He is the foremost of God’s works;This phrase highlights the creature's preeminence among God's creations, suggesting its grandeur and strength. In the context of Job, this refers to the behemoth, a creature symbolizing God's power and creativity. The term "foremost" indicates a position of prominence, possibly suggesting that the behemoth is a prime example of God's handiwork. This can be seen as a reflection of God's sovereignty and the order of creation, where each creature has its place and purpose. Theologically, it underscores the idea that all creation is under God's dominion, and even the mightiest of creatures are subject to His will.
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
This phrase emphasizes the behemoth's invincibility to human efforts, suggesting that only God, the Creator, has the power to confront or control it. The imagery of "drawing the sword" implies a battle or confrontation, which in this context, signifies divine authority over creation. This can be seen as a reminder of human limitations and the futility of challenging God's established order. It also reflects the broader theme in Job of God's unmatched power and wisdom, which is beyond human understanding. Theologically, it points to the idea that ultimate power and judgment belong to God alone, reinforcing the notion of divine sovereignty.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
JobA righteous man tested by God through immense suffering, whose account is the central focus of the Book of Job.
2.
GodThe Creator, who speaks to Job out of the whirlwind, highlighting His sovereignty and the limitations of human understanding.
3.
BehemothA creature described in the Book of Job, symbolizing God's power in creation. It is often interpreted as a representation of a large, powerful animal, possibly a hippopotamus or a mythical creature.
4.
The MakerRefers to God as the Creator, emphasizing His supreme authority over all creation, including the Behemoth.
5.
The SwordSymbolizes power and authority, which only God possesses over His creation.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty in CreationRecognize that God is the ultimate authority over all creation, including the most powerful creatures.
Human LimitationsUnderstand that human power and understanding are limited compared to God's infinite wisdom and might.
Trust in God's PowerTrust that God, as the Creator, has control over all circumstances, even those that seem overwhelming.
Humility Before GodApproach God with humility, acknowledging His greatness and our dependence on Him.
God's Purpose in CreationReflect on the purpose and order in God's creation, which points to His intentional design and care.
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Job 40
Why do biblical texts include myths like the Leviathan and Behemoth?
What does 'behemoth' mean?
Job 40:15: If “Behemoth” refers to a dinosaur-like creature, how can this align with mainstream science’s evidence that dinosaurs and humans did not coexist?
Job 32:16-22 - Are there any textual or historical clues suggesting this chapter might be a later insertion, potentially creating inconsistencies within the book?(19)
He is the chief of the ways of God.--This is surely more applicable to the elephant than the hippopotamus, considering the great intelligence and usefulness of the elephant. The last clause is very obscure. Some render, "He only that made him can bring his sword near unto him;" or, "He that made him hath furnished him with his sword." Others, "He that would dress him (as meat) let him come near him with his sword !" indicating the inequality of the contest. Perhaps a combination of the first and last is best--"Let his Maker (but no one else venture to) approach him with His sword."
Verse 19. -
He is the chief of the ways of God. This is the main argument in favour of the elephant, rather than the hippopotamus, being intended (see Schultens,
ad loc.). It has, indeed, been argued that some specimens of the hippopotamus exceed the elephant in height and bulk (Canon Cook, in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. 4. p. 19); but no modern naturalist certainly would place the former animal above the latter in any
catalogue raisonee of animals arranged according to their size and importance. The elephant, however, may not have been known to the author of Job, or, at any rate, the Asiatic species, which seems not to have been imported into Assyria before the middle of the
ninth century B.C. In this case, the hippopotamus might well seem to him the grandest of the works of God.
He that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. This is explained to mean, "Only God can attack behemoth with success and slay him; man is powerless to do so" (Canon Cook, Stanley Leathes, Revised Version). But the Egyptians, from very early times, used to attack the hippopotamus and slay him (Wilkinson, in the author's 'Herodotus,' vol. 2, p. 100). It is better, therefore, to translate the passage, with Schultens, "He that made him hath furnished him with his sword," and to understand by "his sword" those sharp teeth with which the hippopotamus is said to "cut the grass as
neatly as if it were mown and to sever, as
ifwith shears a tolerably stout and thick stem" (Wood, ' Natural History,' vol. 1. p. 762). Compare the 'Theriaca' of Nicander, 11. 566, 567 -
Η ἵππου τὸν Νεῖλος ὑπὲρ Σάι'ν αἰθαλόεσσαν
Βόσκει ἀρούρησιν δὲ κακὴν ἐπιβάλλεται ἅρπην
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Heה֭וּא(hū)Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931:He, self, the same, this, that, as, areis the foremostרֵאשִׁ֣ית(rê·šîṯ)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7225:The first, in place, time, order, rankof God’sאֵ֑ל(’êl)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 410:Strength -- as adjective, mighty, the Almightyworks;דַּרְכֵי־(dar·ḵê-)Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 1870:A road, a course of life, mode of actiononly his Makerהָ֝עֹשׂוֹ(hā·‘ō·śōw)Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213:To do, makecan draw the swordחַרְבּֽוֹ׃(ḥar·bōw)Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2719:Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, swordagainst him.יַגֵּ֥שׁ(yag·gêš)Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5066:To draw near, approach
Links
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OT Poetry: Job 40:19 He is the chief of the ways (Jb) 
