Behemoth, Leviathan, Ziz

Who knows, possibly;

Behemoth = Mammoth
Leviathon = Megladon
Ziz = Thunderbirds or Giant Condors.

No, the behemoth cannot be a mammoth, or elephant, or hippo. Read the description of it in the Book of Job.

And Leviathan sounds suspiciously like a dragon. Who knew they were aquatic animals? Seriously, read the description. The Book of Job tells all about Leviathan. It says his chest is as hard as a lower millstone (the stone on the ground that has another stone roll over it to grind flour), he breaths fire, he "laughs" at shots fired from slings, arrows, and considers iron to be like straw. All attributes of the "mythical" dragon.

My favorite line in the description about Leviathan is this: Job 41:25 (King James Version) "When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves."

Without going into a long explanation, here is what that verse means. When he started coming after the "mighty", they were so scared they, LITERALLY, defecated in their pants. (thus, that's why they have to "purify" themselves)

Does that sound like a hippo? A crocodile? A shark? Can you imagine "mighty men" crapping themselves over those animals? Now imagine a giant dragon. Yes, just like in the fairy tales: fire-breathing, huge fearsome teeth, and scales that even iron weapons did no good against. Not so hard to imagine mighty men crapping themselves over that one, is it?

Edit to add one more thing: The name "Ziz" comes up only once in the bible search I ran. It refers to the name of a cliff or range of cliffs. Zizah seems to be a name that comes up a couple of times in 1 Chronicles. Are you sure about the name?

[edit on 25-8-2008 by sir_chancealot]

Originally posted by Destroyed
They sound like mythical creatures
Try these links (This my first time putting links into anything so if it doesn't come out right sorry!)

en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

Not much on Ziz

hahaha, the behemoth even LOOKS like an elephant!

Originally posted by MikeboydUS

Originally posted by ShowNoMercy502
Actually, the Leviathan is supposed to be associated with Satan.
Then again, isn't everything in Christianity?
I always pictured it as some kind of serpent. But I don't know what I would really be. I don't believe any of them exist though

Biblically speaking I dont see any association between Satan and Leviathan. Satan and Leviathan are both in the Book of Job and no connection is ever made between the two.

I thought the four "Crowned Princes of Hell" were Satan,Lucifer, Belial, and Leviathan???
cant remember where i saw that, so apologies if im mistaken.

reply to post by grifta


the only way i see any connection between the two is that Satan assumed the body of a serpent in Eden, and i think the Leviathan is a serpent.

reply to post by lynxx88


" . . these are creatures of three of the four elements- leviathan/water, behemoth/earth, ziz/air; so where is the fourth-fire?? many theologians consider yahweh to be a FIRE deity, who was depicted well into the Hellenistic period as a serpent. one may also refer to Joseph Campbell's occidental mythology. snake venom is often described as FIRE in the veins. so with yahweh we now have all four elements of creation in play.

is it possible that at some point in the distant past there was four sects of hebrew belief with one eventually winning the population?? or could this be a veiled reference to early alchemy??? just a thought or two... thanks for listening."

Quibble. Did not the Greeks believe all things were created out of the four basic elements, earth, air, fire and water or combinations thereof?

Looking at the discombobulated Semitic world today, it is easy to imagine there were probably FORTY and FOUR sects in ancient Hebrew-land. Or anywhere else. Apparently there were TWO distinct surviving religious traditions in the First Century. Both BCE and CE. An active time. The Judea Jews of the Levite priesthood, and the Samarian Jews of the Aaronic priesthood. The Levites won and we have their version of the truth.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


you would think, though, that the early Jews wouldn't want anything to equal up to Yahweh, so even though it makes sense to have the fourth element, i say come up with something different than the Ruler of all four of them.

Through my readings I have found much information on the Behemoth and (of course) the leviathan however the ziz seems to be spoken of briefly.

I think
Behemoth (Earth-Strong-Powerful)
Most seem to think an Elephant but I think it would be an animal with more aggression maybe even rage

Leviathan (Sea-Swift-Serphant)
Most seem to think a whale, however in a legend recorded in a Midrash called Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer it is stated that the whale which swallowed Jonah narrowly avoided being eaten by the Leviathan, which generally eats one whale each day.

Ziz (Sky-Protector-Large)
Most seem to think a bird but the ziz is seen as the protector of all the other birds so I would think it would be something larger than any other

Originally posted by Destroyed
They sound like mythical creatures
Try these links (This my first time putting links into anything so if it doesn't come out right sorry!)

good for you
Dont worry, your doing fine keep going and dont be afraid of tweaking some noses.


[edit on 1-1-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by outofstep



No Behemoth is depicted as an extremely large cattle but of fearsome appearance, Leviathan is a fish. A long one.
And ziz is a griffin with no front legs

Behemoth
Behemoth is described in Job 40:15-24 and from this we can draw the following conclusions...

- It was a vegetarian (Job 40:15)
- It had a massive tail (Job 40:17)
- It had very thick and strong bones (Job 40:18)
- It lived near the Jordan river (Job 40:23)

So, it can't be an elephant (small tail) and it can't be a crocodile (carnivore)
I think it was a herbivorous dinosaur.


Leviathan
Leviathan is described in Psalm 74:13-14, Psalm 104:26, Job 41:1-34 & Isaiah 27:1 and from this we can draw the following conclusions...

- it looks like a dragon (Psalm 74:13-14 & Isaiah 27:1)
- it lives in the sea (Psalm 74:13-14 & Psalm 104:26 & Isaiah 27:1)
- it's really strong (Job 41:1 & Job 41:26)
- it has sharp teeth (Job 41:14)
- it has scales (Job 41:15)
- it breathes fire (Job 41:19)
- it may be able to fly as well (Job 41.5)
- it's possible that it exhales with bubbles under water(Job 41:13)
- it's still alive (Isaiah 27:1)

Ziz
As far as I know Ziz is never mentioned in the Bible, but it is apparently a large bird in jewish mythology.
en.wikipedia.org...

I'm guessing maybe an
archaeopteryx

It seems, simply, that the animals themselves represented God's power in their enormity and majesty and that they symbolize not elements, but exist as living embodiments of God's reign of over all domains of life on earth: the land, the air, and the sea. Though their existence seems trivial considering the fate of these animals, they were divine creatures intended for a divine purpose, namely being served to the righteous at the end of days.

reply to post by the siren


Doubt it was a archeopteryx, while an excellent example of common knowledge, the early bird only was around a foot or so in height.
To continue the dinosaur theme would be to include a pterosaurs, like Hatzegopteryx, which was probably the largest known of the species.
Over all, the most I could find for Ziz in the Bible was a fellow's name.

As for a sauropod... they notice the long tail, but ignore the long neck? You'd expect a verse along the lines of "And a neck so long it meets the new sun, as it's tail flicks the passing day" or something.
And, you missed one other particular: It lives in a swamp.
Basically... sauropods were to heavy to live in a swamp. The popular interpretation of them still tends to represent that they did, but their size would make them sink into the muck.
The tail is compared in strength to cedar; case in point, the entire description of the creature has nothing devoting to size, but only the strength of the being itself.

His tail hardens like a cedar; the sinews of his tendons are knit together.

The tail is hard as cedar, not as big.

it looks like a dragon

It looks like a serpent, though depending on your idea of a serpent, there may or may not be a difference.

Here it's debatable, unlike the behemoth we don't have a straightforward description, we have three.
Job COULD just be describing a whale, their size alone could be attributed to each of the descriptions. It also does not mention multiple heads as mentioned in Psalms, and the before descriptions, of which the Psalms is almost favourable, almost contrast Isaiah which seems to indicate that the Leviathan is likely evil or cowardly.
Legends and tradition seem to prevent the leviathan in a myriad of different forms, and may well be a conglomeration of different creatures.

Well, this is my belief and considering I spent half of tonight writing about them

reply to post by TheGreySwordsman


The Leviathan is a representation of the constant battle between the "Solar Hero" and the serpent. It is represented in the battle between Marduk and Tiamat, Hercules and the Hydra, Perseus and the Kraken, Ra and Apep, Thor and the Midgard Serpent, Beowulf and the Dragon, Jesus crushing the snake underfoot, Horus and the Crocodile, Krishna and Kalia. It goes on and on. I believe the behemoth represents the Celestial Bull Taurus. Ziz is a representation of Aquila who carried the arrows of Zeus (Solar hero). All of these are in the stars. Orion represents the solar hero while fighting Taurus (Bohemoth) and Cetus (Tiamat/Leviathan)

originally posted by: lynxx88
....coming in a bit late. here's a thought you may not have considered: these are creatures of three of the four elements- leviathan/water, behemoth/earth, ziz/air; so where is the fourth-fire?? many theologions(sp?) consider yahweh to be a FIRE deity, who was depicted well into the hellenistic period as a serpent. (refer to exodus where moses is commanded by yahweh to raise a bronze serpent on a column to cure the hebrews of the snake bites afflicting them, the bronze serpent is mentioned throughout the OT to the books of the prophets where it is finally declared a pagan idol and destroyed. one may also refer to joseph campbell's occidental mythology. snake venom is often described as FIRE in the veins). so with yahweh we now have all four elements of creation in play. is it possible that at some point in the distant past there was four sects of hebrew belief with one eventually winning the population?? or could this be a veiled reference to early alchemy??? just a thought or two... thanks for listening.

leviathan and behomoth both have a lot to do with the elements, alchemy, and creation. God is proud of them because they took what he gave us all and made something more out of it, that's why they were given those gifts. The elements aren't separated they all four are realative. God has the key to the fire, I can't tell you that secret but if you can get through those two. I don't know anything about ziz. Probably a pidgeon that flies at night.

This is only my opinion on what these creatures could represent. although I had read of Leviathan and Behemoth in the bible...it wasnt until I had read of them in the book of Enoch that a thought occured to me as to what they may represent.
But before I share that ...I must give a little bit of background info , so that you will understand why such a thought might occur to me.
Prior to reading the book of Enoch an idea about the purpose of life and why we are here had begun to formulate in my mind. I had been thinking...what if God (he/she/them) had created this earth and put us in it in order to develop themselves through our individual experiences. By creating male and female and then basically turning them loose on this planet to multiply and experience life to its fullest within these current parameters. If we can begin to imagine every male and every female life that has existed on this planet from the beginning ( whenever that was ) until now..and all of the circumstances and perspectives afforded by the parameters of this current physical life. We can begin to grasp the enormity and diversity of it all.

Now lets imagine that God (he/she/them ) was able to store the energy or frequency signatures from all of these experiences from all of these lives...both male and female. And that they took from that male and female database ..as it were. All of the good and noble and righteous and loving attributes and all of the talents and skills developed within these current parameters. And create from it one great man and one great woman. Behold Behemoth and Behold Leviathan....the refined male and female databases. Now allow the individuals of the earth to partake of them ( symbolized by the eating of them ). And place everyone in a new expanded set of parameters...I saw a new heaven and a new Earth for the old things had passed away. Just my own rough theory. As far as Ziz...I am not familiar with that.