He is the first of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
Read Chapter 40
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Stakes. Serpents attack the eyes of the elephant, and sometimes drag it by the trunk into the deep, where it is drowned. (Pliny viii. 12.; Solin xxxviii.)
Others read with an interrogation: "Shall one take? "Will any one dare to attack it openly? The elephant is taken by stratagem, either in pits covered with a little earth, or by a tame elephant in an inclosure, and (Calmet) lying on her hack to receive the male. (Aristotle, anim. v. 2.)
When he has entered, the gate is shut, and the animal is tamed by hunger; being thus taken by his eyes, Judith x. 17. Chaldean, "They pierce his nostrils with bands. "Thus other animals are led about, (ver. 21) and the elephant might be so treated in those days; though of this we have no account. (Calmet)
Protestants, "his nose pierceth through snares "or marginal note, "will any bore his nose with a gin? "Here they conclude this chapter, which commences chap. xxxix. 31., in Hebrew. But the Septuagint agree with us. (Haydock)
“This is the beginning of the ways of God. He who made him provided him with his sword.” The sword of this Behemoth is his own malice in inflicting harm. But he who made him good in his nature provided him with his sword, because, according to divine will, his malice is limited, so that he is not allowed to strike human beings as much as he would like to. Now, if our enemy can do much but strikes less, this is due to the fact that the mercy of our Creator sets a limit to his sword. Therefore, [the devil] hides inside his conscience, and his malice, through which he makes people die, does not exceed the proper limits set by God. - "Morals on the Book of Job 32.50"
47. As if He were plainly saying, He has strength sufficient for so many purposes, because in the nature of things the Creator made him first, when creating him in his substance. For what do we understand by the ‘ways’ of God, but His doings? Of which He says by the Prophet; For My ways are not as your ways. [Is. 55, 8] And Behemoth is said to be the chief of the ways of God, because doubtless when He was performing all the work of creation, He created him first, whom He made more eminent than the other Angels. The Prophet is looking at the eminence of this superiority [‘primatus.’], when he says, The cedars in the paradise of God were not higher, the fir trees equalled not his summit, the plane trees were not equal to his branches, nor any tree in the paradise of God was like him and his beauty, since He made him beautiful with his many and thick branches. [Ez. 31, 8. 9.] For who can be understood by cedars, fir trees, and planes, unless those bands of heavenly virtues of lofty height...
