Did Dinosaurs and Humans Co-Exist?
Can this be possible?
Job was a man who lost everything; his home, his possessions, his family, and his health. And yet, he remained faithful to God, refusing to curse His Creator and Lord. (If you’re unfamiliar with his story, you can read it here.)
In Job, chapter 38, the Lord speaks to him out of a storm. As the dialogue begins, each word is engulfed with descriptions of God’s power and sovereignty. The verses give intricately detailed word pictures of His creation. This continues throughout chapter 39 as well.
Then, in chapter 40, there’s a small break. The Lord gives Job an opportunity to comment.
“The LORD said to Job: ‘Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!’ Then Job answered the LORD: ‘I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.’ Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: ‘Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’” (Job 40:1-7)
Immediately following this statement, the Lord picks up right where He left off, with descriptions of His power in creation. However, this time, he provides descriptions of two dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs, are you sure?
The first, at the end of chapter 40, is an animal that the Lord calls the behemoth, describing the creature as having a tail that sways like a cedar. Some scholars believe this describes a species like that of a Brachiosaur.
15“Behold, Behemoth,
which I made as I made you;
he eats grass like an ox.
16Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.
19“He is the first of the works of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.
22For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24Can one take him by his eyes,
or pierce his nose with a snare? (Job 40:15-24)
Secondly, in chapter 41, He speaks of the leviathan, which quite accurately describes a sea-dwelling dragon of some sort. Some have said this to be a similar species to a Plesiosaur.
1 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook
or press down his tongue with a cord?
2Can you put a rope in his nose
or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3Will he make many pleas to you?
Will he speak to you soft words?
4Will he make a covenant with you
to take him for your servant forever?
5Will you play with him as with a bird,
or will you put him on a leash for your girls?
6Will traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7Can you fill his skin with harpoons
or his head with fishing spears?
8Lay your hands on him;
remember the battle—you will not do it again!
9 Behold, the hope of a man is false;
he is laid low even at the sight of him.
10No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.
Who then is he who can stand before me?
11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.
13Who can strip off his outer garment?
Who would come near him with a bridle?
14Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth is terror.
15His back is made of rows of shields,
shut up closely as with a seal.
16One is so near to another
that no air can come between them.
17They are joined one to another;
they clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18His sneezings flash forth light,
and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.
19Out of his mouth go flaming torches;
sparks of fire leap forth.
20Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,
as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21His breath kindles coals,
and a flame comes forth from his mouth.
22In his neck abides strength,
and terror dances before him.
23The folds of his flesh stick together,
firmly cast on him and immovable.
24His heart is hard as a stone,
hard as the lower millstone.
25When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
at the crashing they are beside themselves.
26Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail,
nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27He counts iron as straw,
and bronze as rotten wood.
28The arrow cannot make him flee;
for him, sling stones are turned to stubble.
29Clubs are counted as stubble;
he laughs at the rattle of javelins.
30His underparts are like sharp potsherds;
he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire.
31He makes the deep boil like a pot;
he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
32Behind him he leaves a shining wake;
one would think the deep to be white-haired.
33 On earth there is not his like,
a creature without fear.
34He sees everything that is high;
he is king over all the sons of pride.” (Job 41:1-34)
How is this possible?
Great question! These biblical descriptions bring up a huge conversation for the evolutionist and for the old earth creationist, on whether or not man and dinosaurs coexisted.
I have puzzled over this for years. This text becoming a key piece of why I lean toward young earth creationism. What about you? How do you explain this passage? Are these two animals dinosaurs? If not, what kind of animals are they?
And the biggest question; did dinosaurs and humans walk this earth together?
