#4 - Behemoth

Returning to Biblical monsters, the fourth entry in the MIMP series was the Behemoth. Originating in the Book of Job (the only mention of the beast in the Bible as a whole) alongside the aquatic monster Leviathan, the Behemoth was a gigantic beast that could not be tamed or harmed by man but could be controlled only by God. Ultimately, the message was less to watch out for giant beasts and more to show the unfailing nature of God's power. It seems that there has long been an argument about what the Behemoth actually was. Early bibles used Behemoth and elephant interchangeably, or stated that the Behemoth represented pagan gods that God had triumphed over. More recent arguments, however, are more interesting.

One argument is that the Behemoth was a wild bull native to the region, but creationists argue that the creature mentioned is actually a dinosaur. The argument claims that the phrase "he moveth his tail like a cedar" refers to the size of the tail and that the only animal with a tail that large is a brontosaurus and, therefore, Job lived at the same time as the brontosaurus. While this is an interesting argument, there is a significant issue. In the original text, what has most often been translated as 'tail' could also be translated as 'penis' and 'moveth' could also be translated as 'grows'. Not only would this make more sense with the rest of the phrase about stones, but it would also make it difficult to find any animal, current or past, who measures up. Additionally, Jewish mythology implies that these two beasts were one of a kind, that Behemoth was a proper name rather than the name of a type of animal. Regardless of the inspiration for the Behemoth, the phrase stuck and now any large animal or object may be referred to a behemoth.

Behemoth makes few appearances in culture, mostly in literature and a sole black metal band from Poland. One interesting note is that, along with his wildly popular 'Leviathan,' Hobbes also released a treatise titled Behemoth discussing Parliament.

Next week: a hybrid beast with a heart of gold.