“Then the king’s face
Turned pale.
His thoughts
Terrified him.
His limbs
Gave way.
His knees
Knocked together.”
The king was upset about this mysterious hand writing on the wall. His face turned pale because he was terrified. His limbs went limp, as his knees knocked together.
“Look at Behemoth!
I made it as I made you.
It eats grass like an ox.
Its strength is in its loins.
Its power is in the muscles of its belly.
It makes its tail stiff like a cedar.
The sinews of its thighs are knit together.
Its bones are tubes of bronze.
Its limbs like bars of iron.”
Behemoth seems to be some kind of wild beast, a large hippopotamus, an ancient monster. Yahweh made this monster. The biblical author has Yahweh give a description of this monster that makes it seem like a hippo. This monster ate grass like an ox. Its power came from its loins and belly, while it had a stiff tail like a large tree. Its thighs seemed to be knit together with bronze bones and limbs like iron bars. Thus the idea that this is a large hippopotamus seems correct.
“After him, the third son was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue. He courageously stretched forth his hands. He said nobly.
‘I got these from heaven.
Because of his laws I disdain them.
From him I hope to get them back again.’
As a result, the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man’s spirit. He regarded his sufferings as nothing.”
The 3rd son put out his tongue and hands. He said that he had gotten these limbs from heaven and hoped to get them back. The king and those with him were astonished at this 3rd son who regarded the sufferings as nothing. Clearly the king is present. This 3rd son also expected some sort of afterlife where he would get his tongue and limbs back.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 