Short answer: The Bible never uses the word "dinosaur," which was coined in the nineteenth century. But it does say God made every creature, and it describes enormous animals such as Behemoth and Leviathan in Job. Christians differ on how dinosaurs fit with Genesis, but nearly all agree that God made them, that they are no threat to the truth of Scripture, and that the question is not essential to salvation.
In This Article
It is one of the questions children ask first, and adults quietly wonder about too. Where were the dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden? Does their existence cast doubt on the Bible? Many believers have wondered whether these creatures had a place in the creation account, and what Scripture indirectly reveals about them.
People in the pews asked me this often enough that I want to lay out the main views fairly, say where I lean, and explain why I think we can be at peace either way.
Does The Bible Mention Dinosaurs?
Not by name. The English word "dinosaur" dates from the 1840s, so no translation of the Bible could contain it. The Bible's authors wrote in Hebrew and Greek, in worlds where nobody had dug up these fossils.
What the Bible does say is that God created every living creature, and called what he made good:
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25 (NIV)
So if dinosaurs existed, and the fossil evidence shows that they did, they were God's creatures too. Fossils show a diverse group, from animals the size of a chicken to giants. Their diet ranged from meat-eaters to plant-eaters, and some lived in water and others on land.
Many Christians have also asked how a world with predators fits with the Garden. Isaiah 11:6-7 pictures wolves and lambs, leopards and goats living in peace in the future kingdom, and some wonder whether the aggression we see in nature began after sin entered the world. Others note that the Bible speaks of God providing prey for lions (Psalm 104:21) and conclude that predation is not necessarily a result of sin. I raise both so you know that thoughtful believers differ.
What Are Behemoth And Leviathan?
Here the conversation gets interesting. Two creatures in the book of Job stand out. God speaks to Job out of the storm and says:
Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
Job 40:15 (NIV)
Some believers think Behemoth was a dinosaur, perhaps a long-necked plant-eater, because the description of a powerful tail and strong limbs sounds so large. Others argue that it describes a hippopotamus or an elephant, or that the poetry is deliberately larger than life. Both are possible readings, and the text itself does not name a species.
Then there is Leviathan. In Job 41 God describes an invincible sea creature that no weapon can hold and ends with the statement that nothing on earth is its equal. Leviathan also appears in the Psalms and in Isaiah:
There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
Psalm 104:26 (NIV)
Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.
Isaiah 27:1 (NIV)
Notice that in Isaiah the language is symbolic, a picture of evil that God will defeat. The Hebrew word tanniyn, which English Bibles render as sea monster, serpent or dragon, shows up many times in the Old Testament, in verses such as Psalm 74:13 and Jeremiah 14:6. Some read these as references to large reptilian animals. Others say the word covers a wide range, from literal snakes to symbolic monsters. I think the honest summary is this: the Bible describes real, mighty creatures and uses some as symbols, but it does not tell us which, if any, were what we call dinosaurs.
Did Humans And Dinosaurs Live Together?
This is the point where Christians really part ways, so let me set the views side by side.
| View | Earth's Age | Dinosaurs And People |
|---|---|---|
| Young earth | Thousands of years | Created in the same week and lived together; most died in or after the Flood |
| Old earth | Billions of years | Dinosaurs lived and died long before humans appeared |
| Evolutionary creation | Billions of years | Same timeline as science, with Genesis read as theological, not a scientific record |
Mainstream science dates the end of the non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago and finds no human remains from that age. Young-earth Christians read the genealogies and the days of Genesis more literally and explain the fossils through the Flood. The Bible does not give a date and does not tell us how old the earth is.
What About Adam?
Whatever one's timeline, Scripture teaches that Adam was the first man. Paul says so directly:
So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:45 (NIV)
So I would not accept the idea that another human race existed before Adam in the biblical story, and the gospel depends on the unity of the human family in Adam and Christ. See What Is Original Sin? for why that matters.
How Do Christians Reconcile Dinosaurs And Genesis?
My own leaning has been, and remains, that from a biblical perspective the most credible explanation for the end of the dinosaurs is the worldwide Flood of Genesis 6 and 7. Following the Flood, humans saw a decline in both lifespan and strength, and among the casualties of the deluge was a group of enormous animals. The Flood account is told in detail and is tied throughout Scripture to real history, which is why I take it plainly. For the symbolism in the number of days of rain, see What Does The Number 40 Mean In The Bible?
I hold that as my reading, not as the only faithful one. Here are the other major approaches, in brief:
- Day-age view: the days of Genesis 1 represent long periods, and dinosaurs lived in an earlier age of creation.
- Gap view: there is a long, unstated interval before the creation week or between verses, and the fossils belong there.
- Framework view: Genesis 1 arranges creation theologically and does not give a timetable.
Each tries to take both Scripture and the physical evidence seriously. Where you land will affect how you read Genesis 1, so it helps to know the habits of good Bible reading. How To Understand The Bible offers a simple way to weigh genre and context. Most of all, avoid treating those who differ as unbelievers; many faithful teachers have held each of these views.
Does It Matter For Faith?
Not for salvation. No one is saved by holding the right view of dinosaurs, and no one is lost for holding a different one. What matters is who made the world, who rules it, and what he has done in Christ. The absence of the word "dinosaur" in the Bible does not shrink the wonder of creation, and the existence of these animals does not threaten the Bible.
If anything, they add to the wonder. Fossils of vast creatures remind us that creation is bigger and stranger than we imagine, and that God delights in it. The psalmist put it simply:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1 (NIV)
What does matter is that we do not make this a test of fellowship, and that we do not use science as a weapon against the faith or Scripture as a weapon against science. Animals of every kind, including the dogs we love, belong to the creation God called good; see What The Bible Says And Teaches Us About Dogs. And creation, with its beauty and death, points us to our need of a Redeemer, as I explain in What Is Sin?
Key Bible Verses About Creatures And Creation
- Genesis 1:25: God made every kind of animal and called it good.
- Genesis 1:31: all that God made was very good.
- Job 40:15: Behemoth, a creature God made along with Job.
- Job 41:33: nothing on earth is equal to Leviathan.
- Psalm 104:26: Leviathan formed by God to play in the sea.
- Isaiah 11:6-7: predators and prey at peace in the coming kingdom.
- Psalm 19:1: the heavens declare God's glory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Bible talk about other planets?
Not in any direct way. Scripture speaks of the heavens and the stars as God's handiwork but says nothing about life or worlds elsewhere. The Bible's focus is God, humanity and redemption, so anything more is speculation. I touch on the heavens in How Many Heavens Are There According To The Bible?
How long ago did dinosaurs go extinct?
Mainstream science places the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago. Some Christians accept that date and read Genesis accordingly. Others, who hold to a young earth, place dinosaurs within the thousands of years of biblical chronology and connect their end to the Flood. The Bible itself gives no date.
Did humans and dinosaurs coexist?
It depends on the view. Young-earth Christians say yes, since God made land animals and humans within the same creation week. Old-earth Christians and mainstream science say no, because the fossil record puts a vast span of time between them. Scripture does not settle it with a direct statement.
Were dinosaurs before Adam and Eve?
On an old-earth reading, yes, they lived long before humans. On a young-earth reading, they were created on the sixth day before Adam, or on the sixth day alongside him, and are part of the same week. Either way, Adam is the first human being, as Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 15:45.
Was there a human race before Adam?
Scripture presents Adam as the first man and Eve as the mother of all the living. Paul builds on that in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. Some Christians accept an older timeline for the earth but still insist Adam and Eve were real, first, and distinct. See What Is Original Sin?
