Psalm 74:14
New International Version
It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.

New Living Translation
You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him.

English Standard Version
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

Berean Standard Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

King James Bible
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

New King James Version
You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

New American Standard Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

NASB 1995
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

NASB 1977
Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan; Thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

Legacy Standard Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the desert.

Amplified Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan (Egypt); You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

Christian Standard Bible
you crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the creatures of the desert.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

American Standard Version
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces; Thou gavest him to be food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

Contemporary English Version
You crushed the heads of the monster Leviathan, then fed him to wild creatures in the desert.

English Revised Version
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, thou gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food.

Good News Translation
you crushed the heads of the monster Leviathan and fed his body to desert animals.

International Standard Version
You crushed the heads of Leviathan. You set it as food for desert creatures.

Majority Standard Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

NET Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you fed him to the people who live along the coast.

New Heart English Bible
You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou didst break the head of leviathan in pieces, and didst give him to be food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

World English Bible
You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have broken the heads of leviathan, "" You make him food for the people of desert-dwellers.

Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast broken the heads of leviathan, Thou makest him food, For the people of the dry places.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou didst break the heads of the sea monster, thou wilt give him for food to the people, to the inhabitants of the desert.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou hast broken the heads of the dragon: thou hast given him to be meat for the people of the Ethiopians.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You have broken the heads of the serpent. You have given him as food for the people of the Ethiopians.

New American Bible
You crushed the heads of Leviathan, gave him as food to the sharks.

New Revised Standard Version
You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thou didst break the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and thou gavest him as food to a strong people.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You broke the heads of Leviathan and you have given food to the mighty people.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, Thou gavest him to be food to the folk inhabiting the wilderness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou didst break to pieces the heads of the dragon; thou didst give him for meat to the Ethiopian nations.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
13You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea; 14You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. 15You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.…

Cross References
Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.

Job 41:1
“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?

Ezekiel 29:3
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’

Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelation 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Isaiah 51:9
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Job 3:8
May it be cursed by those who curse the day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

Revelation 13:1
Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

Revelation 17:3
And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:9-14
This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. / There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. / The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction. ...

Revelation 19:20
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

Exodus 7:12
Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.

Numbers 21:6
So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.


Treasury of Scripture

You brake the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gave him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

leviathan

Psalm 104:25,26
So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts…

Job 3:8
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

Job 41:1
Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

meat

Psalm 72:9
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

Exodus 12:35,36
And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: …

Exodus 14:30
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

Jump to Previous
Brakest Break Broke Broken Creatures Crush Crushed Desert Dry Fishes Folk Food Gavest Great Head Heads Inhabiting Leviathan Makest Meat Pieces Places Sea Snake Wilderness
Jump to Next
Brakest Break Broke Broken Creatures Crush Crushed Desert Dry Fishes Folk Food Gavest Great Head Heads Inhabiting Leviathan Makest Meat Pieces Places Sea Snake Wilderness
Psalm 74
1. The prophet complains of the desolation of the sanctuary
10. He moves God to help in consideration of his power
18. Of his reproachful enemies, or his children and of his covenant.














You crushed
The phrase "You crushed" signifies a decisive and powerful action by God. The Hebrew root word here is "רָצַץ" (ratsats), which means to shatter or break into pieces. This imagery conveys God's supreme authority and ability to overcome formidable forces. Historically, this reflects God's intervention in the lives of His people, demonstrating His power to defeat chaos and evil, symbolized by Leviathan. It serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and His role as a protector and deliverer.

the heads of Leviathan
"Leviathan" is a mythical sea creature often associated with chaos and evil in ancient Near Eastern literature. The Hebrew word "לִוְיָתָן" (liwyatan) is used here, symbolizing a powerful adversary. In the biblical context, Leviathan represents the chaotic forces that oppose God's order. By crushing its heads, God demonstrates His dominion over all creation, including the most fearsome and chaotic elements. This act reassures believers of God's ultimate control over evil and His ability to bring order and peace.

You fed him
The phrase "You fed him" suggests a transformation of a defeated enemy into sustenance. The Hebrew verb "אָכַל" (akal) means to eat or consume. This imagery indicates that what was once a threat is now rendered harmless and even beneficial. It reflects God's ability to turn situations of peril into opportunities for provision and blessing. This transformation underscores the theme of God's providence and His capacity to bring good out of evil.

to the creatures of the desert
The "creatures of the desert" refers to the wild animals inhabiting desolate places. The Hebrew word "צִיִּים" (tsiyyim) denotes desert-dwelling creatures. In the ancient world, deserts were seen as places of desolation and danger. By feeding Leviathan to these creatures, God not only neutralizes a threat but also provides for His creation in unexpected ways. This act symbolizes God's care for all His creatures and His ability to sustain life even in the most barren environments. It serves as a metaphor for God's provision and the abundance that can arise from His victory over chaos.

(14) Leviathan.--See last note.

And gavest him . . .--The crocodile was eaten by the people of Elephantine (Herod. ii. 69), but there is no allusion here to that custom, nor to the Ichthyophagi mentioned by Agatharchides, nor to the 'thiopians (as in the LXX.). It is the Egyptian corpses thrown up by the Red Sea that are to be devoured (comp. Ezekiel 29:3-5) by the "wild beasts," called here "people," as the ants and conies are (Proverbs 30:25-26).

Verse 14. - Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces. Here the metaphor is only slightly varied, leviathan, "the crocodile," being substituted for tannim, "the dragon," or "sea monster," as the representative of the might of Egypt. And gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. The corpses of the Egyptians thrown up upon the Red Sea shores (Exodus 14:30) are certainly the "meat" intended. Whether the "people of dwellers in the wilderness" are cannibal tribes, or jackals and hyenas, is perhaps doubtful.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

crushed
רִ֭צַּצְתָּ (riṣ·ṣaṣ·tā)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7533: To crack in pieces

the heads
רָאשֵׁ֣י (rā·šê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7218: The head

of Leviathan;
לִוְיָתָ֑ן (liw·yā·ṯān)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3882: A wreathed animal, a serpent, dragon, Babylon

You fed him
תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ (tit·tə·nen·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

to the creatures
לְעָ֣ם (lə·‘ām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

of the desert.
לְצִיִּֽים׃ (lə·ṣî·yîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6728: Wild beast of the desert, that dwell in inhabiting the wilderness


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OT Poetry: Psalm 74:14 You broke the heads of Leviathan (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 74:13
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