God’s Word Translation
Psalms 74:14
14You crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food.
Psalms 74:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
- New International Version (NIV)It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
- English Standard Version (ESV)You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
- New King James Version (NKJV)You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, And gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Context of Psalms 74:14
12And yet, from long ago God has been my king, the one who has been victorious throughout the earth. 13You stirred up the sea with your own strength. You smashed the heads of sea monsters in the water. You crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave them to the creatures of the desert for food. 15You opened the springs and brooks. You dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 16The day and the night are yours. You set the moon and the sun in their places.
Read all of Psalms 74Psalms 74:14 word by word
אַתָּ֣ה רִ֭צַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֣י לִוְיָתָ֑ן תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ מַ֝אֲכָ֗ל לְעָ֣ם לְצִיִּֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 74:14
- Psalms 104:25The sea is so big and wide with countless creatures, living things both large and small.
- Job 3:8Let those who curse the day (those who know how to wake up Leviathan) curse that night.
- Job 41:1“Can you pull Leviathan out ⌞of the water⌟ with a fishhook or tie its tongue down with a rope?
- Isaiah 27:1On that day the Lord will use his fierce and powerful sword to punish Leviathan, that slippery snake, Leviathan, that twisting snake. He will kill that monster which lives in the sea.
- Revelation 20:2He overpowered the serpent, that ancient snake, named Devil and Satan. The angel chained up the serpent for 1,000 years.
- Psalms 72:9May the people of the desert kneel in front of him. May his enemies lick the dust.
- Exodus 12:35The Israelites did what Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry and for clothes.
- Exodus 14:30That day the Lord saved Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore.
- Numbers 14:9Don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will devour them like bread. They have no protection, and the Lord is with us. So don’t be afraid of them.”
Commentaries on Psalms 74:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14The heads of leviathan - Leviathan might be intended here as a personification of the Egypttan government; and its heads, Pharaoh and his chief captains. To the people inhabiting the wilderness - Probably meaning the birds and beasts of prey. These were the people of the wilderness, which fed on the dead bodies of the Egyptians, which the tides had cast ashore. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic read, "Thou hast given him for meat to the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces - On the meaning of the word “leviathan,” see the notes at Job 41:1. The word is used here as descriptive of sea monsters. And gavest him to be meat - Gavest him for “food.” To the people inhabiting the wilderness - That is, the sea monsters were killed, and, being thrown on shore, were gathered for food. The “inhabitants of the wilderness” or the desert, may refer either to the wild and savage tribes of men…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-17Verses 12-17 The church silences her own complaints. What God had done for his people, as their King of old, encouraged them to depend on him. It was the Lord's doing, none besides could do it. This providence was food to faith and hope, to support and encourage in difficulties. The God of Israel is the God of nature. He that is faithful to his covenant about the day and the night, will never cast off those whom he has chosen. We have as much reason to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14Leviathan: See Psalm 104:26; Job 3:8; 41:1, 12, 22, 31; Isaiah 27:1. Here, the creature’s multiple heads suggest a mythical monster.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1513-15. Examples of the "salvation wrought" are cited. divide the sea--that is, Red Sea. brakest ... waters--Pharaoh and his host (compare Is 51:9, 10; Eze 29:3, 4).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 74:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 74
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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