Are dinosaurs in the Bible? Did God create dinosaurs? If they are in the Bible, does the Bible say what happened to them? The answers may surprise you!
Because of the many skeletal remains and fossils discovered, we know dinosaurs existed at some point in the past. Dinosaurs were many different sizes. Some were as little as a dog, while others were estimated to have reached a height of 60 feet. The enormous size of some dinosaurs has a lot to do with why we remain so fascinated by them, in spite of the fact dinosaurs have not roamed the earth for several thousand years.
Evolution And Dinosaurs
Scientists who believe in evolution have muddied the waters and caused a lot of confusion about dinosaurs. Many of these evolutionists have said dinosaurs lived and died out millions of years ago. This gives some people the mental image of man-eating dinosaurs and cave men with clubs somehow co-existing together.
Dinosaurs were created by God, along with all the other animals in the beginning. There is no need for a Christian or anyone else to doubt this. Sometimes Christians want to avoid the subject of dinosaurs because they are not specifically mentioned in Genesis. First, there were many animals not specifically mentioned by name in the Bible that we do know exist. Second, when looking a little closer at the Old Testament, you will find that it is very likely the Bible referred to dinosaurs numerous times.
Where Are Dinosaurs Mentioned In The Bible?
The word “dinosauria” was first used by a man named Richard Owen in 1842, and originally meant “fearfully great lizard” or “terrible lizard”. While they were not called dinosaurs back in Job’s day, the following scriptures found in the Bible certainly could answer our question.
(Job 40:15-24) Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly! Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit. Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.(Verse 24) Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?
A Fire Breathing Dragon In The Bible?
In addition to the very detailed descriptions in Job, the Hebrew word tanniyn is used in the Bible to describe a number of creatures in the Old Testament. In our current English Bibles this word has been translated as dragon, sea monster, or serpent. Many cultures around the world share legends about dragons. Maybe they’re not just legends after all. Read for yourself what Job had to say.
Job’s Description
(Job 41:1-33) Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook, or tie down its tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook?
(Job 41:8-14) If you lay your hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering. (Verse 14) Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth?
(Job 41:18-21) Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes like the rays of dawn. Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds. Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.
(Job 41:25-33) When it rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before its thrashing. The sword that reaches it has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.(Verse 33) Nothing on earth is its equal – a creature without fear.
Was It A Dinosaur, Dragon, Hippo, Or Crocodile?
Could these animals God was describing in the Bible have been what we today would call a dinosaur or dragon? While there have been some who say Job may have been describing a hippopotamus and a crocodile, I know of no hippo with a tail like a cedar tree, nor any crocodile that breathes fire. It sounds very possible that the Book of Job and Richard Owen could have been talking about the same “terrible lizard”.
What Happened To The Dinosaurs?
It is possible the dinosaurs were hunted to extinction. It could also have been due to changes in the environment after the flood. The Bible does not give us an answer to this question. Whatever it may have been, I’m OK with the absence of T-Rex, and fire-breathing dragons. How would you like to be taking a walk in the park and have old Big T poke his head through the bushes? No thanks!
