You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.
Parallel translations
- KJV Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
- BSB You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
- 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, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
- Job 41:1–34“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fish hook, or press down his tongue with a cord?
- Ps 72:9Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. His enemies shall lick the dust.
- Ps 104:25–26There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.
- Num 14:9Only don’t rebel against Yahweh, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, and Yahweh is with us. Don’t fear them.”
- Job 3:8Let them curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan.
- Rev 20:2He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years,
- Exod 14:30Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
- Exod 12:35–36The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing.
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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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