Behemoth, from the book of Job, was a dinosaur (Talk.Origins)

Response ArticleThis article (Behemoth, from the book of Job, was a dinosaur (Talk.Origins)) is a response to a rebuttal of a creationist claim published by Talk.Origins Archive under the title Index to Creationist Claims.

Index

Claim CH711:

Behemoth, from Job 40:15-24, was a dinosaur. Job 40:17 says, "His tail sways like a cedar." Such tails only existed on dinosaurs.

Source:

• Willis, Tom, 2000. Creationism (interview with Tom Willis), New Scientist (22 Apr.).
• Willis, Tom, 1997. Dinosaurs -- incredible new evidence of their VERY recent life. The CSA News (Nov/Dec.),

CreationWiki response:

1. There is no evidence to support such a claim. Fantastic creatures appear in folklore from all times and places. There is no reason to believe the ancient Hebrews would be different.

This is a common Evolutionist way of explaining away any ancient descriptions or depictions of dinosaurs. It is a common argument used as an excuse to dismiss any ancient accounts that go contrary to Evolution.

The description in Job 40:15-24 implies that of a real animal. So they are actually claiming that the book of Job is just folklore. However if the book of Job is real history, then this argument is invalid. Given that this is an historical account the best interpretation of these verses is that Behemoth was a Sauropod dinosaur.

2. The "tail like a cedar" which creationists think indicates a large dinosaur isn't even a real tail. "Tail" was used as a euphemism in the King James Version. A more likely translation for the phrase is, "His penis stiffens like a cedar." [Mitchell 1987] The behemoth was probably a bull, and the cedar comparison referred to its virility.

This is totally bogus.

The word "tail"is used 12 times in the King James Version. Not once can it be replaced by "penis" in context and be taken seriously. The Hebrew word translated tail is . (zanab - Strong's 02180) This is the Hebrew word for tail. In Septuagint ( the Greek translation of the old testament ) the Greek word used here is . ( ouran ) This is the Greek word for tail.

This is no euphemism, the claim that it is one has no basis in Hebrew or Greek. The Hebrew word used here means tail, it is the only Hebrew word used for a tail. The fact is that it is Behemoth's tail and no other body part that is compared to a cedar tree. This means that the best interpretation of the verses is that Behemoth was a Sauropod dinosaur.

Related Reference

Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?

(EvoWiki) Behemoth, from the book of Job, was a dinosaur