Behemoth
"Beast." In the Bible, a huge beast, often thought to be a hippopotamus, elephant, rhinoceros, or buffalo.
- 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 stones 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.
Metaphorically, a huge or monstrous creature; something enormous, especially a big and powerful company.
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From Hebrew bĕhēmōṯ, intensive plural of bĕhēmāh, "beast." The Hebrew word is perhaps a folk etymology of Egyptian pehemau, "water-ox," the name for the hippopotamus.
References
Source
- Job 40:15-24.