Hippopotamus
Summary
The large African river animal many scholars identify as the 'behemoth' described in Job 40:15-24.
☩Identification
Many scholars including Bochart, Shaw, Gesenius, and most English commentators identify the behemoth of Job 40:15 with the hippopotamus. The description fits: it eats grass like an ox (v.15), has great strength in loins and belly (v.16), a tail like a cedar (possibly describing its thick, powerful movements), and dwells among lotus plants and reeds by the river (v.21-22). Some scholars alternatively suggest an elephant or a mythological creature.
