I just found a strange translation for something in Genesis 1:21 – it translates “Taninim” as “sea cretures” or “sea monsters” or even ” whales”. I couldn’t find even one translation that called them alligators or crocodiles as this is that it means in Hebrew.

I have been looking for a source that defines “taninim” as alligators but have been unsuccessful finding a primary source. Marcus Jastrow defines them as sea monsters, snakes, or alligators but only cites sources for the first two. It is because of this sort of uncertainty in translation that everything we read and learn is in the original Hebrew. There are numerous examples of words whose meaning is disputed. Eliezer Ben-Yehudah constructed modern Hebrew mainly from the structure of Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew with an emphasis on the former. However, in many cases he adopted words from other languages, incorporated certain lingual sounds, or changed the meaning of an ancient Hebrew word for modern usage. It is an interesting topic and there are several works written on the creation of the Modern Hebrew language which you have inspired me to look at. Thank you for your question.

Sincerely,
R’ Daniel Fleksher