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The Leviathan (/ l ɪ ˈ v aɪ. ə θ ən / liv-EYE-ə-thən; Hebrew: לִוְיָתָן, romanized: Līvyāṯān; Greek: Λεβιάθαν) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible , including Psalms , the Book of Job , the Book of Isaiah , and the pseudepigraphical Book of ...
In the Old Testament, 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 power of creation.
Its odor was essentially poison – any person or creature that encountered the breath of the monster would die. There are passages in ancient texts that suggest the Leviathan would kill every living thing in Paradise if allowed in – just from the smell of its breath.
Leviathan remains an influential figure in the Bible and in popular culture. What started as a mythical creature in the scriptures has evolved over time, becoming a symbol of chaos and power in various interpretations.
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.
Old Testament theologian and theistic evolutionist Tremper Longman III rejects the idea that Leviathan could have been a dinosaur (or extinct sea creature 9):
On land, the leviathan leaves a trail of ruts; in the water, it produces a deep, churning wake (verses 30–32). God’s description of the leviathan concludes with a statement that it is the true king of the beasts: “Nothing on earth is its equal—a creature without fear” (verse 33).
Unlike Behemoth, Leviathan is mentioned elsewhere in the Scripture. Psalm 74:14 refers to the heads of Leviathan, implying a multiheaded beast. Psalm 104:26 describes Leviathan frolicking in the vast sea. And Isaiah 27:1 describes God slaying Leviathan, a coiling serpent and sea monster.
There can be no doubt that this name is basically the same as that found in Ugar. documents for Lotan, the sea-monster killed by Baal (ANET, pp. 137f.); it is there called “the crooked serpent” (cf. Isa 27:1), and possibly “the seven-headed” (cf. Ps 74:14).
The creature called a leviathan is found five times, by name, in four Old Testament Bible verses in the King James translation. The animal is described in Job 41, Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26, and Isaiah 27:1. All references are derived from the Hebrew word livyathan (Strong's Concordance #H3882).