Behemoth

Be'hemoth (Heb. behemoth, בּהֵמוֹת, 15; Sept. θηρία; in Coptic, according to Jablonski, Pehemout) is regarded as the plural of בּהֵמָה, behemah' (usually rendered "beast" or cattle"); but commentators are by no means agreed as to its true meaning. Among those who adopt elephant are Drusius, Grotius, Schultens, Michaelis, etc., while among the advocates of hippopotamus are Bochart (Hieroz. 2, 754 sq.), Ludolf (Hist. AEthiop. 1, 11), and Gesenius (Thes. Heb. p. 183). The arguments of the last in favor of his own view may be summed up thus:

(1.) The general purpose and plan of Jehovah's two discourses with Job require that the animal which in this second discourse is classed with the crocodile should be an amphibious, not a terrestrial animal, the first discourse (38, 39) having been limited to land-animals and birds.

(2.) The crocodile and hippopotamus, being both natives of Egypt and AEthiopia, are constantly mentioned together by the ancient writers (see Herod. 2:69-71; Diod. 1:35; Pliny 28:8).