The Bible mentions the word "dragon" 14 times (in the NIV). All of those mentions are in the Book of Revelation. But if one searches the King James version, our search returns 34 results. The majority are found in the OLD Testament. Here's an example.
"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." - Psalm 91:13
The modern-day translation of the word dragon in Psalm 91 is "monster." So, why the change? Don't the translators believe in dragons anymore?
"Pfft. Dragons," they'd say. "There's no evidence that dragons ever existed. The Bible is wrong."
Don't get me started.
The word "dragon" comes from the mid-13th century Old French -"a fabulous animal." In Latin, the word is "draconem" meaning "huge serpent." In Greek, the word is "drakon" meaning "serpent or giant sea fish."
We're getting a bit off track. Let's go to the Book of Revelation.
"Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea." - Revelation 12:7
Here the dragon is figurative. It's Satan. The woman is Israel. Her offspring are those who believe in Jesus.
Anyway, dragons were real, fearsome creatures. Perhaps not like Smaug in Lord of the Rings, but maybe more like a T-rex from Jurassic Park. All of this means that Satan is a force to be reckoned with. We should be fearful of him, but we have a Savior who will fight for us and protect us.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he (Jesus) shall bruise your head, and you (Satan) shall bruise his heel.” - Genesis 3:15
This verse is the first mention of the Messiah, coming out of Israel. The dragon (serpent) is to be feared, but our Savuor is Jesus, the dragon killer.
I Am Fire, I Am Death - Smaug
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