The word “dinosaur” was invented in the 1800’s by Sir Richard Owen, a British anatomist, from two Greek words, deino and sauros, meaning “terrible lizard”.  So the word “dinosaur” will not be found in any Bible translations prior to the 1800’s. 

However, the King James Version uses the word “dragon” or “dragons” in the Old Testament about 20 times.  Sometimes “dragon” is translated from the Hebrew tanniyn which means dragon, serpent, sea monster, whale.  And sometimes “dragon” is translated from the Hebrew tannah which means dragon, jackal, sea monster.  Most modern translations avoid translating tanniyn and tannah as dragon.  It’s possible that tanniyn and tannah could refer to dinosaurs, but it’s not obvious.

There are, however, two incredible creatures which the Bible describes that are like dinosaurs.  The first is behemoth, Job 40:15-24 and the second leviathan, Job 41:1-34.  Let’s consider the context before looking at the details.  In Job 38 God asks Job a series of questions about His creation concerning how things were made and work.  Initially the questions relate to the heavens and the earth and its weather, but later move on to various animals of which Job was clearly aware.  God’s interrogation of Job follows the pattern of asking Job to consider a particular part of creation and then asking him if he can explain how it works.  The list of animals includes behemoth and leviathan.  Clearly, for this questioning to be effective, Job must have seen or at least known of these creatures.  Indeed, at no stage does Job indicate he is not aware of any of the things God asks him to consider.

Let’s look at behemoth first.

Job 40:15  “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.

God made behemoth along with Job, that is God made both man and behemoth at the same time (which was day six of creation). 

Job 40:16  See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles.
Job 40:17  He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.

His tail is as big as cedar tree, like sauropod dinosaurs.

Job 40:18  His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.

His bones are a large as beams in a house, like sauropod dinosaurs.  He is a big creature.

Job 40:19  He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
Job 40:20  Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there.
Job 40:21  He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh.
Job 40:22  The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him.
Job 40:23  Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
Job 40:24  Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare.

He is a huge creature that lives near fresh water.  The description of behemoth fits that of a sauropod dinosaur.

Let’s look at leviathan next.

Job 41:1  “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?
Job 41:2  Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook?

Leviathan was a large sea creature; too large to catch with a hook.

Job 41:3  Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you?
Job 41:4  Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever?
Job 41:5  Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens?

He cannot be tamed.

Job 41:6  Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants?
Job 41:7  Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears?
Job 41:8  Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle— Never do it again!
Job 41:9  Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him?

Leviathan was such a large are ferocious creature that he could not be slaughtered.

Job 41:10  No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me?
Job 41:11  Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

If no one can stand against leviathan, then no one can stand against His creator.

Job 41:12  “I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions.
Job 41:13  Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle?

Leviathan is a very powerful creature that cannot be tamed.

Job 41:14  Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around?

He has rows of sharp teeth.

Job 41:15  His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal;
Job 41:16  One is so near another That no air can come between them;
Job 41:17  They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted.

He has protective scales tightly knitted together.

Job 41:18  His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
Job 41:19  Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out.
Job 41:20  Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
Job 41:21  His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth.

He breathes smoke from his nostrils and fire from his mouth.  Leviathan is a fire breathing monster.

Job 41:22  Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him.
Job 41:23  The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved.
Job 41:24  His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone.
Job 41:25  When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.

He is a terrifying creature.

Job 41:26  Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.
Job 41:27  He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood.
Job 41:28  The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him.
Job 41:29  Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins.
Job 41:30  His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire.

Swords, spears, arrows, javelins, slingshots don’t hurt him.

Job 41:31  He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
Job 41:32  He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair.

He leaves a wake in the sea.

Job 41:33  On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear.
Job 41:34  He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride.”

He is fearless.

Leviathan was a fearsome fire-breathing sea monster.  So ferocious he could not be tamed; so strong and well protected he could not be harmed.  The description of leviathan fits that of a plesiosaur, possibly kronosaurus, an extinct marine reptile, that measured over 42 feet in length and its head was 9 feet long with sharp teeth.  

Behemoth and leviathan were two real creatures whose descriptions match those of a dinosaur and a “pre-historic” sea creature.  These two creatures lived at the same time as men lived on the earth.  They were created in creation week.  God specifically said that he made behemoth “along with you (Job)” (Job 40:15).  God made land animals on the 6^th day of creation, the same day that he made Adam and Eve.  God made sea creatures, which included leviathan, on the 5^th day of creation.

If behemoth is not a dinosaur, and leviathan not a marine counterpart, then what are they?

Some people teach that God created dinosaurs millions of years ago, and then were wiped out by a Satanic rebellion, after which God then re-created the surface of the earth.  For a detailed discussion of this teaching, and why is has no Biblical basis, see, “How old is the earth?”