Of all the kaiju in Godzilla’s “Monsterverse,” the most biblically evocative in appearance is the three-headed dragon, King Ghidorah. Many cultures throughout history have referenced a multi-headed, god-like dragon, including the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. Its name there is Leviathan (though it may be conflated with another being named Rahab).
The word, Leviathan, “might be interpreted either as ‘the twisting one’…. or ‘the wreath-like’, ‘the circular’ …. both possibilities pointing to an original concept of Leviathan as a snake-like being.”1 This creature has its roots in mythology outside of Israelite religion, in a Canaanite story where it’s at war with the gods. Its mythological elements are further evident in Job 41, where it’s described in great detail as a kind of sea dragon that makes the ’elim afraid. While this Hebrew word is often translated as “mighty,” Bible translators note that it is also acceptable to render it as “gods.” As William David Reyburn notes, “The use of ‘gods’ within the context of the increasing awesomeness of this creature is fully natural.”2
In ancient literature known as the Baal Cycle, Baal was one of many gods who rose in power after defeating Yam, the seven-headed god of the sea. Yam is, at one point, referred to as Litan, the Ugaritic equivalent of the Hebrew word Leviathan.3 This backdrop is important to our reading of Psalm 74, where it is Yahweh instead of Baal who crushes the heads of the sea monster, Leviathan. This is the Bible’s way of making the polemical claim that Baal is not the one with power over the chaotic dragon, but that Yahweh is.
Leviathan is nothing in comparison to God. While humans may be afraid to play with Leviathan “as with a bird,” and fathers would never consider putting him “on a leash for their girls” (Job 41:5), that’s exactly how docile this being is in comparison to God’s strength. While even the gods are afraid of Leviathan, Yahweh Himself is out taking him on a walk, like a pet. In comparison to God’s invincible strength, Leviathan is pictured as doing nothing more than playing in the sea (Psalm 104:26).
But because he is so chaotic and destructive, both Isaiah 27 and Job 41 promise that Yahweh will one day destroy Leviathan once and for all. The sea, in general, is known for its chaos rather than its order, and God is a God of order. And since Leviathan is, in a sense, the god of the sea, this creature must come to an end. He is a figure representative of everything that is wrong with the world. He is an emblem of Sin itself, looking to wreak havoc on creation. Indeed, Isaiah calls him a nachash, a Hebrew word that evokes many Bible verses, including the serpent of the Garden of Eden.
With this in mind, it’s not shocking when John presents Satan in Revelation as a seven-headed dragon. Of course, Satan isn’t the only seven-headed creature in Revelation; for one of Satan’s minions, the first beast, rises out of the sea, with seven heads” (Rev 13:1). This creature seems even more intentionally linked to Leviathan because of its association with the sea. However, this beast isn’t any less an allusion to Satan, for it is a mirror of Satan. This beast leads people to worship both himself and the dragon known as Satan (Rev 13:4), further evidencing their connection as the same force, or at the very least, the same theme.
In order to end chaos once and for all, God will slay the twisting, fleeing, Satanic Leviathan. Chaos will end. Yam will end. Litan will end. Leviathan will end. Satan will end. God has both already crushed him and will one day crush him entirely in the already but not yet world we live in.
The Bible’s Monsterverse isn’t the same as Godzilla’s Monsterverse. There won’t be literal dragons coming out of the sea to crush civilization, regardless of the symbolic imagery found in Revelation. The Bible’s monsterverse is spiritual, not physical. The chaos that the monsters bring about in the Bible is legitimate, but their damage is primarily channeled through the humans who listen to them. Therefore, we must yield ourselves to the one true God, Yahweh, and not to the little-g-god-dragons of this world.
1 Uehlinger, C. Ed. Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, and Pieter W. van der Horst. “Leviathan.” Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999. p. 511.
2 Reyburn, William David. A Handbook on the Book of Job. UBS Handbook Series. New York, United Bible Societies, 1992. pp. 763-764.
3 Balogh, Amy L., and Douglas Mangum. “Baal Cycle.” The Lexham Bible Dictionary.
Want to explore the Bible’s full monster roster—from Leviathan to Behemoth and beyond? My full-color book Kaiju of Biblical Proportions dives deep into the theology, mythology, and artistic imagination behind Scripture’s most colossal creatures.
Jamin Bradley 
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