n Expoftion upox the Book of J o B. Vert. r 5. 613 Chap. 4 p c Duffy, beanie the flature of beafis of the fame kind is alío vati- c ous. None make him leis than Ariffotle, who gives him the big- , reefs of an Afs. But Herodotur faith, he is as big as the biggeft c Ox. InDìoelorsu he is defcribed no leis than five cubits. tie/lil- t les Statics faith, he is inappearance and compofure of his parts, like a horfe, but three times as big. Moreover, the fame Au- < thor calls him, The Egyptian Elephant, becaufe he is judged next him in firength. Hence it is that barbarous Writers (who the Author meansby them, I do not well underfiand) compare the Hippopotami with, or prefer himbefore the Elephant in flrength and flature ; of which the Authorgives other proofs ; and adds, I know (Mercer and others define the Hebrew word Bahama, a four-footed beafl ©f the earth, as if it were applicable to ter reflrial animals only ; but the Arabians teach otherwife, that Bahima(which in their Idiom is the fame with the Hebrew Bebe- c ma) liignifies four -footed beafis living in the water, as well-as c chore that live upon the Land. Neverthelefs,, if it were true, that the word Bebema is applicable to terrefirial beafis only, yet the Hippspotame may be reckoned among them, becaule he is an c Amphibion, or an Animal that lives partly on the Land, and part- ` ly in the water. Secondly,Becaufe he is in fhape like thofe beálls c which live only upon the Land. Surely there is no water-Animal c that is fo like Land ones as he is. Whence it is, as I conceive, that among all water- Animals, he alone may be called, by way of excellency, Bahama or Behemoth, which according to the c Egyptiandialed, is a word of the fingular, not of plural bum- , ber of which he gives many parallel inflances in other words c of the fame language. The Learned Author having laid down there general 'reafons, or grounds of his opinion, goethon with an elaborate expofition of the Text,in Yob, in parfuance of, and conformity thereunto. And though I fhall notdepart from the common opinion, that by Behemoth the Elephant is meant here, and afterwards the whale by Leviathan (having indeedcall mymeditations fo, long before this noble work of Bachartru came tomy hand) yet I owe fo much reverence and refpe& to the name and laboursof fo worthy aperfon, as togive hints in paffage, concerning, at leafl forme of thofe particulars in the Text,which he conceives moll fitly agree- ing to the Hippoitorame in the Lords defcription of Behemoth Ind
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