In the King James version of the Bible, the word “dragon” appears several times. While dragon today refers to a mythical flying creature, the word previously had a larger semantic range. According the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, when used in scripture, dragon seems to refer to a large serpent.
Bible verses about dragons
- Ezekiel 29:3 says, “Speak, and say, Thus saith the LordGod; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.”
- Psalms 74:13 recounts when the Lord divided the sea by force, but also says he broke the heads of dragons.
- Isaiah 34:13 also contains a reference to dragons. That reference reads, “And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.”
- Revelation 12:3 reads, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” Later, in Revelation 20:2, the text calls Satan a dragon. It states that the dragon will be bound for a thousand years.
Are dragons a myth?
Yes. Dragons are mythical creatures, but several cultures consider them an important part of folk-lore. According to the American Museum of Natural History, “In legends and folktales, dragons are magical—yet early naturalists often treated these creatures as part of the natural world. Biologists in Europe once wrote accounts of the behavior and habitat of dragons, along with lizards and snakes. Chinese scholars have classified the dragon as one of the 369 animal species with scales.”
Throughout folkloric history, dragons have been consistently portrayed as large lizard-like or serpentine creatures, but the meaning of dragons changes from culture to culture.
In Chinese culture, dragons are considered positive. Brittanica said, “The Chinese dragon,lung, represents yang, the principle of heaven, activity, and maleness in theyinyangof Chinese cosmology.” This differs from other cultures like in the Middle East, where dragons were considered evil.
FAQs
Revelation 12:3 reads, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” Later, in Revelation 20:2, the text calls Satan a dragon. It states that the dragon will be bound for a thousand years.
Does the Bible say anything about dragons? ›
In the Bible, dragons represent rebellious spiritual beings and the violent humans and empires in league with them. Jesus ultimately overcomes the dragon with a courageous act of generous love, and he invites his followers to do the same.
What is the dragon like creature in the Bible? ›
A "Dragon" (Drakon), being the usual translation for the Leviathan in the Septuagint, appears in the Book of Revelation. Although the Old Testament nowhere identifies the Leviathan with the devil, the seven-headed dragon in the Book of Revelation is.
What is the Bible story with the dragon? ›
It tells of the Jewish hero Daniel, who refuses to worship the god Bel and kills the dragon, thus being forced into a den of lions, which he is allowed to leave after seven days because he is unharmed. His enemies, advocates of idolatry, are later cast into the lions' den and devoured.
Who is the ancient dragon in the Bible? ›
The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.
What do dragons represent in Christianity? ›
Biblical authors also use dragon imagery to describe violent human kings, like Pharaoh, who enslaved and murdered the ancient Israelites. Even the famous Goliath—the details of his armor and weapons depict him as a scaly, snakey giant. Jon: So the sea dragon is loose in all these forms, but it can be defeated.
What does the King James Bible say about the dragon? ›
[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
What does a dragon symbolize spiritually? ›
Representing the balance between our powerful masculine and sensual feminine energies, dragons, in a sense, are our yin and yang. Working with dragons as energy guides can help foster internal peace, self-empowerment, greater abundance and the ability to embody your own light.
What animal represents God in the Bible? ›
Calf ( עֵגֶל 'êḡel; feminine עֶגְלָה 'eḡlāh) One of the most popular representations of the deity among the Canaanites. The calf is, in biblical poetry, a figure for vexing and pitiless foes (Psalm 111:13). The fatted calf was a necessary feature, so to say, of a feast dinner.
Where does the Bible mention dinosaurs? ›
The Bible doesn't specifically address dinosaurs, when they existed, or how they became extinct. The closest examples of dinosaur-like creatures are translated in most Bibles as “serpent,” “dragon,” “Leviathan,” “Behemoth,” and “sea monster” (Job 3:8, Job 40:15-24, Isaiah 27:1, Ezekiel 29:3, etc.).
The Bible might not be the first place you'd think to look for dragons, but they are there. In fact, the Bible begins and ends with dragons. The Hebrew word for dragon is tannin (plural tanninim).
Does the Bible mention other planets? ›
The other planets are individualized in the Bible only by implication. The worship of gods connected with them is denounced, but without any manifest intention of referring to the heavenly bodies.
What is Dagon in the Bible? ›
In the Hebrew Bible, Dagon was characterized as the chief god of the Philistines, who lived in Canaan from 1200 to 600 BCE. According to passages in Joshua, Judges, and Samuel, Dagon was worshipped by the Philistines in temples at Gaza and Ashdod.
Does the Bible talk about dragons? ›
Revelation 12:3 reads, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” Later, in Revelation 20:2, the text calls Satan a dragon. It states that the dragon will be bound for a thousand years.
Who is the beast in Revelation 13? ›
In Revelation 13:1–10, the first beast (interpreted as the Antichrist) rises "out of the sea" and is given authority and power by the dragon.
Who was the first dragon in history? ›
The first dragon myths appear with the Sumerian legends of the god-mother Tiamat who transforms herself into a legged, horned serpent, and of the snake Zu who steals the law tablets. Dragons appear in Chinese and Indian legends in about 2700 B.C., and in Egypt a creation myth describes the dragon Apep.
What mythical creatures are mentioned in the Bible? ›
These include the Behemoth, Leviathan, Angels, Demons, Nephilim, Re'em, Ziz and dragons.
How does the Bible explain dinosaurs? ›
According to the Bible, dinosaurs must have been created by God on the sixth day of creation. Genesis 1:24 says, “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.”
What religion uses dragons? ›
Dragons have been part of East Asian culture for more than 4,000 years. In the religious traditions of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, they have been honored as sources of power and bringers of rain.
