Behemoth in the Bible; Job and the Dinosaur?

There’s a lot of news about the arguments between fundamentalist Christianity and the scientific community. The debate on evidence of evolution is a hotly argued field which has lead to spoofs like the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (a hipper, more modern incarnation of jokes like the Church of the Subgenius) being created and purported as insults to the creationist argument that the world is simply too specifically designed to be an accident (a distinctly non-scientific view, as science is empiirical and doesn’t allow supernatural phenomenon that can’t be measured and observed). However, science and faith don’t have to constantly be at each other’s throats. For instance, the famous Biblical creature behemoth can be explained fairly easily using modern knowledge.

First, let us take the description. Behemoth (which is likely a plural, meaning it’s an entire species) eats grass and was made on the 6th day right along with man and all other creatures of Earth. The creature has a tail like a cedar tree (a massive measurement of size by biblical standards), and it can drink rivers dry with nary a thought. This implies a size that is beyond any of the other creatures currently walking the Earth. For reference, all of this can be found quoted in the book of Job. In addition to the physical description though, you get the sense that behemoth is a creature that still exists at this time, or which lived on in stories at the very least. It is not a comparison to a mystical creature like an Ifrit or to one of God’s own angels, but rather to a strong and powerful animal that many people know about and that is prevalent enough that no further elaboration is needed.

In the past it was thought that the behemoth (which is only mentioned once by name) might be a giant crocodile (some of which could be huge, over 30 feet in length), an elephant or even the massive-mouthed hippopotamus. While all of these are big and impressive animals, none of them have a tail the size of a tree, eat grass, and have bones like brass or iron rods (also from the book… it’s a really specific and poetic description). With our modern discoveries and comparisons, it’s pretty obvious that what Job was being compared to was the power of a dinosaur.

Of course the creature wouldn’t have been called a dinosaur, that’s a modern word. It wasn’t until the Enlightenment that people stopped thinking of fossilized dinosaurs as dragon bones. And when faced with such a specific description of a creature that boasted a tree trunk sized tail (cedars could be over 30 meters long), and a nose that pierceth through snares that required huge trees to provide it shade and which could drink a river… there’s a pretty select conclusion to reach from that. In fact lots of people have settled on the Apatosaurus or the Diplodocus as specific species that might have inspired this passage.

Over time the behemoth has become a mythological demon, something associated with Earthly excess, wickedness and the influence of the devil. However, the creature is only mentioned the once and in a positive context. Despite this though, the word behemoth is used to describe huge, gargantuan things and is even considered the name of an evil creature by some. Science once again gives us perspective to examine history and culture through an educated, more advanced fish eye lens to the past.

“Book of Job,” by Anonymous at The Bible in Song
“Was Behemoth in Job 40:15 a Dinosaur?” by Anonymous at Creation Tips