Scriptural accounts of monstrous beings like Leviathan and Behemoth offer rich insights into humanity’s experience of the sacred, highlighting the complex interplay of power, mystery, and awe. Found in various religious texts, notably in the Hebrew Bible, these beings serve as symbols for forces that transcend human understanding, bridging the tangible world with the mysterious divine. Through their monstrous forms and their roles within sacred narratives, Leviathan and Behemoth reveal essential facets of the human encounter with the sacred—an encounter characterised by both reverence and fear, harmony and chaos, containment and liberation.
The Leviathan and Behemoth in Biblical Texts
The Leviathan, often portrayed as a sea serpent or dragon, appears throughout the Bible, particularly in the books of Job, Psalms, and Isaiah. Leviathan embodies chaos and, in some interpretations, represents the primal forces of disorder that predate creation. The Book of Job, in particular, describes Leviathan as a powerful creature of the deep, beyond human control or comprehension: “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?” (Job 41:1). The imagery conveys that Leviathan, with scales like shields and a mouth that “snorts flash of light,” is both majestic and terrifying, a creature that represents a power only God can command.
Similarly, Behemoth appears in Job as a land creature of immense size and strength. While less explicitly monstrous, Behemoth is described as a formidable creature that “ranks first among the works of God” (Job 40:19). Its sheer presence embodies the power and mystery of the natural world, a force that cannot be tamed by human hands. These descriptions of Leviathan and Behemoth serve to position them as representations of elements in creation that are, by their nature, beyond human grasp—a constant reminder of the gap between human beings and the divine.
The Sacred as the Unfathomable
The depiction of Leviathan and Behemoth as unknowable forces suggests a vision of the sacred as something unfathomable and uncontrollable. They represent the limits of human understanding and the presence of powers that lie outside human mastery. In this way, these monstrous beings reinforce the notion that the divine is, by its very nature, a mystery. Just as humans cannot fully understand Leviathan or Behemoth, they cannot fully understand God or the divine workings of the world.
In his landmark work, *The Idea of the Holy*, theologian Rudolf Otto describes the sacred as a “mysterium tremendum et fascinans”—a mystery that inspires both fear and fascination. Leviathan and Behemoth, embodying chaotic and primordial forces, align closely with this idea. They provoke a sense of awe that is not comfortable or familiar but rather one that confronts humanity with something radically “other.” In the face of such beings, the sacred reveals itself as simultaneously terrifying and alluring, offering glimpses of divine power that draw humanity into wonder and reverence.
The Divine as the Controller of Chaos
Despite their monstrous qualities, Leviathan and Behemoth are depicted not as rivals to God but as creatures under God’s dominion. This is particularly emphasized in Job, where God responds to Job’s questioning of divine justice by pointing to His control over Leviathan and Behemoth as evidence of His power. In this narrative, Leviathan and Behemoth, though chaotic, are nonetheless contained within the order of God’s creation. Their existence underscores that even the forces of chaos ultimately serve God’s purpose and are part of a larger divine order that humanity cannot fully perceive or comprehend.
This aspect of the narrative speaks to a view of the sacred as a cosmic order that holds both chaos and order in tension. By acknowledging both the destructive and life-giving aspects of the sacred, the biblical text presents a nuanced view of divinity that does not shy away from the realities of suffering, unpredictability, and human limitation. The sacred, then, is not merely a force of benevolent order but one that encompasses all aspects of existence, including those that elicit fear and uncertainty.
Leviathan and Behemoth as Symbols of Inner and Outer Chaos
On a psychological level, Leviathan and Behemoth can also be seen as symbols of humanity’s inner and outer struggles with chaos. Carl Jung, the pioneering psychologist, explored the idea of archetypal forces within the human psyche, describing how symbols in religious and mythological texts reflect elements of the subconscious. From this perspective, Leviathan and Behemoth may represent aspects of the human experience that are feared, repressed, or misunderstood. Leviathan, with its associations with the deep sea and chaos, could symbolise the hidden, unpredictable aspects of human emotion and unconscious desires, while Behemoth, a creature bound to the earth, may represent the more tangible but no less daunting forces of the natural world and physical existence.
In the encounter with these beings, humanity faces its own limitations and the boundaries of its control. This confrontation with the monstrous, both within and without, becomes an experience of the sacred by challenging humanity to grapple with the realities of its own vulnerability and its relationship to forces that lie beyond human command. In this way, Leviathan and Behemoth act as mirrors, reflecting back to humanity its own fears, limitations, and ultimately, its need for a connection to something greater than itself.
Embracing the Sacred’s Complexity
Scriptural accounts of Leviathan and Behemoth reflect a multifaceted experience of the sacred, one that combines wonder with fear, beauty with terror, and order with chaos. These beings underscore the idea that the divine encompasses not only that which is orderly and understandable but also the mysteries of life and creation that defy human control. By portraying these creatures as part of God’s creation and under divine command, the text suggests that the sacred does not require humanity to eradicate chaos but to recognise it as an essential part of the divine order.
Through Leviathan and Behemoth, humanity is invited to expand its understanding of the sacred to include both the majestic and the monstrous, the controllable and the uncontrollable. In so doing, these ancient beings encourage a view of the sacred that embraces complexity and acknowledges that the true nature of divinity may lie as much in the forces that unsettle us as in those that comfort us. This perspective offers a fuller and more profound experience of the sacred, one that calls for humility, reverence, and an openness to the unknown.
