Dragon

Dragon in the Old Testament translates two distinct Hebrew words: tannîn (a large serpent, sea creature, or chaos-monster) and tan/tannîm (a term often designating jackals or desert creatures, though the distinction is not always consistent). In poetic and prophetic usage, tannîn typically represents the primeval sea-monster of chaos that God conquered in creation (Ps. 74:13; 89:10; Isa. 51:9)—a mythological imagery adapted from ancient Near Eastern cosmogony. Egypt is symbolized as the great dragon lying in the Nile (Isa. 51:9; Ezek. 29:3), and Babylon similarly (Jer. 51:34).

In the New Testament, Revelation uses drakōn (dragon) exclusively as a designation for Satan in his cosmic opposition to God and the church (Rev. 12:3–4; 13:2, 4; 20:2). He is identified as "that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan" (Rev. 12:9; 20:2)—explicitly connecting the apocalyptic dragon to the serpent of Genesis 3. This typological connection traces a unified biblical narrative of the evil power that opposes God's purposes, from the garden through the exile to the eschatological judgment.