Everything You Wanted to Know About Dinosaurs and the Bible

​The existence of dinosaurs is a subject of fascination and wonder for many people, both young and old. The Bible, as a religious text that holds significant importance for millions of people around the world, has been the subject of much debate and discussion when it comes to the question of how dinosaurs could have existed.

​Some people believe that the Bible and the existence of dinosaurs are incompatible, while others believe that the Bible can provide insight into the existence of these prehistoric creatures. In this article, we will explore how dinosaurs could have existed in terms of the Bible.

​This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.

Were Dinosaurs Mentioned in the Bible?

It is important to understand the biblical account of creation as described in the book of Genesis. According to Genesis, God created the world and everything in it in six days. On the sixth day, God created all land animals, including dinosaurs.

​Genesis 1:24-25 states, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good."

​From this passage, it is clear that God created all land animals, including dinosaurs, on the sixth day of creation. The Bible does not specifically mention dinosaurs, but it does describe "beasts of the earth" and "everything that creeps upon the ground," which could be interpreted to include dinosaurs.

​It is also important to note that the Hebrew word for "beasts" used in Genesis is "chayyah," which is a general term that can refer to any land animal.

The Bible does provide some descriptions of creatures that could potentially be interpreted as dinosaurs. For example, in the book of Job, there is a description of a creature called "behemoth" that has been interpreted by some scholars as a dinosaur.

​Job 40:15-19 states, "Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron."

​This description matches some of the physical characteristics of a dinosaur, such as its large size, herbivorous diet, and powerful tail.

​The book of Psalms also contains a description of a creature called "leviathan" that some scholars interpret as a dinosaur. Psalm 104:25-26 states, "So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein."

​The description of the leviathan as a creature of the sea does not necessarily fit with our modern understanding of dinosaurs as land animals, but some scholars have suggested that it could be a reference to a marine reptile such as a plesiosaur.

It is worth noting that the Bible is not a comprehensive scientific textbook. Its primary purpose is to convey spiritual and moral truths, rather than to provide a detailed account of the physical world. As such, it is not surprising that the Bible does not contain detailed descriptions of dinosaurs or other extinct creatures. However, the fact that the Bible does not explicitly mention dinosaurs does not necessarily mean that they did not exist.

​Another point to consider is that the Bible does not provide a strict timeline for the creation of the world and the creatures in it. The six-day creation account in Genesis could be interpreted as a metaphorical or symbolic description ​of God's creative work rather than a literal timeline. Additionally, the Bible does not provide a definitive answer to the age of the earth, which has been the subject of much debate among scientists and religious scholars.

This book, "In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation", contains the testimonies of fifty doctorally-educated men and women who believe based on the evidence of a literal six-day creation by the evidence.

Dinosaurs and the Ark

​Some Christians who believe in the existence of dinosaurs and the accuracy of the Bible interpret the fossil record as evidence of a catastrophic global flood, such as the one described in the story of Noah's Ark in Genesis. This flood, they argue, could have caused the extinction of many species, including the dinosaurs. Some also believe that dinosaurs could have been present on the Ark, as it was large enough to accommodate a variety of animals.

There were doubts raised about the viability of Noah's Ark and the possibility of the Great Flood as people started to view the Bible as less literal and more symbolic.
​
The Ark Encounter depicts more than simply a massive wooden ship; it provides crucial information about the Ark's ability to function in and withstand the effects of a global flood. See how prehistoric understanding of bamboo pipes, cisterns, cage design, animal-powered equipment, food storage, lighting, ventilation, and water systems reveals the ship was not only seaworthy but also a functional vessel.

"Inside Noah's Ark: Why it Worked," explores:

• How important problems with garbage removal and fresh water supply might have been resolved.
• simple designs that save labor to help with animal care
• Historical efforts to extract plausible information about the Ark's trip

​The idea that dinosaurs could have been on Noah's Ark is a subject of debate among Christians. Those who believe that dinosaurs could have been present on the Ark point to several factors.

Firstly, they argue that the Bible does not explicitly exclude dinosaurs from the list of animals that were taken on the Ark. Genesis 6:19-20 states that Noah was commanded to take two of every kind of creature into the Ark, "to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive."

The phrase "animals after their kind" is interpreted by some to include dinosaurs, as they were land-dwelling creatures that would have been alive at the time of the flood. The Hebrew word for "kind" in this context, "min," is a broad term that could encompass a wide variety of animals.

Secondly, some proponents of the idea that dinosaurs could have been on the Ark argue that the average size of dinosaurs would not have been a barrier to their inclusion. While some species of dinosaurs were massive, such as the Brachiosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus Rex, many others were much smaller, such as the Compsognathus and the Microraptor.

Thirdly, it is argued that the Ark would have had enough space to accommodate all the animals, including dinosaurs. The dimensions of the Ark as described in the Bible are 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in width, and 30 cubits in height (Genesis 6:15). This would have given a total volume of around 43,000 cubic meters, which would have been enough to accommodate all the animals that were taken on board.

To give you an idea of what would take up 43,000 cubic meters of space, here are some examples:

• A football field with a dome that is 14 meters high
• A Boeing 747 airplane
• Approximately 86 average-sized shipping containers (each with a volume of 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8.5 feet high)
• A three-story building with a footprint of around 1,200 square meters and a height of 10 meters
• A large swimming pool with a length of 100 meters, a width of 20 meters, and a depth of 2.5 meters

Of course, the actual space taken up by the animals on the Ark would have been much less than 43,000 cubic meters, as the Ark would have also contained supplies, food, and other necessities for Noah and his family.

Despite these arguments, there are also several challenges to the idea that dinosaurs could have been on the Ark. One of the main challenges is the question of whether or not all the different species of dinosaurs could have been present on the Ark. Estimates of the total number of dinosaur species vary, but most put the number at around 700-900. Given the limited space on the Ark, it is unlikely that every species of dinosaur could have been included.

​If we assume that only a few kinds of dinosaurs were included on the Ark, and that each kind represents a broader category of dinosaurs with many species within it, then it is possible that only a few dozen dinosaurs needed to be on the Ark.

Another challenge is the issue of feeding the dinosaurs during the journey. Some species of dinosaurs, such as the Brachiosaurus, would have required enormous amounts of vegetation to survive. This would have presented a logistical challenge for Noah and his family, as they would have needed to store enough food on the Ark to feed all the animals for the duration of the flood.

​The Bible does not provide specific details on how Noah and his family cared for the animals on the Ark, including the dinosaurs if they were included. However, it is reasonable to assume that Noah would have needed to provide food and water for all of the animals on board.

One possibility is that Noah stored large amounts of food, such as grain, hay, and fruits, on the Ark to feed the herbivorous dinosaurs. It is also possible that he included live plants or trees in containers or soil to provide fresh food for the herbivores.

For carnivorous dinosaurs, it is possible that Noah included other animals, such as smaller prey animals, on the Ark to feed the carnivores. It is also possible that Noah provided meat from the animals that had died during the flood or were sacrificed for food.

It is important to note that caring for such a large number of animals would have been a significant challenge, and it is unlikely that all of the animals would have survived the conditions on the Ark, even with proper care. The purpose of the flood account in the Bible is not to provide detailed instructions on how to care for animals on a large vessel but to show God's judgment on a wicked world and his grace and mercy towards Noah and his family.

There is the question of whether or not dinosaurs could have survived the flood itself. While some proponents of the idea that dinosaurs were on the Ark point to the fact that many dinosaur fossils have been found in sedimentary rock formations as evidence that they were buried in the flood, most scientists agree that the extinction of dinosaurs was caused by a combination of factors, including climate change and the impact of an asteroid, rather than a single catastrophic event.

While the idea that dinosaurs could have been on Noah's Ark is a subject of debate among Christians, it is not a universally accepted view. While it is possible that some species of dinosaur could have been present on the Ark, the challenges associated with their inclusion make it unlikely that every species could have been accommodated. Additionally, the question of whether or not dinosaurs could have survived the flood itself remains a matter of scientific debate.

​In, "The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications" Whitcomb's portion begins by asserting that "the Bible is the infallible Word of God," and then presents biblical justifications for a global flood and makes an effort to disprove non-geological problems with the biblical account. Whitcomb examines Bernard Ramm's local flood ideas in particular; Ramm has the most entries in the index of all authors. Whitcomb summarizes how Christian beliefs of the Flood have changed since the early nineteenth century in his section of the essay, drawing the "one very essential conclusion" that the biblical idea of the Flood cannot be reconciled with "uniformitarian theories."

Learning more about Dinosaurs and the Bible

​Despite these challenges, many Christians believe that the existence of dinosaurs is compatible with the Bible. They argue that the Bible provides a framework for understanding God's creative work, but that it does not provide all the details of the physical world. They also emphasize that science and religion can complement each other, and that both are important for understanding the world around us.

The question of how dinosaurs could have existed in terms of the Bible is a complex and multifaceted one. While the Bible does not explicitly mention dinosaurs, it does describe "beasts of the earth" and "everything that creeps upon the ground," which could be interpreted to include dinosaurs.

As I mentioned earlier, there are descriptions of creatures such as behemoth and leviathan that some scholars interpret as dinosaurs. However, the Bible is not a comprehensive scientific textbook, and its primary purpose is to convey spiritual and moral truths rather than to provide a detailed account of the physical world. As such, the existence of dinosaurs is a subject of ongoing debate and discussion among Christians and scholars of all backgrounds.

If you want to read more, I highly recommend that you read the book, "Dinosaurs and the Bible". "Dinosaurs and the Bible" examines the historical, scriptural, and fossil evidence on dinosaurs and presents what is currently known as a result of many years of thorough, thoughtful investigation.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Dinosaurs and the Bible

​Kids frequently struggle greatly to comprehend how dinosaurs fit into Creation and the Bible. The core dinosaur mystery can be resolved with the use of God's Word. In this fascinating book, "The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible", dinosaurs are portrayed as a part of God's glorious creation and are used to introduce key Biblical ideas about creation, the character of God, the fall of man into sin, the flood, Christ's atonement, and God's intention to restore paradise.

If you don't have a Bible on your own yet, you may want to read my article called, The Beginner's Guide to Finding the Perfect Christian Bible, to help you find the right fit for you.