You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
Parallel translations
- WEB You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.
- KJV Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
- NKJV You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
- NASB You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
- NLT You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God broke the heads of Leviathan, the great sea monster, showing His total dominion over the most fearsome powers.
Overview
Leviathan symbolizes the embodiment of chaos and hostile power, often associated with Egypt's defeat at the sea. By crushing its heads and giving it as food, God demonstrates that no enemy, however terrifying, can stand before Him. This assurance of God's sovereignty over evil anticipates the final crushing of the serpent accomplished through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 27:1In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.
- Job 41:1–34“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?
- Ps 72:9May the nomads bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust.
- Ps 104:25–26Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.
- Num 14:9Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”
- Job 3:8May it be cursed by those who curse the day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
- Rev 20:2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
- Exod 14:30That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore.
- Exod 12:35–36Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 74:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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