"Behemoth," one of the beasts referred to in Job 40:15-24, is sometimes translated "hippopotamus" or "elephant." Yet couldn't it also refer to a dinosaur?
This is doubtful. The New Living Translation (NLT) is nearly alone in rendering Behemoth as "hippopotamus," though I believe this rendering is possible. It is dubious that the Hebrew word refers to an aquatic dinosaur. In most versions, the word is (wisely) left untranslated. If you are interested in my thoughts about dinosaurs—which I am inclined to believe flourished long before mankind—please see my book on Genesis, Origins: The Ancient Impact and Modern Implications of Genesis 1-11.
Behemoth normally refers to any large animal. Cows qualify. (An auroch is another suggestion.) Dinosaurs were unknown in biblical times and it would be unwise to infer their presence from a poetic passage in Job, which mentions a similarly mysterious beast, leviathan. (This passage also requires—if taken literally—that it breathe fire!). It is more likely that the writer is alluding to God's sovereignty and victory over chaos (typically represented by a dragon—like Leviathan) and danger. Mythological language is appropriated—though not to say that the message of Job is untrue or "just mythological."
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