What does the Bible say on dinosaurs?

What does the Bible say on dinosaurs?


What do Christian theologians and scientists say on the subject? Know more!

Dinosaurs have always aroused charm. They are giants of the past that populate films, books, museums and imagination of adults and children. But for those who are curious of spirituality and history, a doubt arises: the Bible mentions the dinosaurs?




Although the word “dinosaur” does not appear in the scriptures – after all, the term was created only in the nineteenth century – there are passages that speak of gigantic, powerful and often frightening creatures, such as the Behemote and the Leviathan. Are they just metaphors or old descriptions of extinct animals?

Beemote (Job 40: 15-24)

One of the most curious relationships appears in the book of Job 40: 15-24Where God It presents, work, a creature called Beemote. “Here’s now, beemote […] Move the tail like a cedar […] Your bones are like bronze pipes “He says the passage. According to the text, the creature was grassy and extremely strong.

Some scholars believe it is a dinosaur sauropode, like the Brachiosaur – For its giant dimensions and the long tail. Others associate Beemote with a hippopotamus or an elephant. But these animals do not have a tail similar to a tree. The discussion, therefore, follows.

Leviathan (Psalm 104: 26 and Isaiah 27: 1)

Another being that raises debates is the Leviathandescribed in work chapters 41, in Psalms 104: 26 AND Isaiah 27: 1. The text speaks of a terrifying marine creature that spits the fire and has impenetrable stairs. It is seen as a symbol of chaos and the strength of evil, but some associate with a giant marine reptile (like crocodiles).

What does Christian theology say?

Opinions are divided into different lines of thought. The most conservative line believes that the dinosaurs have been raised the sixth day, together with other terrestrial animals (Genesis 1: 24-25), and possibly extinct after the deluge of Noahdue to changes in the environment and ecosystem.

The Christian scientific line, on the other hand, interprets creation in a more symbolic way, accepting the existence of dinosaurs long before the human being and seeing the Bible as a spiritual work – and not necessarily a literal documentation of all species.

In both views, there is room to consider that the creatures mentioned in the Bible reflect the mystery and the grandeur of creation, even if they are not exactly the dinosaurs we know through modern science.

Faith, history and imagination

Although we cannot say with certainty if Beermote, Leviatano or other biblical creatures were dinosaurs, these descriptions arouse our imagination and connect with us with a time when human beings observed nature with reverence and spell. After all, the Bible is full of beings who, even millennia later, make us look at the past with curious eyes and open heart.

Source: Terra

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