Is Leviathan exaggerated? How does it have “fiery breath?”

It’s interesting that Leviathan, which is actually mentioned six times in the Holy Bible, is described in such vivid detail in the Book of Job (Job 41:1-35). But, Leviathan is also mentioned in the Psalms and in Isaiah. Many Bible scholars have argued over what Leviathan was. Some argue it was a crocodile, some argue that it may have been a type of dinosaur, and others have argued that it was, in fact, some sort of creature that we commonly refer to as a dragon. A dragon?? Is that even possible?

Did dragons exist? Well, hmmm … Satan has been described as “the dragon.” And, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 27, Isaiah declares that the Lord will punish and slay Leviathan. Isaiah calls him the “monster of the sea.” In the King James translation, Leviathan is described as that “crooked serpent” and that “dragon in the sea.”

Dragons, throughout history, have been described as “fire-breathing.” In this case, it may have been true fire or, and here’s where it gets tricky, it may have been a description of the evil speech coming from the mouth of the dragon. Remember, the dragon could be a representation of Satan - and Satan is the Prince of Lies and represents everything bad in this world. So, Leviathan’s “fiery breath” could be the lies, the hate and the anger that Satan spews from his mouth.

It could also, quite literally, be fire. Leviathan could have been a fire-breathing dragon that existed in the sea. We just don’t know for sure. Is the description of Leviathan literal? Is it descriptive? Is it exaggerated? Or is it spot on? Again, we truly don’t know for sure.

I do know one thing, when I get to Heaven I am going to ask Job (who clearly saw Leviathan) what in the world was he describing!