A mode of capital punishment not prescribed by the Mosaic Law. It was one form of execution that existed in most of the nations. In Israel, when a beheading was performed, it was usually after the individual had been slain and was generally done to bring the person’s death before public attention as a reproach or as a public notice of judgment or warning.

Pharaoh ‘lifted up the head from off’ his chief baker, evidently beheading him. (Ge 40:19) David, after felling Goliath with a stone from his sling, took Goliath’s sword and “definitely put him to death” by beheading him before the armies of Israel and the Philistines. This threw great fear into the Philistine army and resulted in a mighty rout. (1Sa 17:51, 52) The Philistines cut Saul’s head from his body after his death, then hung his body with that of his sons on the wall of the city of Beth-shan. (1Sa 31:9, 12) Rechab and Baanah, wicked men, killed Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and beheaded him in order to take his head to David, thinking they would gain David’s favor. For this David had them put to death. (2Sa 4:5-12) In order to save their city, the people of the city of Abel of Beth-maacah acted on the counsel of a wise woman and cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, which they pitched over the wall to Joab. Whether Sheba was killed before beheading is not stated. (2Sa 20:15, 21, 22) The older and distinguished men of Samaria slaughtered the 70 sons of Ahab and sent their heads in baskets to Jehu at Jezreel, where they were displayed in two heaps at the city gate as evidence of the fulfillment of Jehovah’s judgment spoken by Elijah.​—2Ki 10:6-10; 1Ki 21:20-22.

The Bible records that Herod Antipas had John the Baptizer beheaded in prison at the request of the daughter of Herodias. (Mt 14:8-11; Mr 6:24-28; Lu 9:9) John, in a vision, “saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God.”​—Re 20:4; see CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.

(Be·heʹmoth).

The designation “Behemoth,” appearing at Job 40:15, has been variously viewed as (1) a derivative of an Egyptian word for “water ox,” (2) a word possibly of Assyrian origin meaning “monster,” and (3) an intensified plural of the Hebrew word behe·mahʹ (beast; domestic animal) that is understood to denote “great beast” or “huge beast.” In the Greek Septuagint the word the·riʹa (wild beasts) translates the Hebrew behe·mohthʹ. Evidently, though, a single animal is meant, as is indicated by the fact that the description given of Behemoth is not that of several creatures but of only one, generally considered to be the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). In fact, a number of Bible translations (AT, La, Ro, NW, JB, RS) use the word “hippopotamus” in the main text or in footnotes to identify the creature referred to by God.

The hippopotamus is a huge, thick-skinned, almost hairless mammal that frequents rivers, lakes, and swamps. It is noted for its short legs, huge jaws, and large head, which is said to weigh up to a ton. So great is the power in its jaw and teeth that one bite can pierce the armor of a crocodile. Full grown it may be 4 to 5 m (12 to 15 ft) long and may weigh up to 3,600 kg (8,000 lb). An amphibious creature, the hippopotamus, in spite of its prodigious size, can move relatively fast both in and out of water. It feeds on soft water plants, grass, reeds, and bushes, each day taking more than 90 kg (200 lb) of greenery into its 150- to 190-L (40 to 50 gal) stomach.

The skin of the hide, especially that of the belly, is extremely tough, hence able to withstand bumping and scraping as the hippopotamus drags its low body over sticks and stones of riverbeds. The nostrils are strategically located at the tip of the snout, and the eyes are high up on the front of the head, enabling the hippopotamus both to breathe and to see while it is almost completely submerged. The ears and valvelike nostrils close when it submerges. Even while sleeping, when the carbon dioxide in the blood reaches a certain level, the animal automatically surfaces for fresh air and then submerges again.

At one time the hippopotamus was found in most of the large lakes and rivers of Africa, but, as a result of man’s hunting, it has disappeared from many regions and is said to be unknown N of the cataract at Khartoum, Sudan. In ancient times the hippopotamus may even have frequented the Jordan. In fact, it is reported that tusks and bones of this creature have been found in various parts of Palestine.

The description in the 40th chapter of the book of Job offers a vivid word picture of this huge mammal, Behemoth. It is described as being herbivorous. (Vs 15) The sources of its tremendous power and energy are noted to be in the hips and in the tendons of its belly, that is, the muscles of its back and those of its belly. (Vs 16) The tail of Behemoth is like a cedar. Since the tail of a hippopotamus is fairly short, measuring about 46 to 51 cm (18 to 20 in.), this is likely to be understood as meaning that the animal can set its thick tail rigidly upright or swing it about like a tree. “The