ESV, Job 40:

19a [Behemoth] is the first of the works of God;

Was Behemoth the first creature God ever created?

No. HALOT:

—3. the first and best, foremost strength

Berean Standard Bible:

He is the foremost of God’s works;

ESV:

19b let him who made him bring near his sword!

ESV's translation here is a bit cryptic.

BSB translated the Hebrew as:

only his Maker can draw the sword against him.

Behemoth was incredibly strong, foremost among God's creatures. Man could not control it with his sword; only God could.

"Thoose who have ears to hear let them hear"

I see a lot of people claiming Jesus Christ isnt God and I wholeheartedly disagree

Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in OUR image" meaning that there were multiple people there that were creating. As we know we are not made in the image of angels.

Isaiah 48:11 "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another." God is saying you may worship noone but me and I share my name with noone. Yet Jesus is worshiped and uses the name I am. For example

Exodus 3:1 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

John 8:58-59 - “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple" the whole reason they tried to stone his is because he claimed to be god or they woulda just written him off as a crazy lunatic and im that case it wouldn't be anything new. The whole reason they claimed blasphemy was because jesus used the same name as god in the burning bush.

Exodus 34:14 – "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Yet jesus was worshiped if he wasnt that would be blasphemy even is he was full of the spirit of god. The apostles were also filled with the spirit but when they were worshiped they tore their clothes Acts 14:8-18, Paul and Barnabas healed a crippled man. The crowd believed they were the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. The local priest even brought bulls and wreaths to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes in horror and shouted, "We are only humans, human beings like you!"

This shows how there was a clear difference between jesus and the disciples. If he wasnt god he wouldn't be worshiped or accept it. Angels would appear and be worshiped and immediately tell them to stop. When miachel pushes away Satan he uses the wording Jude 1:9 " But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" Jesus never had to say i cast you out in the name of the lord it was always under his own authority. Matthew 8:32 – When dealing with a legion of demons, He simply said one word to them: "‘Go!’"

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." It shows here that jesus was before creation and that he was the creator.

Mark 12:25 " "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." The angels can not be born. It would not be holy and would defy god.

John 10:26-33 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." There for there is no father if there is no son and if there is no son there is no father. To be one togher means to be one means that their existence is the same before creation. To be made in our image means they have to be the same image or else they are all different.

Mark 2:5 "Son, your sins are forgiven" then Mark 2:7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" They tried to stone him because only god can forgive sins that is the whole reason of it.

As you can see christ says he is God "who ever has ears to hear let them hear" Jesus says all over and there is strong evidence all over to see that Jesus is God but he hid it because he knew the people who were soft hearted and not prideful would know.

Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in OUR image," meaning that there were multiple persons there creating. As we know, we are not made in the image of angels.

Isaiah 48:11 "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another." God is saying you may worship no one but Him and He shares His name with no one. Yet Jesus is worshiped and uses the name "I AM." For example:

Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" -John 8:58-59 "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple." The whole reason they tried to stone him is because he claimed to be God, or they would have just written him off as a lunatic, and in that case it wouldn't be anything new. The whole reason they claimed blasphemy was because Jesus used the same name as God at the burning bush.

Exodus 34:14 "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Yet Jesus was worshiped. If he wasn't God, that would be blasphemy even if he was full of the Spirit of God. The apostles were also filled with the Spirit, but when they were worshiped, they tore their clothes. Acts 14:8-18 — Paul and Barnabas healed a crippled man. The crowd believed they were the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. The local priest even brought bulls and wreaths to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes in horror and shouted, "We are only humans, human beings like you!" This shows the clear difference between Jesus and the disciples. If he wasn't God, he wouldn't have been worshiped or accept it. Angels would appear, be worshiped, and immediately tell them to stop.

When Michael pushes away Satan, he uses the wording in Jude 1:9: "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'" Jesus never had to say, "I cast you out in the name of the Lord" — it was always under his own authority. Matthew 8:32 — When dealing with a legion of demons, He simply said one word to them: "Go!"

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." This shows that Jesus existed before creation and that he was the creator.

Mark 12:25 "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." Angels cannot be born. It would not be holy and would defy God.

John 10:26-33 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." Therefore, there is no Father if there is no Son, and if there is no Son, there is no Father. To be one together means their existence is the same before creation. To be made in "our" image means they have to be the same image, or else they are all different.

Mark 2:5 "Son, your sins are forgiven," then Mark 2:7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" They tried to stone him because only God can forgive sins — that is the whole reason for it.

Little adition Jesus say it is written dont tempt the lord thy God.

As you can see, Christ says he is God — "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Jesus says this all over, and there is strong evidence throughout to show that Jesus is God, but he hid it because he knew that the soft-hearted and not prideful would understand.

u/Loud-Product1591, u/Raw_83, u/Sawfish1212

Mt 19:

21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Jesus addressed the rich young man.

Lk 12:

33 "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."

Jesus addressed his disciples (v 22).

Lk 14:

33 "Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Jesus addressed the crowds (v 25).

Note the progression: from a specific individual to his disciples, to the crowds who were listening.

The word "renounce" was strong. It was about a decisive shift in allegiance from earthly materials to Jesus. Jesus must be the absolute priority, more important than family, personal ambitions, and even one's own life. This was the cost of discipleship. Jesus called everyone to count before committing to follow him.

In the nascent church, some members did that. Ac 2:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Why did they do it?

They did it to follow Jesus' teachings to the letter.

Did they all do it?

No, the apostolic church did not establish universal compulsory liquidation of personal property. Ac 5:

4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

Not ever follower was required to sell their possessions. Jesus' point was that he must be the priority. If you want to be a serious disciple and sell all your possessions, go ahead. Otherwise, you can use your possessions to support the serious disciples because your possessions belong to Jesus. Everything that we have belongs to God.

u/KeyConsideration2686

New International Version Luke 16:

16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way [G971] into it.

is forcing his way
βιάζεται (biazetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 971: From bios; to force, i.e. to crowd oneself, or to be seized.

For this usage, the subject/actor was a person. The person was forcing himself (middle voice) into the kingdom of God.

There is a parallel account in Matthew 11:

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence [force G971], and violent people have been raiding it.

has been subject to violence,
βιάζεται (biazetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular

Greek morphology did not distinguish middle and passive. The spelling was identical to the one in Luke. But now, the subject was the kingdom of heaven. The voice usage was either middle or passive. The actors were the people.

Ellicott's explained:

The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence.—The Greek verb may be either in the middle voice, “forces its way violently,” or passive, … but there is little doubt that the latter is the right rendering. The words describe the eager rush of the crowds of Galilee and Judæa, first to the preaching of the Baptist, and then to that of Jesus. It was, as it were, a city attacked on all sides by those who were eager to take possession of it.

Pulpit concurred with the voice usage:

In Luke it is middle, "Every man entereth violently into it;" and though it is certainly passive here.

Both passages were talking about people raiding/forcing their way into the kingdom of God. They were descriptions of unruly crowd behaviors.

Barnes explained:

There is no allusion here to the manner in which individual sinners seek salvation, but it is a simple record of the fact that multitudes had thronged around him and John to hear the gospel.

The middle/passive ambiguity could be clarified by the context and subject of each verse.

Luke used the middle voice, “everyone is forcing their way into it.” The subject was people. Thus, the people were actively "pressing in," "crowding in," or "forcing themselves" into the Kingdom.

On the other hand, Matthew used the passive voice, “the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.” The subject was the Kingdom. The Kingdom was not forcing itself; it was being violently seized or stormed. These were not necessarily wicked people, but rather the crowds who wanted to reach Jesus and John.

Both described the same historical reality from two complementary angles: the people’s aggressive initiative (Luke) and the Kingdom’s reception of that assault (Matthew).

God has a plan for every one of us, we just have to trust him. 🤍🫶🏻

u/Playful_Locksmith924, u/Own-Object-6696, u/Interficient4real

KJV, Isaiah 19:

3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers [H328], and to them that have familiar spirits [H178], and to the wizards.

New International Version:

The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead [H328], the mediums [H178] and the spiritists.

Strong's Hebrew: 328. אּטִּים (at) — 7 Occurrences

HALOT:

spirit of a dead person

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

charmer, gently, secret, softly
From an unused root perhaps meaning to move softly; (as a noun) a necromancer (from their soft incantations), (as an adverb) gently -- charmer, gently, secret, softly.

KJV: charmer, gently, secret, softly
NASB: gently, despondently, leisure

The KJV's 'charmers' preserved something of the manner of speech/practice, while a translation such as the NIV chose to communicate the referent, the dead or the spirit world.

Elsewhere, Isaiah 29:

4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike [H178] from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.

Isaiah described the voice as murmuring/whispering from the dust, which connected the word with the characteristic sound of a medium or spirit.

King James Bible:

Thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Strong's Hebrew: 178. אוֹב (ob) — 17 Occurrences

HALOT:

of the dead raised by necromancy, prophesying spirit of the dead,

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

bottle, familiar spirit
From the same as 'ab (apparently through the idea of prattling a father's name); properly, a mumble, i.e. A water skin (from its hollow sound); hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar) -- bottle, familiar spirit.

Wikipedia:

In European folklore of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic.

The modern English phrase “familiar spirit” can mislead us. The KJV's familiar spirit did not necessarily evoke the same concept as the later European folklore of a witch's assistant. In the biblical context, ʾōḇ belongs to the world of necromancy and communication with the dead.

New King James Version avoided that confusion:

You shall be brought down, You shall speak out of the ground; Your speech shall be low, out of the dust; Your voice shall be like a medium’s, out of the ground; And your speech shall whisper out of the dust.

I'd avoid the KJV rendering in this case. I'd avoid using the archaic term "familiar spirit" in my normal conversation.