronze and iron; the use of Hebrew plural to describe a singular specimen), along with the attributive "like a cedar" to describe the tail itself point to an animal of immense proportions; hence a sauropod or equivalent.
Critics point that according to the fossil record, and the spoon or pencil-shaped teeth of the sauropods themselves, sauropods were tree-browsers that lived 225 million years ago, and went extinct some 65 million years ago. Accordingly, critics plainly state that any sauropod would predate appearance and rise of people and or grasses.
Also, critics cite a Behemoth is said to eat grass like a ox, meaning it would chew cud; but sauropods lacked molar teeth, and were incapable of chewing. In response to this, creationists cite the Hebrew term used in Job for ox (baqar) can denote any classification of herding animals that were common at the time of writing (presummably domesticated). Since Job is not dated by the author (and is thought to be written before the Torah was compiled), it can denote any period of time where the common fauna (herding or domesticated) could be any classification; hence, "baqar" does not have to be restrictively bovine in the context of Job. Furthermore, the term for "grass" (chatsir) is used of leeks, hay, onions, or any other mature-sized herbage ("ripe greens"), and not restrictively modern "grass". (Compare "deshe", translated as "grass"; Job 6:5, Gen 1:11; immature or tender grass.) Thus, cud is not required to consume or digest all that falls under the term "chatsir" (grass). Finally, the term used for "chew" is aval (Qal imperfect tense), meaning "to consume, devour". It does not specify chewing or mastication per se, but merely consuming material in any manner (i.e., fire, pestilence, etc, are also included in the use of avar as a verb). Hence, molars are not required for a behemoth to "eat", as is stated in Job.
In popular culture:
Behemoth, the Sea Monster (1959) is a science-fiction film about a giant brachiosaurus, which attacks London.
The TCS Behemoth was a fictional Behemoth-class Dreadnought in the Wing Commander computer game series.
Behemoth
In the Digimon franchise. Impmon It can turn to a Behemoth, a dark motorcycle that can control its rider. Behemoth's origins are unknown, but it first appeared with the Tamers encountered it in the Digital World. Behemoth had been piloted by a possessed MetalKoromon. It was constantly rampaging through the village of Chuchidarumon, which the Tamers came across. Guilmon managed to jump onto it and remove the mesmerized driver, only to fall under the spell himself. Thanks to the efforts of the Tamers, Guilmon was freed, and Behemoth fell into a pool of lava.
Behemoth is a fictional Air Treck team in the manga/anime Air Gear by Oh! great.
There was a bike Behemoth (bicycle) acronym for Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine ...Only Too Heavy) that was made by Nomadic Research Labs.
The final fantasy version of Behemoth
The
Behemoth is named after a Biblical creature from the Book of Job as a large herbivore
and the land version of Leviathan. In many of the Final Fantasy games, the Behemoth
is a large, purple beast that uses its horns and magic to kill its opponents.
It first appeared as a boss in Final Fantasy II's Coliseum, and has been a series
staple ever since. Behemoths are estimated to be ten to twelve feet tall when
standing. When attacking, it normally dashes on all fours, but when returning
to an idle state it will usually stand upright. In battle, it will counterattack
with a powerful horn rush and Thunder magic attacks. A more powerful version of
the Behemoth, King Behemoth (Sr. Behemoth in the original US translation), is
a major enemy in the latter stages of many Final Fantasy games; they are often
characterized by their large size (25ft when standing) and grey color. Behemoths
are noted in later games as having a final powerful strike, usually Meteor, that
is performed as they die.
In Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, Behemoth is uncharacteristically the opponent in the game's introductory battle. In Final Fantasy VI, the Intangir is an invisible variation of Behemoth that cannot be attacked physically; moreover, the creature uses sleep magic, because its name denotes a creature of sleep. In the same game, Behemoth King is a boss in the World of Ruin that will continue to fight in zombie form after its defeat. In Final Fantasy VIII, the boss Catoplebas is a variation of Behemoth, and in Final Fantasy X a special monster called Catoblepas could be created through the Monster Arena. In Final Fantasy II: Soul of Rebirth, a secondary story for Final Fantasy II Dawn of Souls on the Game Boy Advance, A palette swap of Behemoth is used for the Ultima Weapon, which guards the Ultima Tome. In Final Fantasy XII, Behemoths are a class of monsters, generally similar to previous incarnations except that they are bipedal and more humanoid looking. Only the Behemoth King bears similarity to the previous games' depictions. In Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, we encounter Azul the Cerulean as the Arch Azul in the underground world of Midgar, who transforms into a form similar to a Behemoth. Behemoth has been seen in all numbered installments except I, in addition to Chocobo's Dungeon 2, Chocobo Racing, Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, Kingdom Hearts and Itadaki Street Portable. Alternative names include King Behemoth, Alteci, etc. The Behemoth makes an appearance in the opening movie of Final Fantasy XI and it also appears in the game as a Notorious Monster. The Behemoth is one of the largest Heartless in Kingdom Hearts.
In Final Fantasy IV, Behemoths guard Bahamut and Zemus, appear to more closely resemble Eastern Dragons. They rarely attack the party, but counter-attack with devastating power to any melee or magical attack.
In the fictional Warhammer 40,000 setting, the Tyranids are a nomadic alien race comprising many genetically engineered forms. They are the "Great Devourer" and are the "most alien race" in the Imperium. They are an "elemental force" that seeks to consume all in their path, draining all planets of any possible resource with horrific speed. As described in the rule book and the novel Warriors of Ultramar, Tyranids were first encountered by the Imperium in the Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy, near the planet Tyran. Adeptus Mechanicus scientists noticed several worlds that had mysteriously lost their biomass and atmosphere, then the scientists themselves disappeared. The hive fleets so far featured include Hive Fleet Behemoth, Hive Fleet Kraken, and Hive Fleet Leviathan.
Krayt dragon, a massive behemoth that is indigenous to Tatooine
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, verbeegs are giants. Verbeegs are also known as "human behemoths," because these giants resemble humans more than any other giant race. Verbeeg are accomplished spearfighters.
Behemoth is often a name for machines in cartoons. such as in SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron was a Hanna-Barbera American animated television series.
In Star wars The Behemoth from the World Below was the result of an experiment in Sith Alchemy by Seviss Vaa. The Sith lord took a simple lizard on Aduba-3 and mutated it with the Dark Side, turning it into a colossal monster with the ability to shoot a blaster-like beam from its forehead. It was in Marvel Star Wars 9: Showdown on a Wasteland World 1st, and Marvel Star Wars 10: Behemoth from the World Below. The Cloud-Riders were a swoop gang operating on Aduba-3 and led by Serji-X Arrogantus. They lived in the hills just outside of Onacra. Once a year, they would attack the village, stampeding the villagers' banthas, burning their crops, and carrying off their women. Many of them were destroyed by the monster.
Behemoth was the name of a dog owned by Donald Duck.
Hordes of the Things (HOTT) is a fantasy miniature wargame, published by Wargames Research Group. A generic fantasy game, it can represent armies from a wide variety of settings. Some gamers even use HOTT to simulate other time periods, since, for example, a "Shooter" can just as easily be a company of musketeers as it can a company of archers. In the game Behemoths are Elephants, Giants, Dinosaurs, etc.
Legacy of Darkness (LOD) is the sixth English booster to be released
in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game. A Behemoth is one of the Super Rares.
Heavy Metal groups talk of the Behemoth
Call of the Mastodon did tune "Where Strides the Behemoth"
Demoniac have had a lead singer by the name of Behemoth
Behemoth (breakbeat / electronica) Like: Fatboy Slim, Crystal Method, Chemical Brothers was a electro tune by Shinjuku Zulu
Behemoth is
an influential Polish blackened death metal band. They are considered to have
played one of the most important roles in establishing the Polish extreme metal
underground, along-side the bands Vader, Graveland, and Sacrilegium.
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