Are there any mention of dinosaurs in the Bible?

Question

If not, how come, when they were created first, and roamed the earth for hundreds of thousand of years longer than us?

I'm not ctitisizing the Bible, I'm just curious.

Answer 1

The topic of dinosaurs in the Bible is part of a larger ongoing debate within the Christian community over the age of the earth, the proper interpretation of Genesis, and how to interpret the physical evidences we find all around us. Those who believe in an older age for the earth tend to agree that the Bible does not mention dinosaurs, because according to their paradigm, dinosaurs died out millions of years before the first man ever walked the earth. The men who wrote the Bible down couldn’t have seen dinosaurs alive.



Those who believe in a younger age for the earth tend to agree that the Bible does mention dinosaurs though it never actually uses the word “dinosaur.” Instead, it uses the Hebrew word tanniyn (pronounced tan-neen; Strong’s #08577). Tanniyn is translated a few different ways in our English Bibles; sometimes it’s “sea monster,” sometimes it’s “serpent.” It is most commonly translated “dragon.” The tanniyn appear to have been some sort of giant reptile. These creatures are mentioned nearly thirty times in the Old Testament and are found both on land and in the water.



In addition to mentioning these giant reptiles in general nearly thirty times throughout the Old Testament, the Bible describes a couple of creatures in such a way that some scholars believe the writers may have been describing dinosaurs. Behemoth is said to be the mightiest of all God’s creatures, a giant whose tail is likened to a cedar tree (Job 40:15ff). Some scholars have tried to identify Behemoth as either an elephant or a hippopotamus. Others point out that elephants and hippopotamuses have very thin tails, nothing comparable to a cedar tree. Dinosaurs like the Brachiosaurus and the Diplodocus on the other had huge tails which one could easily compare to a cedar tree.



Nearly every ancient civilization has some sort of art depicting giant reptilian creatures. Petroglyphs, artifacts and even little clay figurines found in North America resemble modern depictions of dinosaurs. Rock carvings in South America depict men riding Diplodocus-like creatures and, amazingly, bear the familiar images of Triceratops-, Pterodactyl- and Tyrannosaurus Rex-like creatures. Roman mosaics, Mayan pottery and Babylonian city walls all testify to man’s trans-cultural, geographically-unbounded fascination with these creatures. Sober accounts like those of Marco Polo’s Il Milione mingle with fantastic tales of treasure-hoarding beasts. Modern day reports of sightings persist though they are usually treated with overwhelming skepticism.



In addition to the substantial amount of anthropic and historical evidences for the coexistence of dinosaur and man, there are other physical evidences, like the fossilized footprints of humans and dinosaurs found together at places in North America and West-Central Asia.



So, are there dinosaurs in the Bible? The matter is far from settled. It depends on how you interpret the available evidences and how you view the world around you. Here at GotQuestions.org we believe in a young earth interpretation and accept that dinosaurs and man coexisted. We believe that dinosaurs died out sometime after the Flood due to a combination of dramatic environmental shifts and the fact that they were relentlessly hunted to extinction by man.

Answer 2

The topic of dinosaurs in the Bible is part of a larger ongoing debate within the Christian community over the age of the earth, the proper interpretation of Genesis, and how to interpret the physical evidences we find all around us. Those who believe in an older age for the earth tend to agree that the Bible does not mention dinosaurs, because, according to their paradigm, dinosaurs died out millions of years before the first man ever walked the earth. The men who wrote the Bible could not have seen living dinosaurs.

Those who believe in a younger age for the earth tend to agree that the Bible does mention dinosaurs, though it never actually uses the word “dinosaur.” Instead, it uses the Hebrew word tanniyn, which is translated a few different ways in our English Bibles. Sometimes it’s “sea monster,” and sometimes it’s “serpent.” It is most commonly translated “dragon.” The tanniyn appear to have been some sort of giant reptile. These creatures are mentioned nearly thirty times in the Old Testament and were found both on land and in the water.

In addition to mentioning these giant reptiles, the Bible describes a couple of creatures in such a way that some scholars believe the writers may have been describing dinosaurs. The behemoth is said to be the mightiest of all God’s creatures, a giant whose tail is likened to a cedar tree (Job 40:15). Some scholars have tried to identify the behemoth as either an elephant or a hippopotamus. Others point out that elephants and hippopotamuses have very thin tails, nothing comparable to a cedar tree. Dinosaurs like the brachiosaurus and the diplodocus, on the other hand, had huge tails which could easily be compared to a cedar tree.

Nearly every ancient civilization has some sort of art depicting giant reptilian creatures. Petroglyphs, artifacts, and even little clay figurines found in North America resemble modern depictions of dinosaurs. Rock carvings in South America depict men riding diplodocus-like creatures and, amazingly, bear the familiar images of triceratops-like, pterodactyl-like, and tyrannosaurus rex-like creatures. Roman mosaics, Mayan pottery, and Babylonian city walls all testify to man’s trans-cultural, geographically unbounded fascination with these creatures. Sober accounts like those of Marco Polo’s Il Milione mingle with fantastic tales of treasure-hoarding beasts. In addition to the substantial amount of anthropic and historical evidences for the coexistence of dinosaurs and man, there are physical evidences, like the fossilized footprints of humans and dinosaurs found together at places in North America and West-Central Asia.

So, are there dinosaurs in the Bible? The matter is far from settled. It depends on how you interpret the available evidences and how you view the world around you. If the Bible is interpreted literally, a young earth interpretation will result, and the idea that dinosaurs and man coexisted can be accepted. If dinosaurs and human beings coexisted, what happened to the dinosaurs? While the Bible does not discuss the issue, dinosaurs likely died out sometime after the flood due to a combination of dramatic environmental shifts and the fact that they were relentlessly hunted to extinction by man.



Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/dinosaurs-Bible.html#ixzz3YG97M0dE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpNloRrJoKw

Answer 3

No behemot is an hipopotamus

The designation “Behemoth,” appearing at Job 40:15, has been variously viewed as (1) a derivative of an Egyptian word for “water ox,” (2) a word possibly of Assyrian origin meaning “monster,” and (3) an intensified plural of the Hebrew word behe•mah' (beast; domestic animal) that is understood to denote “great beast” or “huge beast.” In the Greek Septuagint the word the•ri'a (wild beasts) translates the Hebrew behe•mohth'. Evidently, though, a single animal is meant, as is indicated by the fact that the description given of Behemoth is not that of several creatures but of only one, generally considered to be the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). In fact, a number of Bible translations (AT, La, Ro, NW, JB, RS) use the word “hippopotamus” in the main text or in footnotes to identify the creature referred to by God.

Answer 4

Take a look at Job 40:15, "Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox."

Look carefully at the sentence, ...which I made along with you... I would beleive that we were all created and placed in the garden of eden. It was Adam's job to name all the animals, Genesis 2:20. Be careful of what is taught to you and test it to make sure it is true. You have a computer, so if you have more questions try www.equip.org

Answer 5

No. However, there are some books of the Bible taken out, and lost or destroyed. After Christianity became more organized, if preists thought something wasn't important, they took it out, and the answer to that is in those missing documents. The Bible didn't start at 66 books. It was alot more than that.

Answer 6

I would assume that the Leviathan detailed in Job was a dinosaur...

To answer your "why not"; simply because it wouldn't have been relevant, or to put it another way, if I wrote my auto-biography over the next 6 months, I might mention my pets, but would I list every animal in existance?. And who says they were here for thousands of years longer than us? Please, oh please, do not tell me you are relying on radio-carbon and then criticising anyone who believes the Bible...

Answer 7

without an answer from the Source you may never know.

"who are you oh man that you may question the mighty works of the Living God."
paraphrased of course.

there is a mention of a mighty beast known only as the "Leviathan" no hook could catch him no net could snare him, he scoffed at the spear, arrow & sword.
in Job.
Job 41:1 -, verses 10, 12, 17, 18 , 25

Answer 8

In Genesis, the waters brought forth the great sea creatures/ dragons. In Job, there is the behemoth with a tail like a cedar tree who drinks a lot of water. And a fire breathing water dragon (leviathon).

Answer 9

Job (a book in the Old Testament) describes a big animal which many think may be a dinosaur.

Check out www.answersingenisis.org.

Answer 10

In Job, it talks about "behemoths" with "tails like a cedar tree" and other descriptions.

"Behold now, [a]Behemoth, which (R)I made as well as you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16"Behold now, his strength in his loins
And his power in the muscles of his belly.
17"He bends his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18"His bones are tubes of bronze;
His limbs are like bars of iron.
19"He is the (S)first of the ways of God;
Let his (T)maker bring near his sword.
20"Surely the mountains (U)bring him food,
And all the beasts of the field (V)play there.
21"Under the lotus plants he lies down,
In the covert of the reeds and the marsh.
22"The lotus plants cover him with shade;
The willows of the brook surround him.
23"If a river rages, he is not alarmed;
He is confident, though the (W)Jordan rushes to his mouth.
24"Can anyone capture him when he is on watch,
With barbs can anyone pierce his nose?