Job 40: Behemoth and the First Reply
Job lays his hand on his mouth before God, and the LORD answers again, summoning the mighty Behemoth as proof of a power Job can never master.
Job 40 (WEB)
1 Moreover Yahweh answered Job,
2 “Shall he who argues contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
3 Then Job answered Yahweh,
4 “Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
6 Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind,
7 “Now brace yourself like a man. I will question you, and you will answer me.
8 Will you even annul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?
9 Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?
10 “Now deck yourself with excellency and dignity. Array yourself with honor and majesty.
11 Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.
12 Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him. Crush the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together. Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then I will also admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15 “See now, behemoth, which I made as well as you. He eats grass as an ox.
16 Look now, his strength is in his thighs. His force is in the muscles of his belly.
17 He moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are like tubes of brass. His limbs are like bars of iron.
19 He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.
20 Surely the mountains produce food for him, where all the animals of the field play.
21 He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.
22 The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him.
23 Behold, if a river overflows, he doesn’t tremble. He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth.
24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch, or pierce through his nose with a snare?
Job 40 (KJV)
1 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said,
2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
3 Then Job answered the Lord, and said,
4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
6 Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
11 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
14 Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
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.
Job 40 (ASV)
1 Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and said,
2 Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty? He that argueth with God, let him answer it.
3 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,
4 Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.
5 Once have I spoken, and I will not answer; Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.
6 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8 Wilt thou even annul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified?
9 Or hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity; And array thyself with honor and majesty.
11 Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger; And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him.
12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; And tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them in the dust together; Bind their faces in the hiddenplace.
14 Then will I also confess of thee That thine own right hand can save thee.
15 Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee; He eateth grass as an ox.
16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, And his force is in the muscles of his belly.
17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones areastubes of brass; His limbs are like bars of iron.
19 He is the chief of the ways of God: Heonlythat made him giveth him his sword.
20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, Where all the beasts of the field do play.
21 He lieth under the lotus-trees, In the covert of the reed, and the fen.
22 The lotus-trees cover him with their shade; The willows of the brook compass him about.
23 Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth.
24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch, Or pierce through his nose with a snare?
Summary
The LORD presses Job with a sharp question: will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Job, who had longed to argue his case, now answers in humble surrender, “Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.” He has spoken, he says, and will say no more. Yet God answers a second time out of the whirlwind, calling Job again to brace himself and asking whether Job would annul God's judgment and condemn him in order to justify himself. God challenges Job to prove he has an arm like God's, to deck himself with majesty, pour out his anger, and bring every proud man low, crushing the wicked in the dust; if Job could do this, then God would admit Job's own hand could save him. The point lands: only God can finally judge and save. Then the LORD summons Behemoth, a creature made as well as Job, who eats grass like an ox yet whose strength is in his thighs and his force in the muscles of his belly. His bones are like tubes of brass and his limbs like bars of iron; he is the chief of the ways of God, untroubled by a flooding river, beyond capture by any human hand. The mighty beast becomes a living parable of a power and majesty that dwarfs Job's strength and reframes his complaint. Before such a God, silence and surrender are the beginning of wisdom.
Voices
- The LORD (Yahweh) — The Almighty who challenges Job's right to condemn him and points to Behemoth as the chief of his works.
- Job — The sufferer who, humbled, lays his hand on his mouth and confesses he is of small account.
- Behemoth — The mighty grass-eating creature, chief of the ways of God, displaying a strength no human can master.
Key Verse
Job 40:4 (WEB)
“Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Lessons Learned
- There comes a moment in true encounter with God when the right response is reverent silence.
- We cannot justify ourselves by condemning God; salvation belongs to him alone.
- Only the One with an arm like God's can finally judge the proud and save the helpless.
- Even a single creature like Behemoth reveals a strength that humbles human pride.
- Humility lays its hand on its mouth. “I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:4, WEB); before God's greatness, the wisest response is to stop arguing and listen.
- We cannot be justified by condemning God. God asks, “Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?” (Job 40:8, WEB); our standing can never be secured at the expense of God's righteousness.
- Salvation belongs to God alone. Only if Job had an arm like God's could his “own right hand” save him (Job 40:9-14, WEB); since it cannot, we must look outside ourselves for rescue.
- God's creatures preach his power. Behemoth is “the chief of the ways of God” (Job 40:19, WEB); a single mighty beast testifies to a Creator no one can master or contend with.
- How does Job respond when God first presses him, and what does his gesture signify?
- What does God mean by asking whether Job would condemn him in order to be justified?
- Why does God challenge Job to do what only God can do in verses 9-14?
- What is the significance of God pointing to Behemoth as “the chief of the ways of God”?
- When have you needed to stop arguing with God and simply lay your hand on your mouth, and what did that surrender open up in you?
- Job confesses he is of small account and lays his hand on his mouth, vowing to speak no further (40:4-5). The gesture is one of humble submission, a turning point from contention to reverence.
- God exposes the temptation to secure our own innocence by accusing him of injustice (40:8). To justify ourselves at God's expense is to put the creature above the Creator, which cannot stand.
- God invites Job to take up divine power, judge the proud, and save himself, knowing he cannot (40:9-14). The challenge proves that judgment and salvation belong to God alone, not to Job.
- Calling Behemoth the chief of his ways, God shows that even one creature embodies a strength beyond Job's reach (40:15-19). The beast humbles Job's pride and magnifies the Maker's might.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to recall a moment of surrender and the peace or clarity it brought. As leader, frame silence before God not as defeat but as the doorway to trust and, ultimately, to grace.