The story goes that when God desired to create the world, He turned to Rahab, who was the angel or prince of the sea. God commanded Rahab to "Open your mouth and swallow all the waters of the world." But Rahab, incredibly, refused! "Master of the Universe," he replied, "I already have enough." Can you imagine? Refusing a direct order from the Creator Himself?
The consequences were swift and brutal. God, enraged by this act of defiance, kicked Rahab with His foot and killed him. And, listen to this detail: the midrash tells us that had the waters not covered him, no creature could have stood his foul odor. Powerful imagery, right?
Now, where does this strange tale come from? Well, the traditions surrounding God slaying Rahab actually grow out of hints found in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). Think about Isaiah 51:9, which asks, "Are you not he who cut Rahab in pieces, and wounded the dragon?" Or Psalm 89:10: "You have trampled upon Rahab; you have scattered your enemies with your strong arm." And then there’s Job 26:12: "By His power He stilled the sea; by His skill He struck down Rahab." These verses, taken together, suggest a cosmic battle, a struggle for control.
This myth, as Tree of Souls (Schwartz) points out, is another version of "The Rebellion of the Waters," describing the struggle between God and tehom, the deep. Tehom is a Hebrew word that signifies the primordial ocean, the chaotic abyss that existed before creation. It echoes the famous battle between Marduk and Tiamat in the Babylonian epic, Enuma Elish. There, Marduk defeats Tiamat in a violent confrontation and uses her body to construct the heavens and the earth. He crushes her skull with his club, splits her body in two, and scatters her blood in the wind! Sound familiar?
However, there's an interesting twist. In the Enuma Elish, Tiamat is a feminine figure, a primordial goddess. But Rahab? Rahab is masculine. And instead of trampling the waters, God kicks and kills Rahab. It's a subtle but significant difference.
It’s fascinating to consider the hints in rabbinic writings that Rahab may have once held a much higher, even godlike status. For example, Deuteronomy Rabbah 2:28 states that "Rahab placed God in heaven and upon earth." What does that even mean? Was Rahab originally a co-creator, a partner in bringing the universe into being?
Even more surprising, Rahab doesn't just disappear after his death. He reappears in later legends as the Prince of the Sea, performing various deeds at the command of God or one of the rabbis! For instance, as we find in Y. Sanhedrin 7:23d, Rabbi Joshua ben Haninah calls upon Rahab to recover a lost charm, so that a spell can be broken. He's still around, still powerful, even after his rebellion.
So, what are we to make of this strange, violent myth? Is it a cautionary tale about the dangers of defying God's will? Or does it hint at a more complex, nuanced relationship between the Creator and His creation, a struggle for balance and order in the face of primordial chaos? Perhaps it's a reminder that even in the most sacred narratives, there are shadows, conflicts, and unanswered questions that continue to challenge and intrigue us.