Chaos and Creation in Job

A DRAGON in the Bible? Yes! And we see it here in the Book of Job. What’s more, we see a connection between this primordial enemy of God and the spirits of the Nephilim.Even before God created the heavens and the earth, He subdued Chaos—variously called Leviathan, “the deep” (the abyss; Hebrew tehom), the sea (the Canaanite sea-god Yam), or, as here in Job 26:12, Rahab, “the fleeing serpent.”We also discuss the creation account of Job 26, which tells the story of the original chaoskampf, the struggle against Chaos (see Job 26:12-13).We also talk about the true meaning of “the north,” the personification of Sheol and Abaddon, and why “the dead” of Job 26:5 does not refer to deceased humans. (It’s another reference to the Rephaim, the spirits of the Nephilim.)Other biblical references to God’s victory over Chaos:Genesis 1:2 (Tehom [“the deep”])Job 7:12 (“sea monster” or “dragon”)Isaiah 27:1 (Leviathan, “fleeing serpent,” “twisting serpent,” “dragon”)Isaiah 51:9 (Rahab, “dragon” or “sea monster”)Psalm 74:12-14 (Leviathan, “sea monsters” or “dragons”)Psalm 89:9-10 (Yam [“the sea”], Rahab)Proverbs 8:27-29 (Yam [“the sea”], Tehom [“the deep”])Note that Hebrew tehom is essentially a cognate (same word, different language) for Tiamat, the Sumerian name for the primordial chaos-dragon.