I wonder what is meant by the food mentioned in Ps 74:14?
Bump!
The monster was eaten as food. What else is there to know?
Tes, the whole passage is poetic, using mythical imagery. Check some commentaries. Here's from the New Interpreter's Bible:
74:12–17. The sovereignty of God, which is asserted implicitly in the questions of vv. 10–11, is explicitly proclaimed in v. 12 (see Pss 5:2; 10:16; Introduction). As in the exodus, to which the following verses will allude, God’s activity involves salvation (see Exod 15:2). Verse 13a describes the event more or less as a historical phenomenon that reveal’s God’s might, an attribute elsewhere associated with royal sovereignty (see “strength” in Exod 15:13; Pss 29:1; 93:1; 96:6). The description, however, immediately spills over into the realm of the mythic in vv. 13b–14. The sea itself, as well as the “dragons” (see Gen 1:21; Job 7:12; Ps 148:7; Isa 27:1; 51:9) and Leviathan (see Job 3:8; 41:1; Ps 104:26; Isa 27:1), represent the chaotic forces over which God is sovereign. In some ancient Near Eastern creation stories, the supreme deity defeats a monster and uses its body parts to fashion the universe. Such mythic imagery lies in the background of vv. 13–14 (see also Pss 77:16–19; 89:9–11; 93:3–4; 104:5–9; 114:1–6; Isa 51:9–11).
J. Clinton Mccann Jr., “The Book of Psalms,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck, vol. 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994–2004), 973–974.
The Welwyn Commentary is more specific, saying this whole passage alludes to the historic event of the Exodus (obviously in the language of imagery), and this part of verse 14 refers to "Pharaoh’s dead soldiers becoming food for the wild desert animals."
Exodus 14:30 says, "Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." There is no mention there of wild desert animals consuming their bodies, but we can assume that's what would have happened after the Israelites moved along on their journey.
The psalm may have been written after Israel was conquered and taken captive to Babylon, where their children were educated in the mythologies of the ancient near east (read closely the experience of Daniel and his companions--they weren't taken as prisoners and then given university education and palace residences because the conquerors felt bad about conquering; they were being indoctrinated). In such mythologies, it is usually the case that Leviathan-like creatures were created by their gods, to show off their power (cf Enuma Elish and other things). So, for the God of the Israelites to claim to have slain Leviathan and given its body as food to lesser wild creatures is a statement of the Hebrew God's power against the Babylonian gods' power (usually, greater beings feed on lesser beings--sharks eat smaller fish, lions eat weak and spindly antelopes, humans eat almost everything, etc.--so for the greater being, Leviathan, to be fed to the rabble of the forest is quite embarrassing), and a statement like that helps refute the indoctrination the Hebrew people were receiving in Babylon.
Thus, the recurring emphasis of "You" over and over again the the psalm. It was You who did great things, God of Israel... as if to say, not these other gods of other nations... even their mightiest creatures can be fed to the seagulls.
Thank you for both of you.
ELLICOTT’S COMMENTARY FOR ENGLISH READERS (OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS)14. Leviathan A different word in the original from “dragons” in preceding verse, but of similar import. In Isa 27:1, it is described as a serpent, crooked and tortuous, but crocodiles often present that form. So Job 26:13. These names are not given according to scientific classification, but generally signify saurian monsters of any kind, and are here used interchangeably. In Psa 104:26, it evidently means a mammal of the Mediterranean, the whale, which formerly inhabited that sea.
Gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness The Egyptians proper held the crocodile sacred, and worshipped it as a god, hence they never ate its flesh. But others, like the inhabitants of the city of Elephantine, in Upper Egypt, of whom Herodotus speaks, (book ii, sec. 69,) freely ate it. But we may take “people” in the figurative sense of Pro 30:25, “The ants are a people not strong,” and apply the term to the wild beasts of the desert. The crushing the head of the crocodile and throwing out the carcass as common food for desert men or beasts, was the contempt which Jehovah inflicted upon its worshippers.
It's still not clear to me.
Psalm 74:1414 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
You should read good exegetical commentaries on this verse and that should help you with your questions. I will answer a few questions below within the realm of the forum rights.
Psalm 74 describes the leviathan as a sea monster with multiple heads. This sentence is absolutely poetic, but I can only speculate that the poetic imagery is based on accounts about enormous bones discovered in the desert by roaming traders or herders. This would be an example of how scientific misconceptions end up in the text. Relevant video by John Walton: https://biologos.org/resources/audio-visual/john-walton-on-myth-and-meaning 5
Another video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpkoLkx6-5k&pp=ygUMcHNhbG0gNzQ6MTQg
You should read good exegetical commentaries on this verse and that should help you with your questions. I will answer a few questions below within the realm of the forum rights. Psalm 74 describes the leviathan as a sea monster with multiple heads. This sentence is absolutely poetic, but I can only speculate that the poetic imagery is based on accounts about enormous bones discovered in the desert by roaming traders or herders. This would be an example of how scientific misconceptions end up in the text. Relevant video by John Walton: https://biologos.org/resources/audio-visual/john-walton-on-myth-and-meaning 5 Another video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpkoLkx6-5k&pp=ygUMcHNhbG0gNzQ6MTQg
There is nothing in the video. I am not asking for a video that I can easily search and find. My question is to get some idea of the complexities of this verse.
Tes, the whole passage is poetic, using mythical imagery. Check some commentaries. Here's from the New Interpreter's Bible: 74:12–17. The sovereignty of God, which is asserted implicitly in the questions of vv. 10–11, is explicitly proclaimed in v. 12 (see Pss 5:2; 10:16; Introduction). As in the exodus, to which the following verses will allude, God’s activity involves salvation (see Exod 15:2). Verse 13a describes the event more or less as a historical phenomenon that reveal’s God’s might, an attribute elsewhere associated with royal sovereignty (see “strength” in Exod 15:13; Pss 29:1; 93:1; 96:6). The description, however, immediately spills over into the realm of the mythic in vv. 13b–14. The sea itself, as well as the “dragons” (see Gen 1:21; Job 7:12; Ps 148:7; Isa 27:1; 51:9) and Leviathan (see Job 3:8; 41:1; Ps 104:26; Isa 27:1), represent the chaotic forces over which God is sovereign. In some ancient Near Eastern creation stories, the supreme deity defeats a monster and uses its body parts to fashion the universe. Such mythic imagery lies in the background of vv. 13–14 (see also Pss 77:16–19; 89:9–11; 93:3–4; 104:5–9; 114:1–6; Isa 51:9–11). J. Clinton Mccann Jr., “The Book of Psalms,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck, vol. 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994–2004), 973–974. The Welwyn Commentary is more specific, saying this whole passage alludes to the historic event of the Exodus (obviously in the language of imagery), and this part of verse 14 refers to "Pharaoh’s dead soldiers becoming food for the wild desert animals." Exodus 14:30 says, "Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." There is no mention there of wild desert animals consuming their bodies, but we can assume that's what would have happened after the Israelites moved along on their journey.
Hi, Rosie, thank you very much for taking the time for the detailed explanation.
