Dick Harfield (aethist) gets it wrong again

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This is someone's question: In the book of Job, which begins with Satan and the sons of Elohim meeting with Yahweh, we have the story of the great sea monster scaring God. Is this an example of traces of henotheism in the Bible?

This is Harfield's answer: In Job 41:25, “the gods” are afraid. The Hebrew word used here is elim, a plural form of el, which translates to ‘gods’, but which is commonly translated into English as ‘the mighty’ in order to preserve biblical monotheism. Translated literally, it is evidence of early Jewish henotheism.

The leviathan (Job 41:1) was a multi-headed chaos monster mentioned in other Ancient Near Eastern religions. God had to defeat the leviathan in order to continue with creation. In this context, ‘mighty’ — if this is intended to refer to mighty humans — makes no sense if they have not even yet been created, but other henotheistic gods do.

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This is my answer: This verse depicts Leviathan rising and causing terror among the mighty, who flee from its violent thrashing. (Job 41:25) The image functions within a larger rhetorical strategy in God’s second speech to Job.

Leviathan fears no weapon and spreads terror both in water and on land.1 This invulnerability serves a specific argumentative purpose: if Job cannot hope to master such a colossal creature, how can he consider controlling God?1 The creature’s fearlessness becomes a mirror for Job’s own powerlessness.

The verse’s reference to those who “retreat” carries deeper significance in ancient Near Eastern context. When Leviathan rises, the “mighty” (or in some translations, “gods”) are afraid and retreat.2 This possibly mythological dimension recalls ancient texts like the Gilgamesh Epic, where deities became frightened by catastrophic events.3 Whether interpreters read “mighty” as human warriors or divine beings, the point remains consistent: Leviathan’s very appearance produces overwhelming fear.2

The broader function of this description extends beyond mere description of a fearsome animal. God emphasizes Leviathan’s physical attributes and impenetrable hide, establishing that no one can tame it—only the Creator can control it.1 By presenting a creature that even the mightiest cannot subdue, God implicitly addresses Job’s complaint: if creation itself contains forces beyond human mastery, Job’s inability to understand or control his own suffering becomes less exceptional. What ultimately matters is that God speaks to Job and convinces him to trust God rather than attempting to prove God wrong.3

  1. 1
    Joseph N. Mavinga, “Job,” in Africa Bible Commentary, ed. Yacouba Sanon, Elizabeth W. Mburu, and Nathan Chiroma, Africa Bible Commentary Series (Carlisle, Cumbria; Grand Rapids, MI: Hippo Books; Zondervan Academic, 2025), 716.
  2. 2
    Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 873.
  3. 3
    Stephen Finlan, The Drama of Job: Burning Questions and Incomplete Answers (New York, NY: Cascade Books, 2025). 

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