Need some help on the Leviathian

[Unnamed Servant]

This "animal" is talked about a few times in Job (41:1, one of them), couple times in psalms (104:26, one of them), and one in Isaiah (27:1, i didn't know about).

Multiple times have I heard that this is a dinosaur or large animal, and would believe that from most of you I would hear the same thing.

I have however heard before that the leviathan is not a dinosaur but is the "chaos dragon". It has something to do with the culture of the time. I wish I could remember everything the man said. He said that this is not an actual animal, but is symbolic of the water of the earth. It related somehow to the flood.

I'm pretty sure I do not agree with it but I do respect the man who said it who has studied the bible for a long period of time, and knows greek/hebrew.

I was just wandering if any of you have heard anything about this. I will try to recover my notes and study this more.

Love-In-Christ,

Unnamed Servant

 

[lucypevensie]

I haven't read Job in a long time but I know that it speaks a lot about the earth, nature, the universe, etc. It's concrete substance. I don't remember a lot of symbolism in the book of Job.

I believe it was a large animal. WHat kind, I don't know.

 

[ZiSunka]

I love the leviathan!

"that leviathan that you made to play there" (in the ocean)

Leviathan is some sort of sea monster that may still exist, but is now unknown to the world. But leviathan also symbolizes that which is untamed and untamable by man. It is an animal that cannot be brought into man's submission. Thus Isaish uses it as a symbol of satan:

20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and close your doors behind you.
Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed. 21 For look, the Lord is coming from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal the blood shed on it and will no longer conceal her slain. On that day the Lord with His harsh, great, and strong sword, will bring judgment on Leviathan, the fleeing serpent-Leviathan, the twisting serpent. He will slay the monster that is in the sea. Isaiah 26:20 through 27:1

 

[Keith Van Horn]

Leviathan has the following attributes according to Job chapter 41, Psalm 104:25,26 and Isaiah 27:1. This is only a partial listing—just enough to make the point.

• “No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up.”
• “Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around?”
• “His rows of scales are his pride, shut up tightly as with a seal; one is so near another that no air can come between them; they are joined one to another, they stick together and cannot be parted.”
• “His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lights; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke goes out of his nostrils, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.”
• “Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; nor does spear, dart, or javelin. He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him. Darts are regarded as straw; he laughs at the threat of javelins.”
• “On earth there is nothing like him, which is made without fear.”
• Leviathan “played” in the “great and wide sea” (a paraphrase of Psalm 104 verses 25 and 26—get the exact sense by reading them yourself).
• Leviathan is a “reptile [1] that is in the sea.” (Isaiah 27:1) [1] Note: The word translated “reptile” here is the Hebrew word tanniyn. This shows that “Leviathan” was also a “tanniyn” (dragon).

Unlike behemoth, who is huge, Leviathan is ferocious and terrifying. Many references (we have not listed them all) refer to the sea, so Leviathan is probably a sea creature. Although some bibles refer to Leviathan as an alligator or crocodile (and both of these are fierce) neither of these is a sea creature. They like the water, but they spend much of their time on land. Further, the question “Who can open the doors of his face. . . .” implies that nobody can pry Leviathan’s jaws open. Yet we are all familiar with “alligator wrestlers” who routinely pry open an alligator’s jaws. Alligators do not match the description of Leviathan—and we are not done yet.

The description of the scales is interesting. Several verses describe these great scales. Compared to Leviathan’s armor, iron is like straw and arrows ca not make it flee. Let’s face it, an arrow can do a lot of damage to a crocodile or alligator. This is not a description of either of them—or any living animal we are aware of.

And now for the key ingredient: fire. It is hard to read Job 41:18-21 without realizing the Bible is telling us that Leviathan breathes fire. That alone will eliminate almost every living animal. Yes, there is one animal that can spew fire in today’s world. It is called a bombardier beetle. This beetle is a native of Central America, and has a nozzle in its hind end that acts like a little flame thrower. It sprays a high-temperature jet of gas (fueled by hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide with oxidative enzymes) for protection. Now, if a Central American beetle has a built-in flame thrower, so could Leviathan. By the way, crocodiles and alligators are out of the picture on this one, don’t you agree?