In Job 41 there is a long description of the crocodile under the name leviathan. In verses 19-21 some things are said of him that do not suit a real crocodile, and some scholars have thought that the language was influenced by the Babylonian material. These verses are:
Out of his mouth go burning torches,
And sparks of fire leap forth.
Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth,
As of a boiling pot and burning rushes.
His breath kindleth coals,
And a flame goeth forth from his mouth.
Other references to Rahab, which have been thought to use the same illustration, are Psalm 89:10:
Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces as one that is slain;
Thou hast scattered thine enemies with the arm of thy strength.
Also, Isaiah 51:9:
Is it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces,
That didst pierce the monster?
As to whether these sacred writers really employed the material of the Babylonian epic to give force to their illustrations, the judgments of men will differ in accordance with their views of what is possible for an inspired writer.
In the following passages Rahab is used to denote Egypt as a proud and imperious country. These uses are clearly figurative and metaphorical.
Isa. 30:7:
For Egypt helpeth in vain and to no purpose:
Therefore have I called her Rahab that sitteth still.