We know Dinosaurs existed. If we are supposed to take the Bible seriously, how can we do so if it doesn't even deal with something so big (literally) as Dinosaurs.
Well, after a closer reading of the Old Testament and a quick lesson in Greek and Hebrew, I think a few people may change their minds about whether or not the Bible addresses Dinosaurs.
In his fantastic book The Science of God, author Gerald L. Schroeder points to a very interesting fact of the Genesis account.
In Genesis 1:21, we are told that on day five God created the basis for all animal life. One of the categories of animals listed is one named taninim gedolim. Gedolim in Hebrew means big, so we are dealing with "big taninim". So, you are probably asking what the heck a "taninim" is?
The word taninim is translated various ways depending on what translation of the Bible you are reading (dragons, alligators, whales, sea monsters). However, the word taneen, the singular of the word taninim, appears elsewhere in the Bible and its meaning is not translated in many different ways.
The word taneen is used in Exodus 3 and is used as a general term for snake. Since we know a general term for snake is reptile, we can translate taninim gedolim as "Big Reptile."
In case you were wondering, the Greek word for big or terrible reptiles is Dinosaurs. If Genesis 1:21 were translated into Greek, we would read it as Dinosaurs.
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