What exactly is the Leviathan mentioned in Scripture? Crocodile, dragon, or ancient sea serpent (the Loch Ness Monster?) — discover theologians' theories and the Scriptures that support them.
The Leviathan, a creature alluded to in Job 40 and Psalm 74:14, has baffled scholars and no one seems to have a clear conclusion as to what this beast is.
Let's dive into the various verses that mention the Leviathan and possible literary devices used in those passages. We’ll also uncover some of the interpretations scholars have surmised about the true nature of this beast and why it ultimately matters to us believers today.
Leviathan appears in Psalms 74:14 as a multiheaded sea serpent that is killed by God and given as food to the Hebrews in the wilderness. In Isaiah 27:1, Leviathan is a serpent and a symbol of Israel’s enemies, who will be slain by God. In Job 41, it is a sea monster and a symbol of God’s authority over creation. The description varies, but it is generally portrayed as a monstrous sea serpent or dragon.
We run into a handful of verses in the Bible that discuss this creature, quoted below:
May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan (Job 3:8).
Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? (Job 41:1).
It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert (Psalm 74:14).
There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there (Psalm 104:26).
In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword — his fierce, great and powerful sword — Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea (Isaiah 27:1).
From all these verses, we can surmise the Leviathan lived in the sea, or a body of water, and was a creature to be reckoned with. It appears to have a large size and if you dive further into the Job 41 passage, we learn about its massive size, its double-plated armor, sharp teeth, and seeming ability to spit fire from its mouth.
I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form. Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor? Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth? Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; (Job 41:12-15).
That doesn’t really sound like any creature that we have roaming around the earth now, so what interpretations have scholars brought forth?
The scholars who see themselves as realists and maybe a little more skittish around the explanations of the Leviathan as a dragon or fire-breathing sea serpent have suggested the leviathan was a crocodile, and that the fire-breathing language in Job served more as a hyperbole or metaphor in literary terms.
Although, the description of the Leviathan in Scripture doesn’t seem to match a crocodile to a T.
Other theologians have suggested that the Leviathan was a large reptile in the sea, perhaps one of the species of dinosaurs that roamed the earth before they went extinct.
Many have suggested it’s an unknown creature that went extinct centuries ago, but those from the Old Testament period would have witnessed it in action, as we only see references to this creature in the first half of the Bible.
No matter what the case, the Bible presents this creature to illustrate God’s strength. Similar to Israel’s enemies, the Leviathan posed a massive threat, and Israel (and humanity) alone could not subdue it. But as mentioned in the verses above, only God can wield control over such a powerful beast.
While the specific term "Leviathan" is not used in the Book of Revelation, there are symbolic parallels between the sea monster Leviathan, as described in the Old Testament, and certain symbolic creatures mentioned in Revelation. In particular, with the sea monster in Revelation 13.
"And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion." (Revelation 13:1-2)
This sea beast is often interpreted as a symbol of oppressive power or a manifestation of evil in the world. The parallels with Leviathan can be seen in the association with the sea and the multi-headed, powerful nature of the creature. The imagery of a monstrous sea creature arising from the sea evokes the symbolism of chaos.
So just as Isaiah 27:1 prophecies, God will slay the fleeing Leviathan, in order to end chaos once and for all. He is to be thrown into a lake of fire (Rev 20:10), along with Death itself (Rev 20:14), and the universe will become all it was meant to be and more. God will create “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev 21:1)—and with it, all that the sea represented. Leviathan, and therefore, chaos, will die. Satan will die, and death itself will die. God has crushed Leviathan’s seven heads and given “him as food for the creatures of the wilderness” (Psalm 74:14). All that will live will be of God and His order.
Apart from the fascinating descriptions, we read in Job 41, why should we know about this ancient creature? After all, when we get in a canoe on the ocean, we don’t have to fear that some fire-breathing serpent might come and devour us.
Nevertheless, we should know about the Leviathan (and the behemoth, for that matter) for a number of reasons.
First, if the creature does come from some subspecies of dinosaur, the Bible shows that humans and dinosaurs may have interacted with one another. And if not, then at least we know that people from millennia before dealt with creatures that we probably could not fathom.
Second, God often uses illustrations from the natural world to explain his power.
Think about Jesus’ numerous parables such as the parable of the sower (Matthew 13).
This further goes to show that all creation does indeed proclaim the glory of the Lord. And through the example of the Leviathan, God shows that he can overpower anything, even Israel’s daunting enemies.
Whether poetic or literal, God knew the illustration of this animal would remind the listener that no powers on earth, whether in the natural world or in man-made kingdoms, can stand the might and glory of our Lord.
Do we run into any other animals in Scripture with similar descriptions? Or is this an outlier case? As it turns out, we have another creature in the Bible that seems to have almost out-of-this-world descriptions. Many of us have heard the name of this creature before but may not know to what the Bible is referring to.
Introducing the behemoth. If we haven't read it in Scripture, we've likely encountered this name in some pop culture reference. Scripture introduces this creature right around the time it does for the leviathan. Let's take a look to see what the Bible says about this animal.
Job 40:15-24: "Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. Under the lotus plants he lies, in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with a snare?"
Let's break down what these verses illustrate in terms of this mighty creature. First, it mentions this creature eats grass and has strong leg muscles. Some theologians have suggested this is describing a hippo, but I don't think the language really matches the animal described.
Secondly, the verses talk about how this animal has a long, strong tail and strong bones and sinews to match. A lot of the descriptions remind me of an underwater dinosaur or more prehistoric creature. Archeological finds have dug up massive creatures who lived alongside human civilizations, so this really isn't much of a stretch.
Finally, the creature appears to live near or by lotus plans in the Jordan River. And we get a final hint from the text that it has some sort of tough armored skin. Perhaps, as suggested by theologians, this is hyperbole for a hippo. But something tells me that we have not yet identified the true nature of this creature. Just like we haven't quite figured out the true nature of the leviathan.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Елена Бабенкова
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.