Are There Dinosaurs in the Bible?

Source: Dinosaurs by Design and Connie Horn

God is the source and creator of all life, from the tiniest microbe to the mammoth blue whale of the sea. Every living thing gives one a glimpse of what was in the mind of God when he created "heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is" (Psalm 146:6). However, any of the animals and plants that God created have now become extinct. Other than historical records, such as the Bible or other reliable sources, the only way to know of such animals or plants is through their fossilized remains.

Dinosaurs are certainly among the most fascinating of all creatures. It is their enormous size that makes them so awesome. God talks about an animal tike this in His word:

"Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with: He eats grass like an ox. See now, his strength is in his hips. and his power is in his stomach muscles, he moves his tail like a cedar...His ribs like bars of iron. He is the First of the ways of god; only He who made him can bring near His sword" (Job 40:15-18).

This passage describes a huge, plant-eating animal created at the same time as man ("which I made alone with you").

The intent of the term "cedar" is lost upon those who think of it in terms of some of the small varieties that grow in North American forests. In all probability, the "cedar" of this passage referred to the Cedars of Lebanon. These trees were so enormous and yielded such a great amount of lumber that they were imported by Solomon for the construction of the Temple at Jerusalem. When Bible commentators claim the behemoth is an elephant or a hippopotamus, they must ignore the tail like a cedar of Lebanon. It is much more realistic to believe this is the description of a dinosaur similar to the massive Apatosaurus. which is estimated to have been 76 feet in overall length, weighing 3042 tons.

The Bible makes twenty-Five references to a creature called a "tannin" which can be translated "dragon." They are said to have made wailing sounds (Micah 1:8) and "snuffed up the wind" (Jeremiah 14:6) and had poisonous fangs (Deuteronomy 32:33). These incredible animals are introduced in Genesis 1:21 in the Bible's first reference to the creation of animals. "And God created great dragons, and every living creature that moveth..."

The reason translators chose to use the word "whale" or "sea monster" is because modern man has never seen a creature that fits the above description. Also, evolutionists have convinced many people that dinosaurs died out 70 million years before man appeared on the earth.

To try to ignore or explain away the record of dinosaurs in the Bible is not necessary. Not only that, the enormity of the dinosaur and his titan strength are testimonies to the power of Creator God. He intended them to be just that. Anything less is a disservice to our Creator, and damaging to true scientific discovery.