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Psalm 74 · a question people ask

What are the sea monsters and Leviathan in 74:13-14?

In the text

The psalm doesn't say what they are. It says what God did: "You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters" (74:13), and "You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures" (74:14). Sea monsters is tanninim (tap sea monsters), the word of "God created the large sea creatures" (Genesis 1:21), and of Job's "Am I a sea, or a sea monster" (Job 7:12). The name Leviathan comes only six times in the Hebrew Bible: twice in Job, twice in the Psalms, and twice in one verse of Isaiah. One of them is "There the ships go, and leviathan, whom you formed to play there" (Psalm 104:26). The chapter on Job 41 sets all six side by side and doesn't join them into one story or say what Leviathan is. These notes don't either. The WEB's New Testament never names Leviathan.

The verses

“You divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.”
Psalm 74:13-14 · World English Bible
“God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1:21 · World English Bible
“Am I a sea, or a sea monster, that you put a guard over me?”
Job 7:12 · World English Bible
““Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish hook, or press down his tongue with a cord?”
Job 41:1 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Psalm 74

Psalm 74: Remember your congregation

Psalm 74 says forever four times in Hebrew, netsach (74:1, 74:3, 74:10, 74:19), and asks God three times to remember (74:2, 74:18, 74:22). Between its questions it calls God "my King of old" (74:12) and says the separate Hebrew word for you, attah, seven times (74:13-17), each time before something God did.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions