In 1 Enoch
In 1 Enoch, Behemoth is named as a male and placed in the barren wilderness of Dûidâin. The wilderness lies to the east of the land of the chosen ones. The passage identifies this as the same place where the speaker's ancestor was taken up by the Lord of Spirits.
In 2 Esdras
In 2 Esdras, Behemoth and Leviathan are separated because the part where water gathers cannot hold them both. Behemoth receives a part that dries up on the third day, with a thousand hills for him to inhabit. Leviathan receives the watery part, so the passage gives the two creatures different places to live.
Where Behemoth appears
- 1 EnochIn 1 Enoch, Behemoth is a male placed in Dûidâin, east of the land of the chosen ones. · The Complete Books of Enoch
- JobIn Job, Behemoth eats grass like an ox, and the speaker says he made him. · The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible
- 2 EsdrasIn 2 Esdras, Behemoth is separated from Leviathan and receives dry land with a thousand hills. · The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible
- Meqabyan 1In Meqabyan 1, Behemoth and Leviathan are enormous beasts in the sea, handed over to Adam's rule. · The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible
What the texts say, in their own words
“The other, a male named Behemoth, was placed in a barren wilderness called Dûidâin, to the east of the land of the chosen ones—the same place where my ancestor, the seventh from Adam, was taken up by the Lord of Spirits.”
“Look now at Behemoth, which I made just like I made you. He eats grass like an ox.”
“To Behemoth, you gave 1 part, which was dried up on the 3rd day, that he should live in it, in which are 1,000 hills; but to Leviathan you gave the 7th part, which was the watery part.”
“He handed over to Adam everything He had made, so that Adam could rule it all: every animal, creature, and fish, even Leviathan and Behemoth in the sea, and all the cows and sheep that live in this world, the invisible animals and the visible ones.”
Questions
Who is Behemoth?
Behemoth is a male placed in a barren wilderness in 1 Enoch, and a creature that eats grass in Job. Meqabyan 1 names Behemoth alongside Leviathan as enormous beasts placed in the sea.
Where does Behemoth live?
In 1 Enoch, Behemoth lives in Dûidâin, a barren wilderness east of the land of the chosen ones. In 2 Esdras he receives dry land, while Meqabyan 1 places him in the sea.
How are Behemoth and Leviathan separated?
In 2 Esdras, Behemoth and Leviathan are separated because the watery part cannot hold both of them. Behemoth receives the part dried up on the third day, while Leviathan receives the watery part.
Where is Behemoth mentioned in the lost texts?
Behemoth appears in 1 Enoch, in The Complete Books of Enoch; Job, 2 Esdras and Meqabyan 1, in The Complete 88-Book Ethiopian Bible.
