LEVIATHAN

[Dr. Goodword]

• leviathan •

Pronunciation: lê-vai-ê-thên • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. A huge sea monster mentioned in the Bible (Old Testament). 2. Anything of monstrous size: ship, whale, government out of control. 3. A titan, a person of gigantic, formidable wealth and power.

Notes: Today's Good Word is known mostly through the title of Thomas Hobbes' famous political treatise, The Leviathan (1660), a term he uses to refer to the state. Hobbes argues in favor of a large government so long as it rests on a social contract among all those it protects. The adjective is leviathanic "huge, monstrous in size and/or power".

In Play: English speakers share a long tradition of referring to large ships as leviathans: "The Titanic was a leviathan that lost its battle with an even more leviathanic iceberg." Today's word is also reserved for the biggest of the big-shots: "Les Cheatham thinks he is a leviathan of industry, but he is just a wealthy snake."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Hebrew livyathan, an enormous Biblical sea creature. Today it means "whale". This word is based on the verb root *l-w-y "to wind, twist, circle, encircle", akin to Ugaritic *l-t-n "sea monster". It is also related to Arabic laway "to twist" and liwyah "wreath", not to mention Akkadian lamu "to surround, encircle".

[saparris]

And then there's leviathan's friend behemoth--perhaps a more fitting description of large, land-dwelling giants.

[Slava]

And then there's leviathan's friend behemoth--perhaps a more fitting description of large, land-dwelling giants.

Except that the behemoth is largely presumed to be the hippopotamus, so land-dwelling is not so much indicated here. In fact, the Russian for hippopotamus is "begemot." It's also the name of the cat in "Master and Margarita."

[saparris]

Except that the behemoth is largely presumed to be the hippopotamus......

Obviously, whoever had the image of a hippopotamus hadn't seen an "ephelant." Those Old Testament guys didn't get around much.

[LukeJavan8]

Except for Noah.

[saparris]

Except for Noah.

Did Noah take two hippopotami or or leviathans onto the ark?

[LukeJavan8]

Leviathans were whales, as I've understood it.
As for the Ark, I don't know CNN was not there at the
time.

[Slava]

Given the possible usage of the word, the ark itself must have been a leviathan. Two of each critter, plus food and water for 40 days, would take up a lot of room.

[saparris]

Leviathans were whales, as I've understood it.

I meant to say behemoths instead of leviathans.

[LukeJavan8]

Given the possible usage of the word, the ark itself must have been a leviathan. Two of each critter, plus food and water for 40 days, would take up a lot of room.

Especially when some animals eat other animals, to say
nothing of tanks of water for drinking, and whoever
kept the bottom of the ark clean without sinking. And
there were only 8 people on the thing, and it was
(if you read the story carefully) a very long time they
were on it. The rain only 40 days.

To say nothing of bales of hay for grass eaters, and
there were also seven pairs of all the clean animals, so
that means 14 of them, not including the unclean animals.
Way to go JEPD.

[saparris]

Given the possible usage of the word, the ark itself must have been a leviathan. Two of each critter, plus food and water for 40 days, would take up a lot of room.

Unless you consider the story of Noah's Leviathan to be a religious fable. Then everything would have fit.

[LukeJavan8]

Or Noah a fable?

[saparris]

Or Noah a fable?

Or let's say a myth: "a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation."

[LukeJavan8]

A story or convention, oral in nature, used by ancients
to convey a truth or reality too large or too complex
to be explained in any way by their reality....myth.
Certainly not fairy tales which are made up stories
to explain a moral. Myth....kernel of truth around which
a story developed.

[Perry]

Leviathans were whales, as I've understood it.
As for the Ark, I don't know CNN was not there at the
time.

That is the current Hebrew word for whale. But the Leviathans of the Bible may have been something else entirely.