The Bible Nerd

Bible Urban Legend #4:  there are dinosaurs in the Bible.  I have to confess that this is one Bible nerd question that I love.  Mainly, because I grew up fascinated by dinosaurs.  Every Sunday after church, we would go to my grandmothers to eat lunch.  I rushed through my meal, because I knew that the Godzilla movie would start right at 1 p.m.  My most repeated nightmare as a kid was being chased by a dinosaur.  I have seen Jurassic Park waaaaayyy too many times, as we used it for a demo dvd when I worked at a television store (Circuit City if you must know, which will not go down as a highlight experience of my life…).  Some actually ask this question from a serious standpoint, as they are trying to think through how their faith and Christianity go together with science.  Science has proven that dinosaurs existed, and it would seem if Genesis starts with creation, then dinosaurs should be in the Bible somewhere, right?

The classic Scripture claimed to be talking about dinosaurs is Job 40:15-24.  Job is full of poetry and imagery, and the context of this chapter is that God finally answers Job’s complaints about his suffering.  God’s answer really isn’t the answer Job is wanting, but God challenges Job’s ability and right to question God’s plan and will.  He does so by asking Job where he was when God created the world, including a creature called in verse 15 “Behemoth”.  Most translations will confess that Hebrews scholars are unsure of what this large animal actually was.  The description of being a “grass eater” with a strength and a “stiff tail” could fit some of the dinosaurs scientists have discovered, but it could also fit an elephant or a hippopotamus.  In verse 19, it says it was “the first of God’s works” leading some to see a dinosaur, but again, the evidence is not conclusive.

There are two other Old Testaments creatures said to be dinosaurs.  One is often translated as “dragon” or “serpent”, and the other is the “leviathan”.  In Job 41:1, the “leviathan” is described as a strong creature, but could easily be talking about a number of different animals, including the crocodile.  The Isaiah 27:1 reference puts them together as “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.”  Using synonymous paralellism of Hebrew poetry, it would seem that these three creatures are one in the same.  But does this verse show a dinosaur?  We need to remember that the Bible’s poetry uses common symbols and pictures from the original reader’s day and age.  Ancient mythology used several creatures to symbolize evil, such as dragons, “leviathan”, and a creature called “Rahab” in Isaiah 30:7, Job 26:12, and Psalm 89:10 .  The sea was a symbol of chaos and evil because of the unknowns associated with it.  When God destroys these creatures, He is destroying evil, not a T-Rex.

If we start saying that dragons and leviathans are actually dinosaurs, and not mythic creatures, where do we stop?  How about gryphons?  Some would say that these mythic creatures were based on dinosaurs, and while that may be true, it still wouldn’t be evidence of dinosaurs in the Bible.  We are challenged with bringing our faith together with science, but we can’t allow that process to try to force dinosaurs into the Bible!  Were there dinosaurs on the ark?  were dinosaurs nice to Adam and Eve before the fall, and then they had to hide from them afterward?  Good questions, but remember that the Bible is NOT a book of science.  That doesn’t mean that the Bible doesn’t contain scientific truth, but it is NOT the main goal of the Bible.  The Bible’s main goal is to help us to know God, understand His plan of redemption through Jesus, and how to make this world a better place until Jesus returns.

There are some great resources out there like “The Genesis Question” by Hugh Ross, or if you happen to be in Ohio, there is a well done Creation Museum you can visit with dinosaur exhibits and information.  Theories range from dinosaurs on the ark to dinosaurs living and dying out before man is even created.  The reality we face is that in science, there is insufficient evidence to fully know when the dinosaurs lived and why they became extinct.  We may not have dinosaurs in the Bible, but we do know that God created EVERYTHING (Genesis 1 -2), and it was all “good” and that would include dinosaurs.  God must have felt that was enough information for us to lead godly lives today, so we have to trust that.  Bible Urban Legend #4-  weak on evidence, so we must put in the “interesting only” category.  Coming up next, Bible Urban Legend #3- Cain married his sister (yuck!).  It keeps getting better.

I know you don’t have a “P.S.” in a blog, but that is where this comment belongs.  My own personal theory about dinosaurs is that they were in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  In fact, I think Satan possessed one of them to talk to man, and that the “serpent” of Genesis 3 was some type of dinosaur.  When God judged the “serpent” in Genesis 3, He made the serpent go on it’s belly in the dust from then on, implying that it walked upright before this time.  So, because Satan used a dinosaur, the whole species was changed by the curse into reptiles that we know today as snakes, crocodiles, etc…  That is also why the term “dragon” is equated with Satan and the “serpent” in Revelation 12 and 20.  You are wondering right now, “is Sean serious about this whole theory???”  Another good question.