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Leviathan
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
One of the Hebrew names for the sea monster of ancient Near Eastern mythology that represented the forces of chaos held in check by the power of the creator deity. Sometimes rendered “sea monster” or “dragon” in modern English biblical translations.
Lexham Bible Dictionary
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The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Leviathan
Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן‎, liwyathan). One of the Hebrew names for the sea monster of ancient Near Eastern mythology that represented the forces of chaos held in check by the power of the creator deity. Sometimes rendered “sea monster” or “dragon” in modern English biblical translations.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Leviathan
LEVIATHAN [Heb liwyātān (לִוְיָתָן)]. The name of a mythological sea serpent or dragon, personifying the chaos waters, mentioned in the Ugaritic texts, in the OT, and in later Jewish literature. Etymologically the name means “twisting one,” as befits a serpent.In the Ugaritic texts the name appears
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
Leviathan
Leviathan. Great sea monster or large aquatic reptile (Jb 3:8; Ps 74:14).See Animals.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Leviathan
Leviathan lə-vīʹ-ə-thən [Heb. liwyāṯān; cf. Heb. liwyâ, “wreath”; Arab lawā, “to twist”] (Job 3:8f.; 41:1 [MT 40:25]; Ps. 74:14; 104:26; Isa. 27:1); AV also “their mourning”; NEB also WHALE. The proper name (it always occurs without the definite article) of a large aquatic animal, perhaps reflecting
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Leviathan
LEVIATHAN Great sea monster or large aquatic reptile (Jb 3:8; Pss 74:14; 104:26; Is 27:1). See Animals.
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Leviathan
Leviathan (li-vi´uh-thuhn), a great, mythological monster. In Ugaritic mythology, Leviathan (appearing by the name Lothan) is one of the primeval sea monsters who battles against Baal on the side of Mot (the god of the underworld) and who is ultimately defeated. This mythological tradition is referenced
The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia
Leviathan
LEVIATHAN. It is one thing to discover the literal significance of the term Leviathan (See Animals, V. 7.); it is quite another to determine figurative or symbolic usage. There seems to have been a widespread reference in the mythology of the Mediterranean peoples to a great sea monster capable of devouring
The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition
Leviathan
LEVIATHAN is a transliteration of a Heb. word which occurs in only five passages in the OT. It is generally thought to be from a root lāwâ, cf. Arab. lawā, ‘bend’, ‘twist’. Its literal meaning would then be ‘wreathed’, i.e. ‘gathering itself in folds’. Some scholars have suggested that it may be a
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Leviathan
Leviathan (Heb. liwyāṯān)A primeval sea serpent representing chaos.Leviathan appears in the Ugaritic texts as Lītānū. KTU 1.5 I, 1 describes how Baal smote Lītānū, “the twisting [cf. Arab. lawiyā] serpent, the tyrant with seven heads” (likewise Anat [KTU 1.3 III, 40–42], but lacking the name
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Leviathan
Leviathan [lə vīˊə thən] (Heb. liwyāṯān, from lāwâ “turn, coil, twist”; cf. liwyâ “wreath”). † A mythological chaos creature. According to 1 En. 60:7–10, Leviathan is a female monster associated with “the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water” (cf. 2 Esdr. 6:49–52). At Ps.
Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible
Leviathan
LEVIATHAN לויתןI. Liwyātān is the Heb name of a mythical monster associated with the →Sea (or Yam). First attested in a Ugaritic text (KTU 1.5 i:1 || 27) where it occurs as ltn (to be vocalized lı̄tānu, as convincingly argued by Emerton 1982), the name is related to a root lwy. Etymologically it
Catholic Bible Dictionary
Leviathan
LEVIATHAN A reptilian sea monster in ancient Semitic mythology. It is believed to represent the “chaos” that threatens the divine order established by God or the gods. In Ugaritic texts, it appears under the name Lotan, a creature with seven heads, and is defeated by the warrior god Baal. The Psalms
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