The [N]ew [T]estament calls the devil a dragon and the ancient serpent:

“And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne… Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!’ And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.” Revelation 12:3-5, 7-17

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3

Satan’s depiction as that ancient serpent is an obvious allusion to Genesis 3, where we are told that a serpent tempted Eve to sin against YHWH:

“Now the serpent (ha-nachash) was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat of any tree of the garden”?’And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”’But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die.For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:1-5

DEMONIC SEA CREATURES

What may not be as apparent is that the NT description of the devil as a seven headed dragon and the reference to the sea are also taken directly from the [O]ld [T]estament.

For instance, the Hebrew Bible speaks of YHWH piercing through the multiheaded dragon that is in the sea with his sword, that very serpent who is also called Leviathan:

“In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Levi′athan the fleeing serpent (nachash), Levi′athan the twisting serpent (nachash), and he will slay the dragon (ha-tanin) that is in the sea.” Isaiah 27:1

This isn’t the only time where Leviathan is equated with the dragon and the fleeing serpent that dwells in the sea:  

“Let those curse it who curse the day, who are skilled to rouse up Levi′athan.” Job 3:8

“Am I the Sea (ha-yam) or the Dragon (tanin) that you set a guard over me?” Job 7:12 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Thou didst divide the sea by thy might; thou didst break the heads of the dragons (tannim) on the waters. Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan, thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” Psalm 74:12-14

“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, which teems with things innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan which thou didst form to sport in it.” Psalm 104:24-26

“I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: ‘Smite the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and what are left of them I will slay with the sword; not one of them shall flee away, not one of them shall escape. Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search out and take them; and though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent (ha-nachash), and it shall bite them. And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them; and I will set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.’” Amos 9:1-4

And here are the two longest texts on these larger-than-life creatures:

“Behold, Be′hemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. Under the lotus plants he lies, in the covert of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him with hooks, or pierce his nose with a snare?” Job 40:15-24

“Can you draw out Levi′athan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant for ever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on leash for your maidens? Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears? Lay hands on him; think of the battle; you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is disappointed; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he that can stand before me? Who has given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. Who can strip off his outer garment? Who can penetrate his double coat of mail? Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him. The folds of his flesh cleave together, firmly cast upon him and immovable. His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the nether millstone. When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail; nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; for him slingstones are turned to stubble. Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. He beholds everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.” Job 41:1-34

Leviathan’s being described as the king of all those who are proud is reminiscent of the NT teaching of Satan being condemned for his arrogance and pride:  

“and He must not be a new convert, so that he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his arrogance and pride].” 1 Timothy 3:6 Amplified Bible (AMP)

RAHAB: THE DEMONS OF THE SEA

The Scriptures further speak of Rahab/Rahabim, beings identified as hostile chaotic forces:

“who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Plei′ades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number. Lo, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab. How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him?” Job 9:8-14

“By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he smote Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent (nachash).” Job 26:12-13

“Thou dost rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, thou stillest them. Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm.” Psalm 89:9-10

“Great blessings belong to those who trust in the Lord, for those who do not turn to demons (rahabim) and false gods (kazab) for help.” Psalm 40:4 Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

Here the rahabim are associated with the kazab, a phrase which is employed elsewhere in relation to the gods whom the Israelites worshiped to YHWH’s anger and displeasure:  

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They rejected the Lord’s law; they did not obey his commands. Their false gods (kizbehem), to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray.” Amos 2:4

tn Heb “lies.” This may very well be a derogatory term for idols (perhaps also at Ps 40:4 ET [40:5 HT]). Elsewhere false gods are called “vanities” (Deut 32:21; 1 Kgs 16:13, 26) and a delusion (Isa 66:3). In no other prophetic passages, however, are they called “lies.” The term could refer to the deceptions of false prophets (note Ezek 13:6-9; cf. Hab 2:3). See F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos (AB), 301-6. New English Translation (NET https://netbible.org/bible/Amos+2; bold emphasis mine)

SERPENTINE SPIRIT BEINGS

There’s another group of spirit creatures called seraphim which are flying beings that are said to be serpents, presumably because they are serpentine in shape and appearance:

“Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod which smote you is broken, for from the serpent’s (nachash) root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying serpent (sarap).” Isaiah 14:29

“From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. ⁵ And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’Then the Lord sent fiery serpents (ha-nachasim ha-sarapim) among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent (sarap), and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’So Moses made a bronze serpent (nachash), and set it on a pole; and if a serpent (ha-nachash) bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent (nachash) and live.” Numbers 21:4-9

These are the creatures that are before YHWH’s throne:

“In the year that King Uzzi′ah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.Above him stood the seraphim (sarapim); each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then flew one of the seraphim (ha-sarapim) to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar.And he touched my mouth, and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.’” Isaiah 6:1-7

A certain number of these serpentine creatures, which are also associated with scorpions,

“then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents (nachash sarap) and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.” Deuteronomy 8:14-16

Are expressly said to be some of the demonic beings whom the Lord Jesus came to enable believers to subjugate and conquer:  

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you.Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’” Luke 10:17-20

The foregoing strongly suggests that Satan, who is none other than that very ancient serpent whom God condemned,

“The LORD God said to the serpent (ha-nachash), ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’” Genesis 3:14-15

May have been a seraph and throne-guardian, which in turn equates him with the cherubim,

“Then I looked, and behold, on the firmament that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in form resembling a throne.And he said to the man clothed in linen, ‘Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim; fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.’ And he went in before my eyes.Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in; and a cloud filled the inner court.And the glory of the Lord went up from the cherubim to the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the glory of the Lord.And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. And when he commanded the man clothed in linen, ‘Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,’ he went in and stood beside a wheel.And a cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim, and took some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.The cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand under their wings. And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like sparkling chrysolite. And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel were within a wheel.When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went, but in whatever direction the front wheel faced the others followed without turning as they went.And their rims, and their spokes, and the wheels were full of eyes round about—the wheels that the four of them had.As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing the whirling wheels.

“And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubim mounted up. These were the living creatures that I saw by the river Chebar.And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the wheels did not turn from beside them. When they stood still, these stood still, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creatures^[d] was in them. Then the glory of the Lord went forth from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight as they went forth, with the wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the house of the Lord; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. These were the living creatures that I saw underneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.Each had four faces, and each four wings, and underneath their wings the semblance of human hands.And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the very faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. They went every one straight forward.” Ezekiel 10:1-22

Whom the Apostle John described as the four living creatures that encircle God’s heavenly throne:

“After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this.’At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God;and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ‘Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.’” Revelation 4:1-11

This brings me to my next section.

PHARAOH AS A TYPE OF SATAN

The Hebrew Bible identifies Egypt, where the Israelites lived in bondage, as Rahab whom YHWH slew in order to release his people from her grip:

“Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia—‘This one was born there,’ they say.” Psalm 87:4

“An oracle on the beasts of the Negeb. Through a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lioness and the lion, the viper and the flying serpent (sarap), they carry their riches on the backs of asses, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to a people that cannot profit them. For Egypt’s help is worthless and empty, therefore I have called her ‘Rahab who sits still.’” Isaiah 30:6-7

“Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the dragon (tanin)? Was it not thou that didst dry up the sea, the waters of the great deep; that didst make the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?” Isaiah 51:9-10

Pharaoh himself is said to be the great sea dragon:

“In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon (ha-tanim) that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, “My Nile is my own; I made it.”’” Ezekiel 29:1-3

It is apparent that the Bible is using such terminology to denote the spiritual forces working in and through Pharaoh, since the God-breathed Scriptures proclaim that there are spiritual rulers which govern the kingdoms of the world:

“Then he said to me, ‘Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, so I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia.’… Then he said, ‘Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I am through with him, lo, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.” Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21

“And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours.’” Luke 4:5-7  

“Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out;” John 12:31

“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me;” John 14:30

“concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” John 16:11

“For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19

“And to the angel of the church in Per′gamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of An′tipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.’” Revelation 2:12-13

As such, Pharaoh was a type of Satan since he was an obvious agent of evil whom the prince of darkness worked through to oppress the people of God.

SUMMATION

The OT references to Yam (sea), Leviathan, Rahab, dragon, serpent etc., are few of the terms found throughout the ancient near eastern literature in respect to the gods of chaos, malevolent creatures in battle or associated with other divine beings such as Baal.

Therefore, any one reading these OT texts in their historical-cultural contexts would have immediately associated these phrases with hostile powers, with evil spiritual forces that had come in conflict with YHWH.

The Israelites would have read these passages as affirmations that these malevolent beings had been effortlessly subdued and conquered by YHWH as proof that Israel’s God is incomparable and highly exalted far above all the so-called gods of the nations, who are nothing more than demons:

“They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominable practices they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons which were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come in of late, whom your fathers had never dreaded.” Deuteronomy 32:16-17

“Publish his glory among the Gentiles, his wonderful works among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is terrible above all gods. For all the gods of the heathen are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.” Psalm 95:3-5 LXX

“All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of thy judgments, O God. For thou, O Lord, art most high over all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods.” Psalm 97:7, 9

“They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.” Psalm 106:36-38

“Therefore, my beloved, shun the worship of idols.I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great mightwhich he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,FAR ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominion, and ABOVE EVERY NAME that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;and he has put ALL THINGS under his feet and has made him the head OVER ALL THINGS for the church,which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

Moreover, the foregoing helps us appreciate why the NT depicts Christ as rebuking the winds and waves in the same way that he rebuked evil spirits which had possessed human beings:

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish?’ And he awoke and rebuked (epetimesen) the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still (pephimoso)!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?’ And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?’” Mark 4:35-41

Now contrast this with the following:

“And they went into Caper′na-um; and immediately on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked (epetimesen) him, saying, ‘Be silent (phimotheti), and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’” Mark 1:21-27  

It is apparent that Jesus’ stilling the wind and the sea in the same fashion as he rebuked a demon is intended to portray him as that very same YHWH God whom the Hebrew Bible describes as subduing the demonic powers which are stirring up chaos in the seas.

As the footnotes to the proceeding translation of the Holy Bible highlight:

“Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!’” Mark 1:25 New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)

“He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’^[i] The wind ceased and there was great calm.” Mark 4:39

Footnotes

i. 4:39 Quiet! Be still!: as in the case of silencing a demon (Mk 1:25), Jesus rebukes the wind and subdues the turbulence of the sea by a mere word; see note on Mt 8:26. (NABRE; emphasis mine)

“He said to them, ‘Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?’^[t] Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. Matthew 8:26

Footnotes

t.8:26 You of little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Great calm: Jesus’ calming the sea may be meant to recall the Old Testament theme of God’s control over the chaotic waters (Ps 65:8; 89:10; 93:3–4; 107:29). (NABRE; emphasis mine)

The foregoing affirms that it is not just the NT that has a lot to say about Satan. The Hebrew Bible also has a lot of insights in respect to the demonic realm, specifically about Satan, if the readers know what to look for.

FURTHER READING

Satan in the Old Testament Pt. 1

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