Among the speakers in the book of Job, the Lord gives the final speech (in Job 38–41). And the last thing he talks about is Leviathan.
What is Leviathan? Are there any clues in the text or outside the book that can help identify it? Let's see what we see.
structure
First, the structure of jobs 38–41:
- The Lord speaks (38:1–40:2)
- Work is easy to talk about (40:3-5)
- The Lord speaks (40:6–41:34)
Literally, Job's words in 40:3-5 divide sections 38:1–40:2 and 40:6–41:34. Why is such a division important? Because of the content of each section of the Lord's speech.
In 38:1–40:2, the Lord speaks of creation, parting the sea, causing rain, providing animals, etc. Participating in these topics. They remind us of what we read in Genesis 1 and the part of Psalm that rejoices in God's power over creation.
But in 40:6–41:34 we are faced with two major topics. I want to focus on Leviathan. There is a climax to this number, as he occupies the last part of the big speech at the end of the book.
explanation
This creature – Leviathan – cannot be easily led or played (41:1-2, 5). It is impossible to overcome Leviathan with a harpon and a spear (41:7-8). No one embraces this creature (41:9-10). Leviathan has incredible strength, terrifying teeth, and a scaly back (41:12, 14-17). Fire comes from his mouth (41:18-21). Ordinary human weapons cannot conquer Leviathan (41:26-29). He lives in the sea (41:6–7, 31). There is nothing like this on earth fearless Creature (41:33). He is the king of the sons of pride (41:34).
Well, this creature is nothing short of terrifying and nightmarish. A common view held about Leviathan is that he is a dinosaur. References to great strength (41:12), scales around the body (41:15-17), and his teeth (41:14) may all be mustered as evidence of this identification.
However, I don't think Leviathan represents a dinosaur.
Leviathan is best understood as a poetic depiction of the evil one – Satan himself. Consider eight pieces of evidence that, taken cumulatively, make a strong case that Leviathan is Satan.
evidence
First, Job's words in 40:3-5 are a literary split between what God said in 38:1–40:2, and 40:6–41:34. In 38:1–40:2 we read about creation as we know it. But at 40:6–41:34 we are encountering something else.
Second, creature language challenges human domination. If Leviathan were an animal, we would expect the language of Genesis 1:28 to apply to him. God bore the image, exercised control over creation, and subdued the creatures he made. But in Job 41, something is different. Leviathan is that person you can't Sub.
Third, the creature breathes fire. In 41:18-21, the description of the fire-breathing monster strains the ability to correlate him with known creatures of the present or past.
Fourth, Leviathan has similarities to ancient Near Eastern stories. The ancient world viewed the ocean as a place of inhospitable chaos. The deep ones were foreboding and unrelenting. Here is a creature – a sea monster, which shows fearlessness and is a threat to those around him. Eric Ortland writing That “YHWH is speaking to Job within Job’s cultural framework, based on symbols common to the ANE. [Ancient Near East] And the Old Testament was used to assure Job that God was more intimately acquainted with the magnitude and malice of evil at work than Job, and that God would one day defeat it. is to promise. ”
Fifth, Leviathan is mentioned in Psalms. In Psalm 74:14: “You crushed the head of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” head? Yes, that's more than one. In Psalm 74:14, Leviathan is a multi-headed sea monster. And in Psalm 104:24-26, God established the ocean where Leviathan lived. This multi-headed sea monster is more likely to be the personification of evil than a dinosaur, as the ocean is a place of chaos and evil.
Sixth, the figure of Leviathan is mentioned in Isaiah. In Isaiah 27:1, “In that day the Lord will punish the twisted serpent, Leviathan, the serpent who flees to the Lord with a hard and great and strong sword.” Again, Leviathan Associated with the sea – evil. But what else to read? words snake and dragon. These terms are powerful clues reinforced by Genesis 3 and Revelation 12 and 20. And in Isaiah 27:1 His day of judgment is promised. Using language about Leviathan outside of the book of Job helps us understand Leviathan within the book of Job.
Seventh, consider how the book of Job begins. God speaks in Job 1–2. And who does he talk to? Satan himself. Satan is the problem at the beginning of the book. He travels the earth with malevolent purposes (1:7; 2:2). What happens when you think of having a book of work? comprehensive In the form of Satan? He is referred to by name in Job 1-2 and by poetic description in Psalm 41. Job faces evil at the beginning of the book, and at the end of the book he knows that God is more dominant than Leviathan. Man cannot defeat evil, but God can. In chapters 1-2, God speaks to Satan about Job, and in chapter 41 God speaks to Satan about Job.
Eighth, the word Leviathan appears early in the work. In 3:8, Job says, “Let us curse the man who curses that day, who is ready to run around on Leviathan.” If Leviathan is associated with evil and evil, then the first occurrence of the word is literally interesting, since it appears immediately after chapters 1 and 2, when Satan talks and tries to hold back the work.
conclusion
Evidence within and outside the Bible suggests that Leviathan represents evil. Robert Fjöll say“Leviathan is Satan's guise.”
At the beginning of the book, the reader clearly sees that Job cannot conquer the evil one. Satan is not bothered by humans like the multi-headed seabeasts in the waters of chaos. But God can overcome Leviathan. According to To Jim Hamilton“The whole book is bracketed by Yahweh first tempting Satan to do his bidding, and finally putting a hook in Leviathan's nose.”
Yahweh rules over the deep. Evil doesn't have the last word.
When God begins speaking in 38:1, He is speaking of His own sovereign authority and control. Nothing is outside of his control. The Lord rules over His creatures. But the problem with Job's book is not the animal world. Readers are rightly concerned about suffering, evil, and the sinister being known as Satan. Therefore, the climactic portion of God's Word in the final speech is reserved for this purpose. The good news is not that God can conquer dinosaurs. The good news is that evil answers to the Lord.
Who can kill the mighty Leviathan? A mighty God can and will.
This essay was Originally published In Dr. Mitchell Chase's subsack, Biblical theology.
