He moves his tail like a cedar. The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
Parallel translations
- KJV He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
- BSB His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
- NKJV He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
- NASB “He hangs his tail like a cedar; The tendons of his thighs are knit together.
- NLT Its tail is as strong as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Behemoth's tail sways like a cedar, and the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His powerful frame magnifies God's craftsmanship.
Overview
The poetic description compares Behemoth's stiff, swaying tail to a cedar and notes the tight-knit sinews of his thighs. Interpreters differ on the exact creature pictured, but the imagery conveys massive, well-knit strength. The portrait continues to display God's power as Creator, humbling Job before the One who made and sustains such a beast.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Job 41:23The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can’t be moved.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 40:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.