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LEVIATHAN

(Heb. liwyāṯān)

A primeval sea serpent representing chaos.

Leviathan appears in the Ugaritic texts as Lītānū. KTU 1.5 I,1 describes how Baal smote Lītānū, “the twisting [cf. Arab. lawiyā] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (likewise Anat [KTU 1.3 III,40-42], but lacking the name Lītānū). Ancient Near Eastern iconography consistently depicts the storm-god conquering the serpent.

Yahweh’s conquest of Leviathan in Ps. 74:14 (note the “heads”) is part of his creative activity (vv. 12-17). This connection underlies Job 3:8 as well: while cursing his birthday (in terms reversing the creation of Gen. 1) Job invokes “those who are skilled to rouse up Leviathan.” Job’s reference to Yahweh piercing “the fleeing serpent” (Job 26:13) also occurs in a creation context (cf. KTU 1.5 I,1). In Ps. 104:26, however, the conquest motif is abandoned: Leviathan is simply one of God’s creatures, and a playful one at that. Levithan is discussed at length in Job 41:1-34. Many see the crocodile here, but his ability to breath fire and smoke, the inability of humans to subdue him, and the overwhelming terror he instills all argue for a mythological creature Yahweh is able to subdue but Job cannot. In Isa. 27:1 the mythology comes full circle, with Yahweh defeating Leviathan (again) as a new creation in the eschatological age; the lexical contacts with KTU 1.5 I,1 are particularly striking.

The “seven-headed dragon” is equated with Satan in Rev. 12:3, 9 and echoed in the seven-headed beast of 13:1; 17:3. Postbiblical Jewish literature envisions Leviathan, along with Behemoth, as the main course at the messianic banquet (1 En. 60:7-9, 24; 2 Esdr. 6:49-52; 2 Bar. 29:4).

Bibliography. J. Day, God’s Conflict with the Dragon and the Sea (Cambridge, 1985); C. Uehlinger, “Leviathan,” DDD, 511-15.

John L. McLaughlin

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

LEVIATHAN

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)