i. Leviathan Rising by LDN-RDNT on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

In my opinion, the Biblical Leviathan could be just a large grouper. The word usually refers to 'a whale' and people often imagine it to be a giant sea serpent, but I've looked at the source material and classical exegesis, and considering the location, time period and descriptions, it's probably a big grouper from the Mediterranean or Red Sea. It's not a whale, because the descriptions simply don't apply to whales, and a lot of the descriptions are literary devices; exaggeration being used quite a lot. Other descriptions could be due to a lack of understanding and misinterpreting certain phenomena, such as the flash of light that the animal produces. But it's difficult to identify the creature, if it refers to an actual living organism at all. The Behemoth is much easier to identify; it's a bull. That's according to classical Jewish exegetes. Not quite as fascinating as a Sauropod dinosaur, as many people nowadays would have you believe, but the text is quite clearly describing a bull, and other verses support that. Then there are 'dragons', or 'serpents' that are mention here and there, and they either refer to actual snakes, or they represent evil rulers (and their people). Not one such 'dragon' in the Bible actually means an actual (fantasy) dragon. It's usually referring to a Pharaoh or King. Anyway, love the artwork nonetheless!