THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



NATURAL HISTORY, 



APRIL, 1835. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. An Attempt to ascertain the Animals designated in the 

 Scriptures by the Names Leviathan and Behemoth. By Thomas 

 Thompson, Esq., one of the Vice-Presidents of the Hull Lite- 

 rary and Philosophical Society ; being the Substance of a Paper 

 read at a Meeting of that Society on Jan. 17. 1835. 



When, some years ago, I read a paper to this Society 

 upon fabulous animals, it was intimated by a gentlemen pre- 

 sent, that he was disappointed that I had not given my 

 opinion on the leviathan and behemoth of the Scriptures. I 

 presume that the gentleman had his own theory on the sub- 

 ject, but I could not at that time afford him an opportunity 

 of broaching it, as I was obliged to reply, that, finding those 

 animals, when named in the Bible, mentioned as actually exist- 

 ing animals, I could not consider them as fabulous ones. I 

 had not then been able to satisfy myself as to what par- 

 ticular animals were intended to be designated by those 

 names, but since that time I have satisfied my own mind upon 

 the subject; and, although I may be, perhaps, more easily 

 satisfied than some of those whom I address will be, yet, as 

 the subject is one which has at different times engaged the 

 attention of such learned men as Beza, Diodati, Bochart, 

 Vansittart, &c, who, after all, have arrived at no satisfactory 

 conclusion, and as my theory somewhat differs from all of 

 theirs, I have thought that, if I should even fail to convince 

 m-y audience of the truth of my own opinion, I shall have 

 the satisfaction of failing in good company, whilst I may, at 

 least, draw out some of their opinions on this subject. 



Before, however, entering into this discussion, it may be 

 as well briefly to review the opinions heretofore broached in 

 relation to the subjects in question. 



The leviathan, then, by the old commentators, was gene- 

 Vol. VIII. — No. 48. o 



