Behemoth

Behemoth (bɪˈhiːməθ,_ˈbiːə-; בְּהֵמוֹת, bəhēmōṯ) is a beast from the biblical Book of Job, and is a form of the primeval chaos-monster created by God at the beginning of creation; he is paired with the other chaos-monster, Leviathan, and according to later Jewish tradition both would become food for the righteous at the end-time. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity. The Hebrew word behemoth has the same form as the plural of the Hebrew noun בהמה behemah meaning 'beast', suggesting an augmentative meaning 'great beast'. However, some theorize that the word might originate from an Egyptian word of the form pꜣ jḥ mw 'the water-ox' meaning 'hippopotamus', altered by folk etymology in Hebrew to resemble behemah. However, this phrase with this meaning is unattested at any stage of Egyptian. The Hebrew word ḇə·hê·mō·wṯ, behemoth, is only mentioned once in Biblical text, in a speech from the mouth of God in the Book of Job. It is a primeval creature created by God and so powerful that only God can overcome him:Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. Under the lotus plants, he lies, in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade, the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent, he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with a snare? (, ESV)The passage pairs Behemoth with the sea-monster Leviathan, both composite mythical creatures with enormous strength which humans could not hope to control, yet both reduced to the status of divine pets.