The Leviathan

Lore & Background

Leviathan in the Book of Job is a reflection of the older Canaanite Lotan, a primeval monster defeated by the god Baal Hadad. Parallels to the role the primeval Sumerian sea goddess Tiamat, who was defeated by Marduk, have long been drawn in comparative mythology, as have been comparisons to dragon and world serpent narratives, such as Indra slaying Vritra or Thor slaying Jörmungandr. Some 19th century scholars pragmatically interpreted it as referring to large aquatic creatures, such as the crocodile. The word later came to be used as a term for great whale and for sea monsters in general.

Reader's Guide

Leviathan specifically is mentioned six times in the Tanakh. Job 41:1–34 is dedicated to describing it in detail: 'Behold, the hope of him is in vain; shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?' Included in God's lengthy description of his indomitable creation is Leviathan's fire-breathing ability, his impenetrable scales, and his overall indomitability in Job 41. In Psalm 104, God is praised for having made all things, including Leviathan, and in Isaiah 27:1, he is called the 'tortuous serpent' who will be killed at the end of time.

Did You Know?

• Both the name and the mythological figure are a direct continuation of the Ugaritic sea monster Lôtān, one of the servants of the sea god Yammu defeated by Hadad in the Baal Cycle.
• In Gnosticism, Leviathan encompasses the world like a sphere and incorporates the souls of those who are too attached to material things, so they cannot reach the realm of God's fullness beyond.
• In Hobbes, Leviathan becomes a metaphor for the omnipotence of the state, which maintains itself by educating children in its favour, generation after generation.
• Later Jewish sources describe Leviathan as a dragon who lives over the sources of the deep and who, along with the male land-monster Behemoth, will be served up to the righteous at the end of time.