Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 27 uses mythological language about Leviathan to describe divine victory over chaos. The Aramaic translation in Targum Jonathan interprets this as a reference to real empires, comparing Rome to earlier rulers like Pharaoh and Sennacherib.
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Isaiah 27:1
Hebrew Bible
1 At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster. 2 When that time comes, sing about a delightful vineyard! 3 “I, the Lord, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no one can harm it.
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Jonathan Isaiah 27:1
Targum
1 At that time the Lord shall punish with his great, mighty, and strong sword the king, who has magnified himself as Pharaoh the first, and the king who has exalted himself as Senna cherib the second; and he shall slay the king that is strong as the dragon that is in the sea. 2 At that time the congregation of Israel, which is like a vineyard planted in a goodly land, shall sing concerning that vineyard: 3 I, the Lord, keep the covenant of their fathers with them, that I may not destroy them; but at the time that they provoked me to anger, I gave them the cup of their punishment to drink; but their sins were the cause of their punishment; nevertheless, my Word shall protect them by day and by night.
Date: 200-300 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The punishment of Leviathan in the Masoretic text occasions a Targumic reference to Roman power at sea, and a comparison between the Emperor and two earlier enemies, Pharaoh and Sennacherib (verse 1). The obvious point is that Rome is to prove as weak before God as the Egyptians and Assyrians ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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