Job mentions dragons in Job 30:29. As is often the case the dragon is a creature of the wilderness and is often mentioned with the owls. Job is complaining that his physical condition sets him apart from the rest of humanity and that he feels like he lives in the wilderness. The Hebrew word for dragon (Stong’s 08565) is found 13 times in the Bible, and it is translated as dragon by the KJV all but once where it is translated “sea monster” (Lam. 4:3). In modern versions, it is translated as “jackal.” The jackal is a medium-sized canine that lives in the wilderness, but the jackal is not a dragon. So, the dragon has been removed from the Bible by modern versions.

The Hebrew word has two other derivatives (Strong’s 08577 & 08568) that are translated variously as dragon, serpent, whale, or sea monster. There is evidently a land dragon that dwells in dens in the wilderness and a water dragon that lives in the sea. The term seems to be generic for a wide variety of creatures. The animal is unknown to those of us in the present age, but it would have been familiar to those of Job’s day or the time of the prophets (See also: Jer. 51:34; Isa. 51:9). At any rate, the dragon is not a fictitious creature. There is no reason to relegate the dragon to the realm of mythology.

Although often found in the wilderness and living in dens, the dragon does not need to be construed as a monster with a gaping mouth, ferocious teeth, wings for flying, or even fire-breathing breath. Though the latter seems to be a condition of leviathan (Job 41:18-21), a type of water dwelling dragon.