Bible Dictionaries
Hippopotamus
Holman Bible Dictionary
A large, thick-skinned, amphibious, cud-chewing mammal of the family Hippopotamidae . The Hebrew behemoth ( Job 40:15-24 ) is sometimes understood as the hippopotamus (NAS, TEV margins). Others prefer to identify behemoth with the crocodile (REB), elephant (KJV margin),or with a mythical creature (TEV margin). Hippopotamus remains dating between 1200,300 B.C. have been found along the coastal plain near Tel Aviv. It is possible that the hippopotamus was also found in the Jordan River at this time, though archeological confirmation is lacking. See Behemoth .
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Hippopotamus'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/h/hippopotamus.html. 1991.