Protos

What does "Dragon" mean in the Bible?

This word, in the Bible, has at least three meanings. Very commonly, where it occurs in connection with ostriches, owls, deserts, and ruins, it denotes the jackal, whose characteristics are unmistakably indicated, such as his "wailing" and "snuffing up the wind." So in Job 30:29; Ps 44:19; Jer 9:11, in all which passages solitude and desolation are illustrated. Dragon appears in 12 verses of the Bible.

Two winged dragons 'mushussu' (reddish fierce snake), mythological hybrid animals
Two winged dragons 'mushussu' (reddish fierce snake), mythological hybrid animals · © Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

What does the Bible say about Dragon?

DRAG'ON. This word, in the Bible, has at least three meanings. Very commonly, where it occurs in connection with ostriches, owls, deserts, and ruins, it denotes the jackal, whose characteristics are unmistakably indicated, such as his "wailing" and "snuffing up the wind." So in Job 30:29; Ps 44:19; Jer 9:11, in all which passages solitude and desolation are illustrated. Mic 1:8. In some passages it denotes monsters of the deep or huge land-reptiles, as in Deut 32:33; Ps 91:13. The figurative use of this term, as in Ps 74:13; Eze 29:3; Rev 12:3 and Rev 20:2, is sufficiently obvious.

Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

What is the Greek word for Dragon?

Greek · G1404

δράκων

drakōn

dragon

TBESG, from Abbott-Smith (1922). Public domain.

Where does Dragon appear in the Bible?

Dragon is referenced in 12 verses. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Revelation 12

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Dragon.

WomanDevilSatanStarsMichaelAngels

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Dragon?

Dragon appears in 12 verses, all of them in Revelation.

Which books of the Bible mention Dragon?

Just one: Revelation.

Where can I read every verse about Dragon?

This page lists 12 of them. Protos carries all 12, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Revelation with "Dragon" explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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Fabio Jonathan ArifinFabio JonathanFounder of Protos · Portland Bible College graduate

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