By: Robert Serreyn
Question? Is Job 40:15 and 41:1 decribing Dinosaurs?
(Job 40:15) Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
(Job 41:1) Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
Answer: NO,
WITHOUT going into a very lengthy write up Job 40:15 is DESCRIBING an Elephant, and Job 41:1 and the following verses are DESCRIBING a Sea Creature that exsisted during Job’s time.
The Young Earth Creationist NEVER use or quote Verses 20 – 24 BECAUSE it would CAST DOUBT upon their FALSE TEACHING that Behemoth and Leviathan are Dinosaurs.
During Job’s day Elephants were Captured, Caged, and used as work animals, Elephants are the LARGEST land animal KNOWN then and now.
EXAMINATION OF THE VERSES:
(V17) He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
Just like the Elephants tail that bends or sways back and forth with ease, The Cedar Tree described here is the Lebanese Cedar Tree which consist of a long flexible wiry wood trunk that was constructed of VERY FELXIBLE fiber that SWAYED EASILY in the slightest of wind.
(V18) His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
Modern science has RECENTLY DISCOVERED that the bones of the Elephant have TWO DISTINICT PROPERTIES – Strength (Iron) to withstand its Great Weight and Flexability (Brass) the ability to bend and twist WITHOUT breaking when the animal is walking or running.
(V21) He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.(V22) The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
The Hebrew for SHADY TREE is TSEEL and it refers to the LOTUS TREE
The Young Earth Creationist TRY TO SAY that Job 40:15-19 is describing a dinosaur but they CONVIENTLY FORGET Versus 21 & 22, If Vesus 15-19 was describing a huge dinosaur like the Young Earthers TRY TO SAY then they have a HUGE problem here because the LOTUS TREES in Job’s day were 30 foot or less tall, Hmmmm, INTRESTING INDEED.
(V23) Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
This verse is describing the ACTION the animal is doing with its trunk (nose), The Elephant is PICKING the river up (drinketh up a river, draw into its mouth).
(V24) He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.
The Hebrew for NOSE is APH and it means NOSTRILES in this case the trunk.
The Hebrew for PIERCETH is NAQAB and it means TO PIERCE, PEFORATE, TO PUNCTURE or TO BORE.
The Hebrew for SNARES is MOQEGH and it means TO TRAP, ENSNARE or CAGE.
In Job’s day Elephants would be captured and placed into cages (trapped, ensnared), in which it was observed that the elephants NOSES (trunks) would BE SEEN sticking out of the bars (to pierce out, to bore out, peforate or puncture) of the cages they had been placed in.
In Conclusion:
The Behemoth in scripture is SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBING an Elephant NOT a dinosaur and the Leviathan is NOTHING MORE than a Sea Creature of that time.
It is time to be honest with the scriptures and teach what they say NOT what we want them to say.
Dinosaurs are a BIG MARKETING TOOL for those who want to FLEECE THE FLOCKS out of money from the pockets of the not so decerning christian.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.
-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8
-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24
-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9
“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23
IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH