For the mountains yield food for him begins with the Hebrew connective ki, which does not seem to connect with the preceding verse. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project interprets this connective in three ways: “Therefore,” “But,” or as an emphatic marker, “Yes indeed.” This line, like verse 19b, has given rise to many interpretations. Some point out that mountains are not the habitat of the hippopotamus, are not near the Nile, and are totally bare of vegetation. Others point out that mountains can refer here to the low hills which do grow vegetation in the upper valley of the Nile, and that these places are accessible to the hippopotamus. The word translated as food occurs only in Isaiah 44.19, where it means “block of wood,” but it is generally accepted as meaning “produce, crop.” Revised Standard Version renders the line clearly without changing the text, and is supported by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. Good News Translation makes “produce” more specific as “grass,” but gives a rendering essentially agreeing with Revised Standard Version.

Wild beasts is literally “beasts of the field.” The thought of this verse is perhaps that the wild animals have nothing to fear from Behemoth, who eats nothing but grass. Verse 20 may also be rendered “He eats his food in the hills while many other wild animals are at play.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .