Piercing Leviathan: God's Defeat Of Evil In The Book Of Job

Eric Ortlund argues that Behemoth and Leviathan in the Book of Job symbolize cosmic chaos and evil, providing a supernatural interpretation that fits better exegetically and enhances our understanding of God's justice and control over the evil in his creation.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 224 pages
\n Publication date: 19 August 2021
\n Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press
\n

One of the most challenging passages in the Old Testament book of Job comes in the Lord's second speech (chapters 40–41). The characters and the reader have waited a long time for the Lord to speak – only to receive what is traditionally interpreted as a long description of a hippopotamus and a crocodile (Behemoth and Leviathan).

The stakes are very high. Is God right to run the world in such a way that allows such terrible suffering for one of his most loyal servants? Is Job right to keep trusting God in the midst of much criticism? It is difficult for modern readers to avoid a sense of frustrating anti-climax as the book concludes.

Eric Ortlund argues that Behemoth and Leviathan are better understood as symbols of cosmic chaos and evil. A supernatural interpretation fits better exegetically within the book of Job and in its original context. It also helps us to appreciate the satisfying climax to the book: in describing Behemoth and Leviathan, God is directly engaging with Job's complaint about divine justice, implying that he understands the evil at loose in his creation better than Job does, that he is in control of it, and will one day destroy it.

The Lord's second speech in the book of Job is a challenging and complex passage that raises many questions about God's justice and the nature of suffering. While some interpretations see the descriptions of Behemoth and Leviathan as mere animals, others argue that they symbolize cosmic chaos and evil. A supernatural interpretation of these creatures fits better exegetically within the book and in its original context, helping us to appreciate the satisfying climax to the book, where God directly engages with Job's complaint about divine justice, implying that he understands the evil at loose in his creation better than Job does and that he is in control of it and will one day destroy it.

\n Weight: 304g\n
Dimension: 139 x 217 x 19 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781789742985\n \n