Are Dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

What must the handsome prince fight in his effort to save the princess? A dragon! What is one of the central symbols of eastern culture and found in every parade? A dragon! What animal do you find pictured in every Chinese food restaurant? A dragon! Prior to the discovery of dinosaur fossils in the 18th century, these creatures were referred to in many cultures as "dragons". Now we view dragons as mythical when in reality they are real cultural memories of dinosaurs now extinct. It would be very hard to believe that so many people from so many different places could have come up with such similar stories and similar descriptions if dragons never existed. According to ancient stories, dragons came in many shapes and sizes. Some could fly, some could swim and they even laid eggs just like dinosaurs!

The Bible mentions two Dinosaurs

The Bible mentions two dinosaurs by name and describes them in great detail. "Behemoth" (Job 40:15-24) and "Leviathan" (Job 41:1-34) From the description found in Job, scientists have attempted to identify these animals. They believe "Behemoth" is either a Hippo or an elephant, and "Leviathan" is a Crocodile or a whale. But these scientists limited their choices to non-extinct species and did not consider the possibility of dinosaurs because man and dinosaur never coexisted. Oh really? Even in my own personal Bible, a footnote suggests these two animals were a hippo and a crock! But there are some obvious reasons why this conclusion is wrong.

First, "Behemoth" cannot be a Hippo or an elephant, because of Job 40:17, "He bends his tail like a cedar." Hippos and elephants have short tails like a pig. A Behemoth had a large tail shaped like a cedar tree (large and tapered). I believe a better choice is that a Behemoth is a Brachiosaurus type of large land dwelling dinosaur. It fits the description perfect.

Second, "Leviathan" cannot be a crocodile or a whale, but is probably an Elasmosaurus type of large water-dwelling dinosaur. Here is what Job 41 says. Verse 9 says you will be cast down at the sight of him, so this was a tall animal. Verse 10 says he was fierce. Verse 15 says he had scales (whales don't have scales). Verse 25 says he raises himself up (crocs don't raise up at all but are always low). Also, this verse says this animal made a breaking, crushing, shattering sound as it walked. This animal was large! Verse 26 says the sword, spear, dart, and the javelin that reaches him cannot penetrate his scales (crocs and whales are quite easy to kill with a good spear). Verse 31 says he makes the depths boil like a pot; which might be where the fire-breathing dragon comes in. Verse 32 says behind him he makes a big wake (crocs make little wake if any). Verse 34 says he looks on everything that is high" (again, it was a tall animal with a long neck).

What is significant about this is that if "Behemoth" and "Leviathan" are dinosaurs, then it is crystal clear that Job had either seen them personally, or there was a recent memory of them. This of course flies in the face of current evolutionary theory.

Fossil Evidence that Dinosaurs and Man Co-existed

The Paluxy River in Texas is the home of Dinosaur National Park with hundreds of fossil dinosaur tracks. Right beside the dinosaur tracks are three sets of human fossil footprints and a large cat track. The most famous track is the Taylor Trail which consists of a series of 14 footprints in a left-right pattern. The stride and foot length is consistent throughout. The evidence is so convincing that several university students recently presented with all the data accepted that the human footprints were real, but doubted the dinosaur footprints were real. All the fossil footprints in the Park are genuine. No informed person would ever suggest that the human footprints were carved as was irresponsibly rumored 50 years ago. It is clear that man and dinosaur lived together and co-existed at the same time. With this, both science and the Bible agree!

Dinosaurs, or dragons, are mentioned throughout the Bible. In Genesis 1:21, when God created the great whales, it is not only the "whales" we think of today that he created, but dinosaurs!. The Hebrew word for "whales" is tanniym, which means "dragon, serpent, sea monster, dinosaur". This same word is translated "dragon" in many verses in the Bible. Isaiah 27:1 calls leviathan a "serpent" and "dragon". Other verses in which "dragon" appears are Psalm 74:13, Isaiah 13:22; 34:13; 35:7; 43:20, Jeremiah 14:6; 51:34, Micah 1:8 and Malachi 1:3.

So next time you order your favorite Chinese food dish, take a second look at the mural of the dragon on the restaurant wall or on the take out container. Then go home and re-read Job 40-41!