“He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.”
God concludes the description of Behemoth: 'Can one take him when he is on watch, or pierce his nose with a snare?' This final verse asks whether Job or any human can capture or harm Behemoth even when the creature is watchful. The questions about taking the creature or piercing its nose with a snare make clear that Behemoth is beyond human capture or control. No human can successfully hunt or trap Behemoth. The verse reiterates that Behemoth belongs to a realm of power beyond human reach. The description of Behemoth closes with emphasis on the creature's invulnerability to human action. Job has been invited to contemplate a creature of such power and size that human intervention is impossible. The implicit question: if Job cannot control or capture Behemoth, how can Job expect to control or understand the purposes of God who created Behemoth?
Church Fathers on Job 40:24
His bones are as pipes of brass. What are designated by the ‘bones’ of this Behemoth, except his counsels? For as the uprightness and strength of the body subsist in the bones, so does his whole malice exalt itself in crafty designs. For he does not oppress any one by force, but he destroys him by the craftiness of his deadly persuasion. And again, as the marrow strengthens the bones which it moistens, so also does the subtlety of his genius, infused by the power of a…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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