What does the Bible say about mermaids? Are mermaids in the Bible?
Introduction
Fascinating magical creatures and imaginary beings like mermaids and unicorns made many of us giggle with wonder and joy watching them on our screens as kids and adults.
Who doesn’t like a drop-dead gorgeous girl, half-human, half-fish?
Or who doesn’t want to ride on a large white magical horse with a long horn on its forehead?
Many of us wonder if these creatures are a figment of creative movie producers’ and animators’ imaginations or if they are real.
Some wonder if they once existed but are now extinct. But these and more questions about these magical questions are still unanswered.
However, we know the Bible is the source of the ultimate truth that has solved many puzzles and answered many questions.
That’s why we will turn to it to know if mermaids and unicorns ever existed.
Mermaids in the Bible
The question on many people’s lips is, are mermaids in the Bible? As odd as it sounds, the answer is yes. Although the Bible did not use the exact word ‘mermaid,’ it references it.
There are many gods and idols pagan nations worshipped in the Bible.
Idol worshipping became a menace that God had to command His people to not worship any other god except Him.
“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me” (Exodus 20:3-5)
One such god was the Philistine god named Dagon.
Dagon was worshipped by the Philistines as a god of fertility, crops, and possibly other aspects of nature.
The worship of Dagon is mentioned in the context of the Philistine city of Ashdod and its surrounding regions.
Dagon is depicted as a fish-like deity.
The name “Dagon” is believed to be derived from a word related to fish, so artistic representations often show Dagon with a human upper body and a fish-like lower body or tail.
Therefore, Dagon was a mermaid or merman. Here we have it, Dagon, a mermaid, and false god.
A symbol of idolatry
As explained above, the ancient Philistine god Dagon is a merman. But not only that, it is also an idol.
Therefore, mermaids are symbols of idolatry.
This might be a shock or unpleasant discovery because Disney World has depicted a cute little and lovely mermaid. But the reality from the scripture shows it’s a false narrative.
Are you obsessed with mermaids?
Do you have their pictures in your kids’ room, or do they wear shirts with their pictures on them?
Maybe this is a moment of reawakening and self-introspection.
A symbol of seduction
Movies have depicted mermaids as beautiful creatures whose enchanting beauty is powerful enough to captivate the most ruthless pirates and make them lose control and let their guards down.
Mermaids have what is known as a seductive spirit that resides in harlots who pry on men and destroy their lives.
The Bible warns us of women like this in Proverbs 6:25, “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.”
These seductresses lead men into sexual immorality, separating them from God’s spirit and opening them up for demonic possessions and attacks.
A symbol of the lust of the flesh
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)
Mermaids spark lustful thoughts and feelings in people because of their seductive nature.
Lust is the opposite of God’s Spirit because it fuels immorality and leads to sexual sins.
The Bible warns us that our bodies are temples of the God where He dwells.
And what can make Him leave that temple is fornication, adultery, sexual thoughts, and feelings.
1 Corinthians 6:18 warns us to “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”
Holiness is a crucial criterion to see the pearly gate of heaven and enter into it. Therefore, we must kill lust and everything that promotes it.
Bible verses about mermaids (Dagon)
“Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands.” (Judges 16:23)
“When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” (1 Samuel 5:2-5)
Unicorns in the Bible
The King James Version of the Bible referenced unicorns in several verses. This is surprising because no one would have thought that the mystical creature could be found in the Book of Truth, the Bible. However, what art and folktale present as unicorns differs from biblical unicorns.
Unicorn in Hebrew: Re’em
“Re’em” (also spelled “re’em” or “reem”) is a Hebrew term found in the Bible that is often translated as “wild ox” or “unicorn” in English versions.
The exact identity of the re’em is debated among scholars and is not definitively known.
Still, it’s generally understood to refer to a large and powerful animal, possibly an extinct or rare creature.
The term “re’em” appears several times in the Old Testament, particularly in the Book of Numbers and other books that describe various animals and their characteristics.
The description of the re’em as a strong and untamable creature suggests a large and powerful animal known to the people of that time. However, because the re’em is not described in detail and no modern equivalent fits the description precisely, its exact identity remains uncertain.
Some scholars propose that the re’em might have been an aurochs, a large and now-extinct species of wild cattle that once roamed parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
Others suggest that the term could refer to a type of large antelope or even mythical creatures like unicorns.
The translation “unicorn” comes from the Latin term “unicornis,” which means “one-horned.”
Unicorn in Greek: Monokeros
The term “Monokeros” is derived from the Greek word “μονόκερως” (monókerōs), which means “one-horned.” In various mythologies and cultures, the monokeros or unicorn is a legendary creature typically depicted as a horse-like animal with a single horn on its forehead.
The concept of the monokeros or unicorn has appeared in the folklore and mythologies of different civilizations throughout history, including ancient Mesopotamia, China, India, and medieval Europe.
Biblical characteristics of unicorns
Unicorns are strong
“God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.” (Numbers 23:22)
“God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.” (Numbers 24:8)
Unicorns are described as young bulls.
“His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:17)
“He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.” (Psalm 29:6)
“And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.” (Isaiah 34:7)
Unicorns are untameable and stubborn.
“Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?” (Job 39:9-10)
Other Bible verses about unicorns
“Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.” (Psalm 22:21)
“But my horn shalt thou exalt like [the horn of] an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” (Psalm 92:10)
Biblical descriptions of unicorns show that they are closely related to cattle. No reference was made to them looking like cute and adorable horses. Instead, they represent strength.
Mermaids and unicorns are in the Bible. But they are different from what we are used to seeing on our TV screens and pages of our books.
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David Akeju is a Christian writer who believes in the transformational power of God’s Word. His articles and books have been published on global platforms, and thousands of lives have been touched. He works with pastors and ministers, churches and ministries, and brands.