Brother Rushmore, I just read the article in Voice of Truth, “Did Dinosaurs Really Exist?” I noticed two conclusions that I cannot reconcile with the Job passage. Please know that my intent in writing you is not to be argumentative! And I certainly am not trying to say what this creature may or may not be. Just trying to be careful. It is my habit to look up scriptures that are cited in an especially interesting article as I study it more. Then I also see what other translations say, in case the conclusions from the article’s author were drawn from a particular translation. In doing this today, in paragraph three each verse has quotes about the animal’s descriptions. But verse 17 has no quote – just a comment. When I read it from three translations (KJV, NASB, NIV), they all speak of the movement of the tail, not the size. The picture developing from verse 16, where it speaks of his strength being in his hips and stomach (with thighs that are knit together) seems to show how this movement is strongly caused – as if a cedar tree were back there being swung about. The second place in question is in verse 19. The Bible says the animal is “chief of the ways of God” (KJV), “ranks first among the works” (NIV) and “first of the way” (NAS). There is no mention of mass or size that I can see. I guess my point is really this: As an older adult who has “grown up in the church,” I want us to not overstate our case when trying to convince. Please know that my comments are given with the simple intention of raising your awareness of this principle – which I am confident you already practice. Thank you for your time. I know you are a busy minister. Sincerely, Zoe Baxter (emphasis added)
First, I want to express my appreciation for interest in and scrutiny of my article, “Did Dinosaurs Really Exist?,” that appears in past issues of Gospel Gazette Online and The Voice of Truth International, and which is also now in tract form. I certainly share with my correspondent the desire not to overstate biblical evidence – on any subject – and to handle the Word of God aright (1 Peter 4:11; 2 Timothy 2:15 ASV).
Job 40:17 reads, “He moves his tail like a cedar…” The literal reading of that phrase in a Hebrew interlinear Bible reads, “a cedar like a tail he moveth.” Further, if it were the case that the reference to the tail only has reference to movement, then, usage of the word “cedar” – or any other noun is pointless and would be unnecessary to convey just movement. Using the word for a cedar tree produces an image in one’s mind regarding the tail being moved. The cedars of Lebanon attained girths of up to 52 feet, and they reached heights of up to 152 feet. Adam Clarke concluded on this phrase, “Therefore it was neither the elephant, who has a tail like that of the hog, nor the hippopotamus, whose tail is only about a foot long.” The only creatures to have walked this earth that fit the description of the behemoth were dinosaur-like.
Job 40:19 reads, “He is the first of the ways of God” (NKJV), “chief” (KJV, ASV), “He ranks first among the works of God” (NIV). The Hebrew word translated “first,” “chief” or “ranks first” means, “the first, in place, time, order or rank” (Biblesoft’s). From that and in the context of the additional attributes, Clarke concluded, “The largest, strongest, and swiftest quadruped that God has formed.” Albert Barnes likewise concluded, “In size and strength.” Keil and Delitzsch observes, “…Behemoth, not as one of the first in point of time, but one of the hugest creatures…” The very dictionary definition of the word “behemoth” and common usage betrays the usual and widespread understanding of the overall description of this creature relates to its humongous size – “something of monstrous size, power, or appearance” (“Behemoth”).
Being “chief,” “first” or “ranks first” “of the ways of God” refers to God’s creative activity. Behemoth in some way was different from everything else God created. It was the size of the creature, not the first thing God created; the angels and the universe preceded the creation of creatures.
Works Cited
Adam Clarke’s Commentary. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2006.
Barnes’ Notes. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2006.
Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2006.
Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament. New Updated Edition. CD-ROM. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996.
“Behemoth.” Merriam-Webster. 2 Sep. 2014. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behemoth>.
