Leviathan | Sea Monster, Biblical Beast & Biblical Sea Creature (2024)

Middle Eastern mythology

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Also known as: Leviathan of the Seven Heads, Livyatan, Lotan, Rahab

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Last Updated: May 7, 2024•Article History

Leviathan | Sea Monster, Biblical Beast & Biblical Sea Creature (1)

Leviathan, in Jewish mythology, a primordial sea serpent. Its source is in prebiblical Mesopotamian myth, especially that of the sea monster in the Ugaritic myth of Baal (see Yamm). 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.