Bible Strands
Job 40:21
He lies under the lotus plants, hidden among the reeds of the marsh.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Job from the whirlwind, using the Behemoth to demonstrate that even the most formidable earthly creature remains subject to divine boundaries.
The words — תַּֽחַת (ta.chat-) translates literally as "under," while צֶאֱלִים (tze.'e.Lim) denotes "thorny lotus plants," marking the specific location of the beast's rest.
The thread — The marsh imagery reappears in Isaiah 19:6 as a sign of ecological collapse and in Isaiah 35:7 as a feature of restored land.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that created power operates within fixed, God-ordained habitats, leaving no room for autonomous dominance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 19:6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither.
- Isaiah 35:7 The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.