Shalom, Wormwood.
Thank you for your kind remarks, brother. I'm glad we can converse on a more level playing field. I only mentioned modern Greek because a person who knows modern Greek would have much less to overcome to learn Koine. I'll back-pedal a little, as well: Etymology is helpful, but it is not everything that is necessary to acquire the meaning of the word. Context, however, is often given attention far too little and far too infrequently. When one reduces the meaning of the word to its basic meaning, one is forced to concentrate more on the context, not only to understand the meaning of the word within that context but also to understand the context with that word in its place.
Regarding the Greek words of saura, ophis, herpeton, and drakoon, we understand that different words suggest at least slightly different meanings. No two words in the same language are exact synonyms or having two words for the same thing would be needlessly redundant ... and confusing. So, it would appear that "herpeton" is the more general of the four, referring to any "creeping thing," whether reptilian or amphibian. "Saura" is the "lizard," ophis or ofis is the "snake"; but what about the "drakoon?" Is it just a "mythological monster?" Or, could it have roots in truth that degraded into legend and then into myth?
See, I'm of the opinion that Evolution is a bad hypothesis - an educated guess - that just has LOTS of humanistic, atheistic, or at best agnostic proponents that have adopted the hypothesis, calling it a "theory" and treating it as "scientific law." There's trumped-up evidence that these proponents CLAIM support this "theory," but could just as easily support a different world view, if they would allow another voice in the classrooms. Don't you think it's odd that no one in most institutions can get their master's or doctorate degree without acceptance of the "theory" of Evolution? It's just a convenient way to take God out of the origins picture.
If one goes back to the ancient records and stories - mythology - of the Greeks and earlier, a "drakoon" was a very large snake, sometimes pictured with legs and sometimes pictured with wings, often with both, and they are very reminiscent of what we call "dinosaurs" or "deinosauroi" or "thunder-lizards" in the fossil record today. I don't object to the fossil record. How could one argue with all the finds in archaeology? I object to the CONCLUSIONS that evolutionists have formed, suggesting that they lived x millions of years ago and separated from mankind's existence by millions of years, as well. Yet, even in cave paintings there are drawings of creatures that can't be explained by modern creatures we know today. In Europe, in Africa, and in portions of Asia and Central America, there are unexplained sightings of creatures that do not fit in today's taxonomy. Where did they come from? Are they merely figments of people's imagination? Or, are they from pockets of isolated environments, practically untouched since the times of the dinosaurs? And, when was that? Was it back in the Jurassic Period, or was it more recent, like before the Flood of Noach and immediately after?
Reptiles will continue to grow longer and larger as long as they live. That's just a fact. Snakes in the Everglades have been recorded to be 14 to 18 feet in length, requiring six men to hold the things up for photographs. (I've seen such a photo at a barber shop in Sanford, FL.)
If a particular kind of reptile grows 2 feet in length in 5 years, how big would it get in 60 years? Well, if the rate is consistent, we're looking at a reptile 24 feet in length! How about 100 years? That would be a reptile 40 feet in length! Many reptiles today only live for about 5 years maximum.
Genesis 5:3-32
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
NIV
Taking Chanokh (Enoch) out of the picture because God took him early, we get an average age of ...
(930+912+905+910+895+962+969+777)/8 = 7260/8 = 907.5 years old before the Flood. And, Lamech may have died early, God saving him from the devastation of the Flood to come.
Assuming that animals lived proportionally as old, we can use the formula 907.5 / 70 (using the high side for human beings today) = x / 5. Rearranging the equation and solving for x, we get a proportional age of 64.8 years old.
It's my belief that all creatures before the Flood were herbivorous, some species not becoming carnivorous until after the Flood, and that this applied to ALL carnivores, both lions and tigers, and velociraptors and mosasaurs. The larger animals that probably lived between 60 to 100 years before the Flood, growing proportionately with their age, became huge creatures that we call "dinosaurs" today. Thus, this reptile 64.8 years old would grow to be almost 26 feet long! That's comparable to the creatures that we find in the "Jurassic Period!"
Now, enters another man who is famous for a particular reason:
Genesis 10:8-10
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
KJV
I believe that Nimrowd, a great grandson of Noach, was indeed a mighty hunter, hunting these huge animals to extinction to preserve human life. They hunted these animals as long as they continued to grow large. I also believe that this continued to be an occupation down through the years, even to the time of Saint George of England's legends. Thus, much of the folklore that people take for granted today as mere myth, probably had its roots in reality.
If this is true, none of the "trophies" he might have taken would have been preserved, being exposed to the normal elements. Only the remains that were well buried by the catastrophic upheavals of the Flood would survive, and we call them "fossils" today.
Now, allow me to revisit the Greek of Revelation 12:
Revelation 12:3,7-9
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
...
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
KJV
Apokalupsis Iooannou 12:3,7-9
3 Kai oofthee allo seemeion en too ouranoo, kai idou drakoon megas purros, echoon kefalas hepta kai kerata deka kai epi tas kefalas autou hepta diadeemata,
...
7 Kai egeneto polemos en too ouranoo, ho Michaeel kai hoi aggeloi autou tou polemeesai meta tou drakontos. Kai ho drakoon epolemeesen kai hoi aggeloi autou,
8 kai ouk ischusen, oude topos heurethee autoon eti en too ouranoo.
9 Kai ebleethee ho drakoon ho megas, ho ofis ho archaios, ho kaloumenos Diabolos kai ho Satanas, ho planoon teen oikoumeneen holeen -- ebleethee eis teen geen, kai hoi aggeloi autou met' autou ebleetheesan.
The Greek New Testament (UBS)
And how about Revelation 20:1-3?
Revelation 20:1-3
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceived the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
KJV
Apokalupsis Iooannou 20:1-3
1 Kai eidon aggelon katabainonta ek tou ouranou, echonta teen klein tees abussou kai halusin megaleen epi teen cheira autou.
2 Kai ekpateesen ton drakonta, ho ofis ho archaios, hos estin Diabolos kai ho Satanas, kai edeesen auton chilia etee,
3 Kai ebalen auton eis teen abusson kai ekleisen kai esfragisen epanoo autou hina mee planeesee eti ta ethnee achri telesthee ta chilia etee; meta tauta dei lutheenai auton mikron chronon.
The Greek New Testament (UBS)
You know as I that archaios means "old, ancient, or former." This drakoon then IS "the snake the ancient (one)!" What "ancient snake?" The answer to that is simple: he is the ORIGINAL snake in Gan-`Eden, the Garden of Eden, the one who first led Chavah (Eve) astray.
And, what was its curse?
Genesis 3:14-15
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
KJV
Breshiyt 3:14-15
14 Vayo'mer YHVH Elohiym el-hanaachaash, "Kiy `aasiytaa zo't, aaruwr ataah mikaal habheemah uwmikol chayat hasaadeh; `al gchonkhaa teeleekh v`aafaar to'khal kaal ymeey chayeykhaa:
15 V'eeyvaah aashiyt beeynkhaa zar`akhaa uwveeyn haa'ishaah uwveeyn zar`akhaa ro'sh v'ataah tshuwfenuw `aaqeev":
JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh
If NOW the snake is cursed to go upon its belly, its abdomen, the curse suggests that the snake did NOT go upon its belly or abdomen BEFORE the curse! IT HAD LEGS! Furthermore, even the lizards technically go upon their bellies because their legs are set out to their sides, suggesting that the original snake's legs were below its body.
Therefore, I conclude that haSatan was the ancient snake with its legs below its body. Even the seraf, singular of serafiym (seraph, singular of seraphim or seraphims, supposedly a class of angels) was described in Yeshayahu's (Isaiah's) prophecy as a flying serpent with six wings, feet, and hands! (Isa. 6:2, 6; 14:29; 30:6.) Indeed the "fiery (poisonous) serpents" that bit the people were serafiym, and the "fiery serpent" that Mosheh (Moses) hung upon the pole was a seraf, not a naachaash! (Numbers 21:6, 8)
Can you see the pattern here? Just something to think about, whatever direction you're inclined to lean.