“The lotus plants cover him with shade; The willows of the brook surround him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him.
- KJV The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
- BSB The lotus plants conceal him in their shade; the willows of the brook surround him.
- NKJV The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him.
- NLT The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream.
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
The lotus plants shade Behemoth and the willows of the brook surround him. His sheltered dwelling reflects God's gracious provision.
Overview
Behemoth rests in cool shade beneath lotus and willow, fully provided for in his habitat. The peaceful scene reinforces that God supplies the needs of even the mightiest creatures. The repeated emphasis on God's provision invites Job to rest in the same God, who cares for all he has made and will not neglect his servant.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ezek 17:5“‘“He also took some of the seed of the land, and planted it in fruitful soil. He placed it beside many waters. He set it as a willow tree.
- Lev 23:40You shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God seven days.
- Isa 15:7Therefore they will carry away the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have stored up, over the brook of the willows.
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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 40:22 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
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