Were Behemoth and Leviathan Dinosaurs?

Prior to the 19th century, the prevailing view was that Behemoth and Leviathan were not literal creatures. Many Church Fathers and other early Christian writers such as Origen, Athanasius, Jerome, Vincent of Lérins and John Cassian, believed that the creatures described in Job 40-41 were allegories for the devil, devils (demons) and sin–particularly Job 40:16 ("Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly") which they quote extensively and exclusively in the context of sexual sin and temptation. (1)

Behemoth and Leviathan were also treated as allegories for powerful governments and people standing in opposition to Christ and his Kingdom throughout the early history of Christianity and reformation. This interpretation is also consistent what we find in passages like Isaiah 27:1 where leviathan is used as an allegory for Babylon.

In both instances, this non-literal approach to Job 40-41 is consistent with the ancient Near Eastern cultural context in which Job (and the rest of the Old Testament) was written, wherein Behemoth and Leviathan represent primordial forces of chaos who are in turn subdued by, and are subservient to, Yahweh.

It wasn't until after the enlightenment and the advent of Darwinism–which subsequently resulted in the birth of Fundamentalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries–that we see a dramatic shift from metaphorical and/or allegorical interpretations to strict literalism when it comes to Job 40-41. In the American Church today, the majority of Evangelicals and Fundamentalists believe Job 40-41 to be a literal description of living animals, whether that be hippopotamus, elephants and crocodiles or dinosaurs. This 180-degree shift from metaphorical to literal interpretations in such a short span of time is surprising and is–in my opinion–indicative of a reactionary response. In other words, the view that Behemoth and Leviathan are and/or were living animals is a recent response to advancements in the field of paleontology and evolutionary theory and actually stands in stark contrast to the metaphorical interpretations held by Christians for over 1,800 years–to say nothing of the various Jewish interpretations which preceded them.

So then, are Behemoth and Leviathan dinosaurs? The short answer is no. The descriptions we see in Job are stock motifs for the primordial forces of chaos and cosmic darkness common to the ancient world. This is well attested in both the archeology and literature of the ancient Near East. (2, 3, 4)

Ultimately, the meaning of Job 40-41 is that Yahweh is sovereign over all creation–even chaos and the forces of darkness who rise up and oppose His rule. Thus, the theological truth claims underpinning the Book of Job remain true regardless of whether or not Behemoth and Leviathan actually walked the earth.