Leviathan: Job 41
In Job 41:1-2,7,12-32, the "Leviathan" is another creature described that has been hard to find a modern equivalent.
1“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
2 Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook?...
7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears?...
12 “I will not conceal his limbs, his mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
13 Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around?
15 His rows of scales are his pride, shut up tightly as with a seal;
16 One is so near another that no air can come between them;
17 They are joined one to another, they stick together and cannot be parted.
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.
22 Strength dwells in his neck, and sorrow dances before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are joined together; they are firm on him and cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as hard as stone, even as hard as the lower millstone.
25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; because of his crashings they are beside themselves.
26 Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
27 He regards iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee; slingstones become like stubble to him.
29Darts are regarded as straw; he laughs at the threat of javelins.
30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds; he spreads pointed marks in the mire.
31 He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He leaves a shining wake behind him; one would think the deep had white hair.
Some have translated the Leviathan to be a "crocodile," because of the large number currently present in the region. However, the crocodile pales in comparison to the description given to the Leviathan. Do crocodiles really raise themselves? Aren't the underbellies of crocodiles smooth rather than "sharp potsherds?" Does the crocodile really move fast enough and graceful enough to leave a "shining wake"? Other verses also mention the Leviathan the Bible furthering the concept that dinosaurs were alive with humans: Psalms 74:14, 104:25-26, Is 27:1.
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