1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. 19:20
41:1-34
1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
Can you catch the Leviathan with a hook?Or catch his tongue with a line?
2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
Can you put a hook in his nose,or drill a hole through his jaw with a thorn?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
Does he speak soft words to you?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
Does he agree to serve you forever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
Do you play with him like a bird?
6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?
Do your friends invite him to a banquet?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?
8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.
Can you fill his skin with barbed wire?Or his head with fish spears?
9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?
No one is strong enough to stand up before him.Who then, can stand up to me?
11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
I'm stronger than everyone else.And everything is mine.
12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
I won't hide the Leviathan's powerful parts.
13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?
Who can even look at his clothes or double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.
Who can open the doors of his face?He has terrible teeth.
15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.
He is proud of his scales.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
His scales are so close together than no air gets between them.
17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
His scales stick together, so that they can't be separated.
18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
A light shines when he sneezes and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
Burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out of his mouth.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
Smoke comes out of his nose.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
He breathes coals and flames come out of his mouth.
22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
He's got a strong neck.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
His heart is as hard as a stone.
25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.
26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
When he comes around, everyone runs away.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
To him, iron is like straw, and brass like rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
Arrows and slingshots don't scare him.
29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
He laughs at darts and shaking spears.
30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.
Sharp-pointed objects don't bother him a bit.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
He makes the sea boil like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
His path shines, so you'd think the deep was hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
Nobody's like him. He's fearless.
34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
He sees everything and is king over everyone.
Isaiah 27:1 refers to the Leviathan as a sea serpent. Generally speaking, a sea serpent could be simplified to "giant sea snake." However, in these verses, we're being given a strange description of a thickly scaled, multi-toothed, smoke-snorting, fire-breathing, dragon-like hybrid creature that doesn't really fit the typical 'serpent' features.
It's mentioned in having a definable 'nose,' which we don't tend to associate with snakes. It is described as having teeth that basically fill its mouth, creating a barrier to the throat...which snakes do not have. Sharks do, as would a whale if you view its baleen as 'teeth.'
Just like the mighty behemoth, the leviathan seems to be whatever you need it to be to help defend a Biblical claim.