The remaining thirteen mentions of dragons in the Bible are found in the book of Revelation. They are derived from the Greek word drakon (Strong's Concordance #G1404).
Some of the more interesting Biblical references to these beasts include the following.
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord . . . Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? (Isaiah 51:9, KJV unless stated).
I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls (Job 30:29).
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world (Revelation 12:9).
These terrifying animals can also be found in Deuteronomy 32:33, Nehemiah 2:13, Psalm 44:19, Isaiah 13:22, 27:1, Jeremiah 9:11, 10:22, Revelation 12:3 - 4, 7, 13 and other places.
The Bible lists several characteristics of dragons. This beast can be poisonous (Deuteronomy 32:33) and is quite powerful (Isaiah 27:1, 51:9). It has solitary habits (Job 30:29) and can make a wailing-like sound (Micah 1:8).
These beasts can live in the wilderness (Isaiah 43:20, Malachi 3:1), deserted cities (Jeremiah 9:11) or even in water (Psalm 74:13, Isaiah 27:1). Although usually large, they can sometimes be small (Exodus 7:8 - 10). In the New Testament, they are a symbol of evil and rebellion against God (Revelation 12:3 - 4, 7, 13, 16 - 17, etc.).
What Is It?
Biblical commentaries offer a wide variety of ideas regarding the KJV references to this mythical creature. While some merely consign such references to mythical (imaginary) beasts, many others state they refer to jackals, hyenas, sea monsters, great fishes, whales, crocodiles or serpents (depending on the context). The problem is how could such a single Hebrew word like tanniyn refer to such a diverse set of beasts that included dragons?
Henry Morris, in his book "The Biblical Basis for Modern Science," offers an intriguing solution regarding dragons.
"As a matter of fact, if one will simply translate tannim (tanniyn) by "dinosaurs," every one of the more than 25 uses of the word becomes perfectly clear and appropriate.
"The fossil record reveals both terrestrial and marine dinosaurs, small and large dinosaurs, dinosaurs of many different characters living in different environments . . . " (Chapter 12).
Could dinosaurs have existed at the same time as humans?
"However, the evolutionary chronology is inconsistent with the Bible, as we have seen, so there is no adequate reason to question the contemporaneity of men and dinosaurs in the early ages of human history . . .
"It is significant that not only in the Bible but also in the ancient records and traditions of most of the nations of the world, tales of dragons abound" (ibid.).
Dragon Monsters
Incredibly, the first use of the Hebrew word tanniyn is in the book of Genesis, where God re-creates the heavens and the earth. Before the Eternal created both land-based animals and man on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26 - 27) he made on the fifth day animals that lived in water or which could fly. Some of those created were massive in size like mythical dragons.
And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind . . . (Genesis 1:21).
The word translated as "whales" in the above verse is tanniyn. A better and more correct translation of Genesis 1:21 might be "And God created great dragons (dinosaurs) . . ."