Job 40:19 Meaning: A Sword from the Maker
He is the chief of the ways of God. He who made him gives him his sword.
He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
He is the chief of the ways of God: Heonlythat made him giveth him his sword.
He is a beginning of the ways of God, His Maker bringeth nigh his sword;
He is the chief of God's ways: he that made him gave him his sword.
Meaning in one sentence
Does 'gives him his sword' mean God arms Behemoth or threatens it? Two readings of Job 40:19 and what they reveal about God's power.
Context
Job 40 sits near the end of God's speeches from the whirlwind. After Job demanded an explanation for his suffering, God did not answer his questions directly. Instead, He pointed to creation, the wild, untamed, powerful parts of the world that Job could not control. Behemoth is one of two creatures God describes at length, probably the hippopotamus or a symbolic beast of great strength. This verse sits in the middle of that description, declaring Behemoth the chief of God's works and saying something about a sword. The whole passage confronts Job with his smallness and God's unmatched authority.
Key Words
The Hebrew word translated chief is reshit, which means first in rank, not necessarily first in time. Behemoth is not the oldest creature but the foremost in size and power, a masterpiece among land animals. The word for sword here is cherev, a common word that can also mean a knife or sickle. The verb gives him (or makes approach) is yagesh, literally causing something to come near. So the verse can mean two different things. Either God alone brings His own sword near to Behemoth (only the Creator can defeat it), or God brings near to Behemoth a sword that is its own, the creature's sickle-shaped tusks or teeth, used for cutting grass. Both readings are grammatically possible. The weight of the Hebrew leans toward the second: God gave Behemoth its unique weapon as part of its design.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this verse in both ways. The King James Version follows the reading that only God can make His sword approach Behemoth, a statement of divine sovereignty over even the strongest beast. Adam Clarke and the Cambridge Bible, on the other hand, see the sword as Behemoth's own teeth, which the Greek writer Nicander likened to a sickle. Barnes notes that the context of Behemoth's strength and feeding habits supports this second view: the sword is the creature's tool for survival. Both traditions agree on the main point: Behemoth is completely dependent on its Maker. Whether the sword belongs to God or to the beast, the verse humbles any reader who thinks they can stand as an equal before the Creator.
A common misunderstanding
A frequent misreading takes 'gives him his sword' as a literal weapon that God hands to Behemoth for battle. In fact, the Hebrew word cherev can mean a cutting tool like a sickle, and the context describes Behemoth eating grass. The sword almost certainly refers to the creature's own teeth or tusks, designed for grazing. The point is not that God arms Behemoth for war but that even its ability to feed is a gift from its Maker.
Living This Out
This week, something in your life may feel as overwhelming as Behemoth, a problem with no human solution, a person you cannot change, a weakness you cannot fix. This verse does not tell you to overcome your Behemoth. It invites you to notice that its Maker is also yours. The same God who designed the tusks of the hippopotamus and knows where it feeds also holds your situation in His hand. You do not need to be strong enough. You need to trust the One who is.
Main takeaway: Behemoth, though chief among God's works, depends entirely on its Creator for both its power and its provision.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God made a huge animal called behemoth. Verse 19 says it is the chief of God's works, like a very special creation. God even gave it a sword, that means its big teeth for eating grass.
For ages 9, 12
Behemoth is one of the biggest creatures God describes to Job. Some Christians think the "sword" is actually Behemoth's own teeth, shaped like a sickle for cutting plants. Others think it means only God can defeat such a powerful animal. Either way, the message is the same: no matter how strong or big something is, God made it and controls it. That includes things that scare us. We can trust God with our fears because He is even bigger than Behemoth.
Questions People Ask
What is behemoth in Job 40?
Most scholars identify Behemoth as the hippopotamus, though some suggest the elephant or a symbolic beast. The description of its tail like a cedar and its bones like bars of iron fits a large, powerful herbivore that lives near rivers. The name itself is a Hebrew plural meaning 'beasts', but here it refers to one specific creature that represents the untamed strength of God's creation.
What does 'chief of the ways of God' mean?
The Hebrew word reshit means first in rank, not necessarily first in time. So Behemoth is the foremost example of God's creative power among land animals. It does not mean Behemoth is the oldest creature, but that it stands out as a masterpiece of size and strength, showing what God can do.
Does God give Behemoth a sword or bring His own sword against it?
The Hebrew is ambiguous. The verb yagesh means 'causes to approach', and the word for 'sword' can also mean a sickle. So the verse can mean either God brings His own sword near to kill Behemoth, or God brings a sword (the creature's teeth) near to Behemoth for its use. Many modern translations and commentators prefer the second reading, seeing the sword as Behemoth's tusks, but both are grammatically possible.
Why does God describe Behemoth to Job?
God uses Behemoth (and later Leviathan) to show Job how much larger and more powerful God's creation is than any human. Job wanted to argue with God, but he cannot even control a hippopotamus. The point is humility: if Job cannot master one of God's animals, how can he presume to question the One who made it?
Is Behemoth a dinosaur?
Some Christians have suggested Behemoth might be a sauropod dinosaur, but there is no evidence for that interpretation in the text or ancient tradition. The description fits well with the hippopotamus, and the genre is poetic rather than scientific. Most denominations read the passage as a vivid picture of a real animal that Job would have known, not a dinosaur.
For pastors & researchers
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