You asked

what ancient near eastern myths influenced the psalmist's language of god conquering chaos?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Psalm 74:13-14

“You divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.”

Psalm 74 is a communal lament, likely written during a time of national distress, possibly after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (circa 586 BCE). The psalmist appeals to God's past acts of deliverance and creation as a basis for present intervention, recalling God's primordial power over chaos.

What does recalling God's ultimate power over chaos suggest about the nature of the challenges we face today?

Then — the setting

This Psalm was likely composed during a period of national catastrophe, possibly following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 586 BCE. The psalmist remembers God's foundational acts of creation and salvation to implore divine intervention in a time when God's power seemed absent or defeated. The language of 'dividing the sea' and 'breaking the heads of sea monsters' echoes ancient Near Eastern (ANE) creation myths where a deity establishes order by defeating primordial chaotic waters or serpentine entities, but here, these acts are attributed solely to Israel's God. Such imagery would have resonated with an audience familiar with the common cosmological narratives of their neighbors.

Across the Testaments

The main passage is in the Old Testament, drawing on ancient Israelite understandings of God as the supreme creator and warrior over chaos. The New Testament reframes this concept, often depicting Jesus as embodying God's power over chaos. For instance, Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) or walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33) demonstrates a direct, personal authority over natural forces, paralleling the Old Testament's cosmic descriptions of God's power. The 'sea monster' imagery also appears in Revelation, where a multi-headed beast rises from the sea (Revelation 13:1), symbolizing oppressive earthly powers, which are ultimately overcome by Christ.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 89:9-10
Describes God's dominion over the sea and the crushing of Rahab, another chaos monster.
Job 40:25-41:34
A detailed, poetic description of Leviathan, presenting it as untamable by humans, but implicitly subject to God.
Isaiah 27:1
Prophetically links God's future judgment with the slaying of Leviathan, the 'coiling serpent.'

Ask your own follow-up