When I became a Christian at the age of 19, the biblical worldview clashed heavily with my own worldview, which was formed by the public school system and all forms of media. One of my areas of struggle was dinosaurs, which I was taught had evolved over millions of years and died out long before humans came into existence. This, however, is a lie if we believe the Bible’s account of creation and our world.
Dinosaurs were created by God on day six of creation along with humans (Gen 1:24–27), meaning dinosaurs and humans coexisted and cohabitated (also see Job 40:13–41:34). The majority of dinosaurs died when God flooded the world (Gen 6:9–8:19), while the rest died out shortly after the flood.
This article will address three areas concerning dinosaurs: (1) their creation, (2) their coexistence and cohabitation with humans, and (3) their extinction, which will include their place in Noah’s ark (feel free to click on the hyperlink to jump to one of these three sections). It should also be noted that this article is treating what the Bible has to say on the issue of dinosaurs. I am not delving into the science. Others more knowledgeable than me have adequately addressed the scientific aspects of this topic.
God Created All Dinosaurs
The Bible is clear that all animals were created by God in his six-day creation (for why the six days of creation are 24-hour days, see my article here). Both Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 attest to this. Since dinosaurs are animals, they must have been created by God; they did not evolve. Further, the Bible attests that they were created at the same time as people. There are two key Scriptures that support the above assertions. Let’s look at both in turn.
“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. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
GENESIS 1:24–25, emphasis added
The first thing to note about Genesis 1:24–25 is that the creation of all animals is on the sixth day, which is the same day that God created people (Gen 1:24–31). God created flying animals and water animals on the fifth day (this would include water and sky dinosaurs; Gen 1:20–23).
Second, God begins the sixth day of creation with the command, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds” (1:24). The term “living creatures” (נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה) refers to all animals. This is a broad statement that declares God created every animal, which would include dinosaurs since they are animals.
Third, God distinguishes between different types of “living creatures” in creation. There is (1) “livestock” (בְּהֵמָה), which refers to cows, sheep, goats, etc., (2) “creeping things” (רֶמֶשׂ), which refers to bugs, rodents, lizards, snakes, etc., and (3) “beasts of the earth” (חַיְתוֹ־אֶרֶץ), which refers to all non-domesticated animals, such as bears, wolves, lions, and dinosaurs.
Fourth, Scripture is clear that every kind of “beast of the earth” was created by God when Moses (the author of Genesis) declares, “And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds” (Gen 1:25). The phrase “according to their kinds” clarifies beyond doubt that God made every kind of “beast of the earth” that has ever existed, which includes dinosaurs.
The second passage that supports God’s creation of all animals, including dinosaurs, is Genesis 2:19–20. Genesis 2:4–24 is a summary of Genesis 1 that focuses more intently on the creation of people, specifically Adam and Eve. Thus, it should be no surprise that Genesis 2 agrees with Genesis 1 in that God created all animals.
“Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”
GENESIS 2:19–20, emphasis added
The first sentence of Genesis 2:19 (that says God formed “every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens”) is a merism that means God created every creature other than man. A merism is a figure of speech that uses two extremes to refer those extremes and everything in between. When Genesis 2:19 says that God formed “every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens,” it means he created (1) everything up there, (2) everything down here, (3) and everything in between (i.e., all animals).
When God then brings the animals to Adam to name, he first refers to them all as “every living creature” (נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה) (Gen 2:19), which in Hebrew is the exact same term for “living creatures” in Genesis 1:24 that refers to all animals. Then, Genesis 2:20 divides the animals into three groups: (1) livestock, referring to cows, sheep, goats, etc., (2) birds, and (3) “every beast of the field,” which like Genesis 1:24–25 refers to all non-domesticated animals, such as bears, wolves, lions, and dinosaurs.
Thus, it can be concluded that the Bible clearly teaches that God created all animals. If dinosaurs are animals, which they are, then the Bible clearly teaches that God created all dinosaurs. Not only did he create them, but he created them in the same 24-hour day that he created people, which leads us to our second topic—dinosaur coexistence and cohabitation with humans.
Dinosaurs Coexisted and Cohabited with People
If God created dinosaurs on the same day as people (the sixth day of creation), then people and dinosaurs coexisted and cohabited. One would, then, expect some evidence of the cohabitation of people with dinosaurs. As mentioned above, I am only interacting with the biblical text. When reading the Bible, it is important to note that the main point of the Bible is to reveal God and his work in salvation history. The Bible is not concerned with dinosaurs. Further, there are many animals that we know exist that the Bible does not mention. With that caveat, are there any indications in the Bible that dinosaurs and humans coexisted and cohabited? Yes.
The term “dinosaur” or anything resembling the term does not appear in the Bible. This should not surprise us because the Bible isn’t about dinosaurs. The best evidence for dinosaurs and their cohabitation with people in the Bible is Job 40:13–41:34. It should not surprise us that dinosaurs may be mentioned in the book of Job because Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible to be written with some claiming it is the oldest book of the Bible to be written, even before Moses wrote the Pentateuch.
Throughout the book of Job, the man Job complains to God that he does not deserve the hardships that have come upon him. He pleads with God to have an audience with God so that he (Job) can present his case of innocence to God. In Job 38:1, God finally reveals himself to Job. Throughout Job 38:1–41:34, God tells Job how much greater, smarter, and mightier He is than Job, including that He created the mightiest of animals and controls them, whereas Job cannot even influence one mighty animal. It is here that we are introduced to two animals that do not fit the description of any modern animal: Behemoth (Job 40:15–24) and Leviathan (41:1–34). It has been argued that these two creatures resemble dinosaurs and is biblical evidence of their coexistence and cohabitation with people. Let’s look at each in turn.
Behemoth: A Sauropod?
The description of Behemoth (בְּהֵמוֹת), which is formed from the Hebrew word “Beast” (בְּהֵמָה) and is only found in Job 40, is described in Job 40:15–24:
“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. He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. Under the lotus plants he lies, in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh. For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with a snare?”
JOB 40:15–24, emphasis added
What kind of animal has large and long limbs with bones that are like tubes of bronze, is able to stand strong in turbulent waters, has a tail that is compared to a cedar tree, eats grass like an ox, and is not easily ensnared? Some have argued that Behemoth is a hippopotamus, but the description of the tail and the limbs do not match that of a hippopotamus. Some have argued that Behemoth is a crocodile, but the description of the limbs and eating grass does not match that of a crocodile. Some have argued that Behemoth is a mythological creature, but that does not make sense in context where God is proving to Job how great He (God) is. Talking about a make-believe creature does not prove God’s majesty, might, and intelligence; rather, God would be describing real creatures about which Job knew.
Some have argued that Behemoth is a dinosaur (P. J. Maarten, NIDOTTE, 2:780; H. M. Morris, The Remarkable Record of Job, 115-22).
I am inclined to agree that Behemoth describes a dinosaur. The description matches that of sauropodomorphs and sauropods, such as Barapasaurus, Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, Brontosaurus (which is now distinguished from Apatosaurus), Giraffatitan, Saltasaurus, Argentinosaurus, and others. These sauropodomorphs and sauropods were massive dinosaurs that walked on four pillar-like legs, ate grass and vegetation, and had tails that could stiffen like cedar trees.
Leviathan: A Plesiosauria or Squamata?
The creature that is described immediately after Behemoth is Leviathan. Leviathan is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament (Job 3:8; 41:1–34; Ps 74:14; 104:26; Is 27:1 [x2]).
The lengthiest description of Leviathan, however, is Job 41:1–34, which is the text we will look at first. I won’t quote all of Job 41:1–34 because it is too long to quote in full. However, I encourage you to read the entire passage yourself from your own Bible.
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? . . . Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! . . . No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me [God]? . . . I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. . . . 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. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. . . . When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves. Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee; for him, sling stones are turned to stubble. Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be white-haired. On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear.”
JOB 41:1–34, emphasis added
It should be obvious from a cursory reading that Leviathan is nothing like any modern animal. Leviathan is clearly a fierce sea creature with armour like plates and skin that surround the entire body so that it is nearly impossible to kill or capture. What is most interesting is that Leviathan is able to breathe fire, something we would akin to dragons. Thus, we can summarize Leviathan as a fire-breathing sea dragon.
Most critical scholars suggest that Leviathan is a mythological sea creature, unlike any ancient or modern animal. However, understanding Leviathan as a mythological sea creature undermines the purpose of mentioning him in Job, which is to showcase the might of God. God is not mighty in any respect if he creates and subdues a creature that does not exist or of which Job has never seen or heard. To maintain the integrity of Job 38–41, the creature must be a real creature.
Identifying Leviathan is a lot more difficult than identifying Behemoth. The description of Leviathan’s skin, armour, and fire-breathing abilities are not things one can discover from fossils.
The creature is certainly a large and powerful sea creature, which could lend itself to being some type of plesiosauria, squamata, or cetartiodactyla, such as a Kronosaurus, Elasmosaurus, Mosasaurus, Basilosaurus, or some other large sea dinosaur.
It is also probable that Leviathan is a creature whose remains have yet to be discovered.
Job 3:8, Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26, and Isaiah 27:1 add a few more details to Leviathan. Job 3:8 confirms that Leviathan is a menacing and fierce creature not to be approached or trifled with. Psalm 104:26 confirms that Leviathan is a sea creature. Isaiah 27:1 calls Leviathan a “sea dragon” or a “sea serpent,” depending on one’s translation of תַּנִּין. In Isaiah 27:1, God declares that he will punish and kill Leviathan, which seems to represent evil. Thus, Isaiah 27:1 has zoomorphized evil as Leviathan because of the ferociousness and wickedness of Leviathan, which aligns with its description in Job.
Psalm 74:14 is about the strength and power of God. In this verse, the Psalmist declares that God has “crushed the heads of Leviathan” and given him “as food for the creatures of the wilderness.” The mention of Leviathan having more than one head has given rise to the comparison with the Ugaritic seven-headed mythological creature also called Leviathan. In these myths, Leviathan represents the destructive force of the sea or the forces of chaos.
Psalm 74 was written well after Job and I would argue so were the Ugaritic texts that mention Leviathan as a seven-headed monster. It is probable, then, that the myth of the seven-headed monster who represents the destructiveness of the sea and chaos came from the actual Leviathan that Job mentions. Thus, Psalm 74:14 may be zoomorphizing the destructive forces of the sea or the forces that are opposed to God as Leviathan. That is, Psalm 74:14 may be using Leviathan to represent the destructive forces of the sea and saying that God has power over the sea and everything in it. Of course, it is also possible that Leviathan had more than one head. This should not be ruled out either. Due to the poetic nature of Psalm 74, I am inclined toward the former interpretation.
Based on God creating dinosaurs on the same day as people and God’s conversation with Job in Job 40:13–41:34, which most likely mentions two dinosaurs called Behemoth and Leviathan, the Bible presents dinosaurs as coexisting and cohabiting with people.
The Extinction of the Dinosaurs
If dinosaurs were created at the same time as people and if dinosaurs and humans cohabitated, then what happened to them since they are no longer alive? Thankfully, the Bible tells us how most of the dinosaurs died.
The majority of dinosaurs would have died in the worldwide flood (Gen 6:9–8:19). Because of the wickedness of mankind, God flooded the world killing all humans except Noah’s family and all animals except two of each kind:
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. . . . ‘For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.’”
GENESIS 6:5–8, 17, emphasis added
God commanded Noah to bring into the ark a male and female of every living creature.[1] This would have included the dinosaurs.
“And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.”
GENESIS 6:19–20
Thus, most of the dinosaurs would have been killed when God flooded the entire world.
But what happened to the dinosaurs that were taken into the ark and lived through the flood? How did they die out? Unfortunately, the Bible does not tell us and we must accept that fact. Two plausible answers have been put forward, however.
First, God graciously allowed the dinosaurs who made it through the ark to die out in order to protect humans, the pinnacle of his creation. Because of the size of dinosaurs and because sin changed some of them into violent creatures, God graciously allowed them to die to protect us.
Second, the environment drastically changed after the flood, resulting in unsuitable conditions for dinosaurs, such as atmospheric differences. The dinosaurs, then, died out because of this changed environment.
It is possible that both the above explanations are possible; to protect humans from dinosaurs, he changed the environment after the flood so that they would die off. For more information on the environmental change after the flood, see Answers in Genesis and Creation Ministries International.
Finally, a topic of concern for some is how all the different kinds of dinosaurs could have fit on the ark. The most logical explanation would have been that God took one pair from every group or subgroup. For example, there are many different types of Ankylosaur, such as Ankylosaurus, Gastonia, Edmontonia, and many more that are part of the subgroup Ankylosauridae.
Most dinosaurs part of the same group or subgroup and only one pair from each group would be needed.
Summary
Dinosaurs were created by God on day six of creation as Genesis 1–2 makes clear. They did not evolve. Because they were created on day six, which is the same day humans were created, dinosaurs coexisted and cohabitated with humans. Evidence of dinosaurs living at the same time as humans can be found in Job 40:13–41:34, which describes Behemoth, akin to a Sauropod, and Leviathan, akin to a Plesiosauria or Squamata. Finally, the majority of dinosaurs died when God flooded the world due to mankind’s wickedness (Gen 6:9–8:19). The Bible does not say what happened to the dinosaurs that walked off the ark. It has been suggested that God allowed them to die out shortly after the flood through environmental or atmospheric changes to protect humans.
For those wanting to know more about this topic and how science supports the biblical account of dinosaurs, their creation, and extinction, I recommend you check out Ken Ham’s Books:
- For Adults: The New Answers Book 1
- For those with small children: Dinosaurs for Little Kids: Where Did They Go?
- For those with older children (ages 8–12): Dinosaurs for Kids
[1] God also commanded Noah to bring in seven pairs of the clean animals and seven pairs of the birds (Gen 7:2–3). The reason for taking seven pairs of clean animals is because these are for eating and for sacrificing after the flood (see Gen 8:20–21 where Noah immediately offers a sacrifice of “every clean animal” and “every clean bird”). The necessity for taking multiple pairs of birds is stated in the text: “. . . seven pairs of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth” (Gen 7:3). Presumably, the birds had a greater chance of dying after leaving the ark, so multiple pairs were needed to ensure their survival.