Lion
“The tearer, from a root meaning to pluck or tear”
Summary
The most powerful and impressive of carnivorous animals, once abundant in Palestine and throughout biblical lands, used extensively in Scripture as a symbol of strength, royalty, ferocity, and divine judgment.
☩Hebrew Terminology
The abundance of lions in biblical lands is reflected in the multiple Hebrew terms for this animal. The common word 'aryeh' or 'ari' (the tearer) is the general name. Gur denotes a suckling whelp still under parental protection. Kephir (the shaggy) designates an adolescent lion old enough to roar and hunt independently but not yet fully grown. Shachal (the roarer) describes a mature lion in full strength. Layish (the strong) refers to a fierce or aged lion at maximum effectiveness. Lebhi or labhi' typically means lioness. The variety of names, appearing together in Job 4:10-11, confirms how commonly lions were encountered.
☩Natural History
The lion is the most powerful carnivore, weighing over 450 pounds in Asian varieties and exceeding 500 pounds in African specimens. A single blow from its forepaw can break an ox's vertebrae, and its huge teeth and muscular frame enable prodigious feats of strength. The Asiatic lion, which inhabited Palestine, typically had a shorter, curlier mane than its African counterpart. Lions once roamed throughout Syria, Palestine, Asia Minor, and even the Balkan peninsula, though none exist in Palestine today. They frequented the dense thickets along the Jordan's banks—its 'pride' or swelling—and the forests of Lebanon and Hermon. Lions attacked flocks in the presence of shepherds, laid waste to villages, and devoured men.
☩Biblical Narratives
Several notable encounters with lions are recorded. Samson, empowered by the Spirit, tore apart a young lion at Timnath (Judges 14:5-6). David as a shepherd killed lions that attacked his flock, testimony to his fitness to protect Israel (1 Samuel 17:34-36). Benaiah, one of David's mighty men, slew a lion in a pit during a snowstorm (2 Samuel 23:20). A disobedient prophet was killed by a lion as divine judgment (1 Kings 13:24). Lions sent by the Lord plagued the foreign settlers in Samaria after Israel's exile (2 Kings 17:25). Daniel survived the lions' den through God's miraculous intervention (Daniel 6:16-22).
☩Symbolic and Figurative Uses
Lions provide rich imagery throughout Scripture. Judah is called 'a lion's whelp' in Jacob's blessing, establishing the royal symbol for the messianic tribe (Genesis 49:9). Dan likewise receives lion imagery (Deuteronomy 33:22). The 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' in Revelation 5:5 is Christ, who combines the opposites of conquering lion and sacrificial lamb. Conversely, Satan prowls 'as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour' (1 Peter 5:8). A ruler's wrath is compared to a lion's roaring (Proverbs 19:12). Enemies seeking to destroy are likened to lions (Psalm 7:2; 22:13). In the millennium, 'the lion shall eat straw like the ox' (Isaiah 11:7), and predator and prey shall dwell peacefully together.
☩In Temple and Throne
Lion imagery adorned Solomon's temple and palace. The bases of the bronze lavers were decorated with molded lions alongside oxen and cherubim (1 Kings 7:29, 36). Most impressively, twelve lions stood on the six steps leading to Solomon's ivory throne, one on each side of each step, with two more beside the armrests—'there was not the like made in any kingdom' (1 Kings 10:19-20). The lion-faced figures in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14) and the lion-like first living creature around God's throne (Revelation 4:7) convey the kingly aspect of divine majesty.
Related Verses122 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Lion," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Lion," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Lion," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.George Morrish, "Lion," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 5.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Lion," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 6.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Lion," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).