Thanks so much to Charity, a respondant from this blog post, for sharing this scripture with me. Although I recall reading the book of Job, somehow, I forgot about the Leviathan chapter. Also, the Leviathan is mentioned in the following scriptures, too:
Psalm 74
Isaiah 27:1
Job 41
Job 41 – I’m only emphasizing a few verses. You should read the entire chapter!
1 “Can you draw out Leviathan[a] with a hook,
Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
….
… 14 Who can open the doors of his face,
With his terrible teeth all around?
… 18 His sneezings flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lights;
Sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils,
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21 His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes out of his mouth.
It sounds like he’s a large, scaly, frightful dragon-like sea creature. My question is, did this creature really exist or is he just mentioned for symbolic reasons? Charity mentioned that this creature sounds like a dinosaur, and I have to agree with her.
The leviathan sounds more like a dinosaur than the nephilim, which another blog reader speculated about, stating that she thought nephilim were dinosaurs, but I’ve already stated that I totally disagree with that line of thought.
So, blog readers, what do you think? Did this fire/smoke breathing dragon-like sea creature really exist in the deep dark depths of the ocean?
Y’know, Cecelia…could be…could be!
Hey Cecelia….I don’t know that it’s a dragon-like sea creature but they did exist.
Hi, Loree and Cheryl. I’m glad you gals commented. Cheryl, I believe the Leviathan is a dragon-like sea creature because the scripture that I quote from Job states that sparks of fire shoots out of his mouth and smoke comes out of his nostrils….these features remind me of a dragon…
From what I recall reading about Leviathan, it was [probably] either a poetic description of a spouting whale or a Hebrew version of one of the monsters from Canaanite belief, a dragon that lived in the (salty) sea and was therefor an enemy of life like the demon-god Mot.
In later years Leviathan became a demon lord and prince of Hell in Christian European demonology, in case that works better.
But since there has never been a fire-breathing animal in history, I’d say the chances of his being real are slim, though I’m sure at least one cryptozoologist is looking for him.
best,
Eric
Hi, Eric. Thanks for commenting. If the Leviathan is not a real creature, I’m wondering why he’s mentioned a few times in scripture? The description of him in Job is pretty frightening, and the description includes smoke and fire coming out of his mouth? It’s possible that this creature is symbolic? It’s hard to tell. I do find it hard to imagine a sea dragon really existing though…but I suppose it is possible….
Cecelia while it’s hardly impossible that a “sea serpent” might exist — the oceans are pretty big, after all, and we’ve hardly even begun to explore them — it’s the fire breathing part that would cause any biologist to shake their head.
Thanks for posting my comment and best wishes.
— Eric Hinkle