Dancing with the Stars

Several passages of Scripture are about the unique power of Yahweh over the celestial bodies. These were represented in constellations associated with the sea. Examples include the Pleiades, Arcturus and Orion (see for example Job 9 and 38; Amos 5). The earliest Canaanite mythology would have provided the backdrop for the Babylonian understanding of these, but perhaps the most famous ancient literature regarding the stars and the sea would be the later Greek masterpiece, Hesiod’s Works and Days. A constellation associated with Mediterranean maritime navigation is Pleiades, or “the Seven Sisters.” Several myths recount the tale of Orion pursuing the seven sisters, eventually seducing one of the seven. These references make clear connections to Israelite, Canaanite and Mesopotamian understandings of Leviathan (or Lotan) and both the Sebettu (the “seven” chaos gods) and the Apkallu (the Annunaki gods who became the sages imparting culture and technology to mankind). This is especially noteworthy when we consider that traditionally, the timing of the Deluge was believed to be the exact same day upon which the Pleiades were known to set (to become no longer visible, below the horizon for 40 days) on the 17th day of the month Marḥeshwan. But even more interesting is how Orion fits into the picture. This constellation went by certain names in different cultures.
The Greeks knew Orion as “the hunter” or “the giant.” The Elamites called it “Nephila.” The Arabs also call it “Al-Jabbar, the Giant.” The ancient Hungarians knew it simply as “Nimrod.” Getting back to the Greek interpretation, the story of Orion includes the account of his birth – to his father, the sea god Poseidon and his mother, a Gorgon (snake-haired creature typically depicted with seven heads). Hesiod holds that Orion was the lover of a goddess named Eos, the goddess of the dawn, who rose daily from Oceanus, the divine personification of the sea.
Reviewing the material from Job, Amos and Isaiah 14, it is obvious that the pagan mythology of the nations as it concerned the identities and stories of (equivalents to) Nimrod and Leviathan had a similar point of origin to the Biblical material. They are different ways of telling the same stories, from different perspectives and with different agendas. Nevertheless, there are common elements that cannot be ignored. All roads lead back to Babel.
The astrology of the ancient world strengthens the Biblical position of Ezekiel 31 that Nimrod the mighty hunter, the giant, pursued the ancient pre-Flood spirits, becoming joined with one of them; one associated with the Light-bringer, Satan. In the book of 1 Enoch, there are seven stars bound and awaiting punishment in the underworld. Job picks up on the idea of stars being bound when he refers to the binding of the Pleiades and Orion. Job also connects the stars with the sons of God (Job 38:7). The Psalmist tells us that the rulers of the nations are in chains, in Psalm 2. Later, Peter and Jude both refer to angels in chains.

- Adaptation of an excerpt from T.J. Steadman, “Answers to Giant Questions,” chapter 16: “Ancient Allegories.”