What does the Bible say about dinosaurs?
Ask someone whether dinosaurs are in the Bible, and you’re likely to get a puzzled look—or maybe a debate. The truth is, the Bible doesn’t use the word dinosaur at all. That’s because the word itself wasn’t coined until the 19th century—long after the Bible was written. But just because the Bible doesn’t use modern terminology doesn’t mean it’s silent on the subject.
Instead, the Bible offers ancient language and imagery to describe creatures that, to us, sound strangely similar to what we might now call dinosaurs or massive prehistoric beasts. But here’s the thing: these creatures show up in a theological framework, not a scientific one. The goal isn’t to describe fossils or species charts—it’s to reveal something about God, creation, and cosmic order.
So what do we make of creatures like Leviathan, Behemoth, Rahab, and the Tannin? And do they have anything to do with the creatures we’ve dug up in the deserts and museums of our world?
Creatures of Chaos and the Power of God
Let’s start with the Leviathan. It’s one of the most mysterious and dramatic creatures mentioned in the Bible. Job 41 devotes an entire chapter to describing it: “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?” God asks Job. The creature is described as having tightly sealed scales, a terrifying roar, and even the ability to breathe fire: “Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth” (Job 41:19). This is no ordinary animal. Whether you read this as a poetic reference or a literal beast, the point is clear—this creature is beyond human control. Only God can tame it.
Then there’s Behemoth, found in Job 40. It’s described as “the first of the works of God,” with strength in its loins, bones like bronze, and a tail that “moves like a cedar.” Some commentators have suggested this could be a poetic description of a real animal like a hippopotamus or even a sauropod dinosaur. Others read it symbolically, representing untamable earthly strength under God’s sovereign hand.
In Psalm 74:13–14, God is praised for breaking the heads of the sea monsters and crushing the heads of Leviathan, giving it as food to the wilderness. Again, this is not about cataloging species. It’s about cosmic authority. In the ancient Near East, sea monsters often symbolized chaos and opposition to divine order. The Bible takes that imagery and flips it: Yahweh is not threatened by chaos—He crushes it.
We also encounter the term Tannin (plural Tanninim) in several places, translated as “dragons,” “sea monsters,” or “serpents.” Isaiah 27:1 speaks of God punishing “Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.” And Isaiah 51:9 alludes to Rahab, another chaos monster subdued by God’s power. These aren’t just cool mythological references—they’re theological tools used by the prophets and poets to speak about spiritual realities, cosmic struggle, and God’s ultimate control.
Are These Dinosaurs?
Now, let’s address the question directly: Are these biblical descriptions of actual dinosaurs?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Some young earth creationists argue that creatures like Behemoth and Leviathan are, in fact, descriptions of dinosaurs that lived alongside humans, based on a literal reading of the Genesis timeline. They suggest that the flood in Noah’s day may have contributed to the extinction of many such creatures, and that fossil evidence supports this timeline when interpreted through a biblical worldview.
Others argue that these creatures are symbolic, drawing on common ancient imagery to express theological truths. According to this view, the Leviathan isn't a real sea serpent but a metaphor for chaos, evil, or even Satan himself—especially given its usage in apocalyptic texts like Revelation, where the dragon imagery reappears (Revelation 12:9; 20:2).
Both views recognize that the Bible isn’t attempting to offer a scientific taxonomy. It’s speaking in the language of ancient poetry and prophecy, using creatures real or imagined to show God’s greatness. So while we can’t say definitively that the Bible describes dinosaurs as modern paleontology defines them, we can say that the ancient writers were well aware of immense, terrifying, and wondrous creatures—and they consistently placed those creatures under God’s rule.
The Supernatural and the Natural Intertwined
One of the most important insights here is that the ancient worldview of the Bible didn’t neatly separate the “natural” and “supernatural” the way modern science tends to. To the biblical authors, giant creatures, spiritual beings, and forces of nature were all woven into one fabric of reality. God was over it all.
So when the Bible talks about Leviathan or Rahab, it’s not just describing a zoological specimen. It’s often talking about something deeper—forces of rebellion, symbols of death and judgment, or even eschatological enemies of God that will be destroyed in the final days.
This theological perspective helps us understand why the Bible includes these creatures at all. They’re not distractions from the main story—they’re part of it. They show that nothing, not even the scariest or most ancient thing you can imagine, is beyond God’s power. In fact, Revelation tells us that the ultimate dragon—Satan himself—will be cast down forever (Revelation 20:2–3). It’s not hard to see how the Leviathan and dragon motifs build toward that climactic vision.
What Dinosaurs Teach Us About Creation
Even if dinosaurs aren't named explicitly in the Bible, they still raise questions that can deepen our theological understanding. For example: What does the existence of these massive, now-extinct creatures say about God as Creator?
For one, they point to God’s creativity and grandeur. Dinosaurs are awe-inspiring in their design, scale, and diversity. Whether you believe they lived millions of years ago or walked alongside humans, they testify to the wonder of creation. Psalm 104:24 says, “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all.” That includes creatures we’ve never seen and may never fully understand.
Second, their extinction reminds us of the brokenness of creation. Romans 8 says that creation is groaning, subject to futility because of human sin. Dinosaurs may be part of that story—creatures affected by a world that now bears the scars of the fall. And in that light, they also remind us of hope. The new creation promised in Scripture is not just spiritual—it’s cosmic. One day, God will renew all things (Revelation 21:5), including the natural world.
Why the Bible Isn’t a Science Textbook
It’s worth remembering that the Bible wasn’t written to answer every scientific question. Its purpose isn’t to tell us how many species existed or exactly how long ago they lived. The Bible is the story of God’s redemptive work in history, centered on Christ, and aimed at reconciling a fallen world.
That doesn’t mean science and faith are opposed. In fact, many Christians see scientific discovery—including the study of fossils—as a way of glorifying God. But it does mean we approach Scripture with the right expectations. It tells us who made the dinosaurs, even if it doesn’t tell us everything about how or when.
What Dinosaurs Teach Us About the Gospel
Oddly enough, even dinosaurs can point us toward the Gospel. Their massive bones remind us that we’re small. Their extinction reminds us that death is real. Their mystery reminds us that creation is vast and often beyond our comprehension. But the Bible says that in Christ, all things—visible and invisible, past and future—are being reconciled (Colossians 1:16–20).
And that’s the real story. Not whether dinosaurs fit perfectly into our timelines, but whether we’ve grasped the Author’s intent. God reigns over the beasts of the earth and the monsters of the deep. And in Christ, even chaos is brought under His feet.
In that sense, the existence of creatures like Leviathan isn’t so far removed from issues like abortion, injustice, or war. All of them represent the struggle between order and disorder, life and death, creation and corruption. And all of them are answered, finally and fully, in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
Bible Verses about dinosaurs:
Job 40:15-18, "Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron."
Job 41:1,14-15, "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? … Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror. His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal."
Genesis 1:21, "So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."
Psalm 104:25-26, "Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it."
Isaiah 27:1, "In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea."
Genesis 1:24,"And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.' And it was so."
