Reference: Lion
American
The well-known and noble king of beasts, frequently spoken of in Scripture. He often exceeds eight feet in length and four feet in height; and his majestic and dauntless aspect, his prodigious strength and agility, and his peculiar roar, make him the terror of the forests. Lions were common in Palestine, (See JORDAN,) and the Hebrews had seven different names for them, to distinguish the different ages, etc. Five of these occur together in Job 4:10-11. See also Na 2:11-12. The psalmist alludes to the stealthy creeping of the lion till he can spring upon his prey, when he says of the crafty wicked man, "He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den;....he croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones." The Bible reader will remember the exploits of Samson and of David, Jg 14:5-6; 1Sa 17:34-36, the story of the disobedient prophet slain by a lion, 1Ki 13:28, and of the obedient Daniel, safe in the lion's den, Da 6; also the sublime image of Jehovah's care for his people, in Isa 31:4.
The Lion of the tribe of Judah, Re 5:5, is Jesus Christ, who sprung from the tribe of Judah and the race of David, and overcame death, the world, and the devil. It is supposed that a lion was the device of the tribe of Judah; whence this allusion, Ge 49:9.
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A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
So Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, - and they came as far as the vineyards of Timnath, when lo! a young lion, roaring to meet him. And the Spirit of Yahweh, came suddenly over him, and he tore it in pieces as if he had torn in pieces a kid, there being, nothing at all, in his hand, - but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
So he went and found his dead body, cast out in the way, with, the ass and the lion, standing near the dead body, - the lion had neither eaten the dead body, nor had it torn the ass.
Notwithstanding the roaring of the lion, and the noise of the howling lion, yet, the teeth of the fierce lions, are broken: The strong lion perishing for lack of prey, Even the whelps of the lioness, are scattered.
For Thus, hath Yahweh said unto me - Like as a lion or a young lion growleth over his prey. Who - though there be called out against him a multitude of shepherds - Will not at their voice, be dismayed, Nor, at their noise, be daunted, So, will Yahweh of hosts come down, to make war over Mount Zion, and over the hill thereof.
Where is the lair of the lions? Yea the very feeding-place of the young lions, - where walked the lion, the lioness, the lion's whelp, with none to make them afraid? The lion, used to tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and to strangle for his lionesses, - and then fill with prey his holes, and his lairs with what he had torn.
And, one of the elders, saith unto me - Do not weep! Lo! the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome, to open the scroll and the seven seals thereof.
Fausets
ariy, 'arieh ("the bearer," Umbreit); guwr, "the whelp" (Ge 49:9); kephir, "the young lion" in adolescent vigour, his "great teeth" grown (Ps 58:6), having his own covert (Jer 25:38); labiy, in adult maturity (Ge 49:9); libyah, "lioness"; la'ish, "an old (rather strong, from an Arabic root) lion": Job 4:11, where the five different terms occur; shachal is "the roaring lion"; labiy appears in the German lowe. The variety of names shows the abundance of lions in the regions of Scripture at that time. Now there are none in Palestine. But the names Lebaoth (Jos 15:32), Arieh (2Ki 15:25), Ariel for Jerusalem (Isa 29:1-2,7), Laish (Jg 18:7), incidentally, and so undesignedly, confirm the Scripture assertions as to their former existence.
The forests and tangled thickets have been almost swept away which were their former lair. Jordan's wooded banks, its "pride" (as some translated, but others "swelling"), gave cover to lions (Jer 49:19), "a lion from the swelling (so Calvin, the overflow forcing the lion from the woody banks) of Jordan." The Asiatic lion has a short curly mane, and is shorter and rounder than the African. It laid waste villages (2Ki 17:25-26; Pr 22:13) and slew men (1Ki 13:24; 20:35-36). Shepherds, as David, sometimes singly encountered it, and prevailed (1Sa 17:34-35; Am 3:12); oftener in bands, frightening him with shouts into a pit covered over with reed or branches lightly, to entrap it (Eze 19:4,8-9). Benaiah slew one in a pit or cistern, in which it had taken refuge in a snowstorm (2Sa 23:20).
Samson slew one at Timnath (Jg 14:5-6). Lion hunting is depicted as the amusement of the Ninevite kings, who followed the great hunter Nimrod's example. Captured lions were caged, which illustrates the image in Eze 19:9. The lion symbolizes bravery, so the faces of the warriors of Gad who joined David are designated "the faces of lions" (1Ch 12:8); also might and royalty, as in the winged lion figures with human heads in the Assyrian palace remains, and in Solomon's steps to his throne (1Ki 10:19-20); so the royal tribe Judah had the lion as its standard. Messiah is "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David," yet also the Lamb, combining opposites. The first of the four living creatures was like a lion (Re 4:7, compare Eze 1:10), the kingly aspect of Messiah in Matthew.
Nineveh is compared to a lion's den, full of remains of its prey, appropriately, as lion figures abounded in the Assyrian palaces, Na 2:11-12, "where is," etc.? i.e. God will so destroy it that its site will be hard to find; fulfilled to the letter (Na 1:8). Lions haunted dens in Lebanon and Hermon (Song 4:8). Balaam compares Israel to "a great lion (labiy) and a young lion" ('arieh): Nu 23:24; 24:9. Am 3:4, "will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey?" i.e., God would not threaten wrath if there were not; a guilty nation, its object (Mt 24:28); "will a young lion cry out of his den if he (the old lion) have taken nothing?" The young lion lies silent until the parent lion brings the prey near, then the scent rouses him; so the prophet would not speak against Israel if God did not reveal to him Israel's sin requiring Israel's punishment.
Satan is the "roaring lion" as well as the subtle serpent (1Pe 5:8). Sha'ag is the lion's roar in seeking prey (Ps 104:21); naham his cry when seizing it (Isa 5:29, compare Pr 19:12); hagah his growl defying any effort to snatch from him his prey (Isa 31:4); na'ar the cry of the young lion (Jer 51:38); rabats is his crouching in his lair (Ge 49:10); shacah and yashab (Job 38:40) his lying in wait; 'arab his secretly doing so (Ps 10:9); ramas his stealthily creeping after prey (Ps 104:20); zinneq his leap, flinging himself on it (De 33:22) (Smith's Bible Dictionary).
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A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the commanders staff a from between his feet, - Until that he come in as a Shiloh, And, his, be the obedience of the peoples:
Lo, a people, like a lioness, shall rise, And like a strong lion, shall rouse himself up; He will not lie down till be eat the torn, And the blood of the slain, he drink.
He hath knelt - hath lain down, Like a strong lion, yea like a lioness, Who shall rouse him up? Such as bless thee are each one blessed, But, such, as curse thee, are each one cursed.
And, of Dan, he said, Dan, is a lion's whelp, - He leapeth out of Bashan.
and Lebaoth and Shilhim, and En-rimmon, - all the cities are twenty-nine, with their villages.
So Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, - and they came as far as the vineyards of Timnath, when lo! a young lion, roaring to meet him. And the Spirit of Yahweh, came suddenly over him, and he tore it in pieces as if he had torn in pieces a kid, there being, nothing at all, in his hand, - but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
So the five men went their way, and entered Laish, - and saw the people who were therein, dwelling securely, after the manner of the Zidonians, quietly and securely, and there was no one to reproach them with anything in the land, none to possess himself of dominion, they being, far away, from the Zidonians, and having no dealings with any one.
Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock; and I would go out after him, and smite him, and rescue it out of his mouth, - and, if he rose against me, I would catch him by his beard, and smite him, and slay him.
Benaiah also, son of Jehoiadah, son of an active man, hero of many a deed, a man of Kabzeel, he, smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab, he, also went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit, on a day of snow;
There were, six steps, to the throne, and there was, a circular top, to the throne, behind it, and there were supports on this side and on that, unto the place of the seat, - with two lions standing beside the supports; and, twelve lions, were standing there, upon the six steps, on this side and on that, - there had never been made the like, for any of the kingdoms.
And, when he had gone, there met him a lion by the way, and slew him, - and his dead body was cast out in the way, and, the ass, was standing near it, and, the lion, was standing near the dead body.
And, a certain man of the sons of the prophets, said unto his neighbour, by the word of Yahweh - Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite him. So he said to him - Because thou hast not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh, lo! when thou art departing from me, there shall smite thee a lion. And when he departed from beside him, a lion found him, and smote him.
And there conspired against him - Pekah son of Remaliah, a hero of his, and smote him in Samaria, in the citadel of the house of a king, with Argob and with Arieh, and, with him, fifty men of the sons of the Gileadites, - and he slew him, and reigned in his stead.
And so it was, that, when they first dwelt there, they revered not Yahweh, - therefore Yahweh sent among them, lions, which were slaying them. Therefore spake they unto the king of Assyria, saying, The nations whom thou hast removed and settled in the cities of Samaria, know not the custom of the God of the land, - and he hath sent among them lions, and lo! they are slaying them, because they know not the custom of the God of the land.
And, of the Gadites, there separated themselves unto David, to the stronghold towards the desert, heroes of valour, men of war, for battle, men that could handle shield and spear, - and, faces of lions, were their faces, and, like gazelles upon the mountains, were they, for swiftness:
The strong lion perishing for lack of prey, Even the whelps of the lioness, are scattered.
When they settle down in dens, abide in covert, for lying in wait?
He lieth in wait in a hiding-place, like a lion in his covert, He lieth in wait to catch the humbled, He catcheth the humbled, by drawing him into his net:
O God! break away their teeth in their mouth, The biters of the young lions, knock thou out, O Yahweh!
Thou causest darkness, and it becometh night, Therein, creepeth forth, Every wild beast of the forest; The young lions, roaring for prey, And seeking, from GOD, their food.
The growl as of a young lion, is the rage of a king, but, like dew upon the grass, is his good pleasure.
Saith the sluggard, A lion outside! Amidst the broadways, shall I be slain.
With me, from Lebanon, O bride, with me, from Lebanon, shalt thou enter, - Thou shalt look round from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir, and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.
A roar, hath he, like a lioness, - He will roar like wild lions - And will growl, and lay hold on prey, and carry into safety, and there be none to deliver.
Alas for Ariel, Ariel, The city against which, David encamped, - Add ye a year to a year. Let the festivals, come round; Yet will I bring Ariel into straits, - And she shall become a bewailing and wailing, Yea she shall become to me a veritable Hearth of God.
And it shall be like the dream of a night vision, With the multitude of all the nations who have been making war against Ariel, - Even with all who have been making war against her and her stronghold and who have been laying siege to her;
For Thus, hath Yahweh said unto me - Like as a lion or a young lion growleth over his prey. Who - though there be called out against him a multitude of shepherds - Will not at their voice, be dismayed, Nor, at their noise, be daunted, So, will Yahweh of hosts come down, to make war over Mount Zion, and over the hill thereof.
He hath left as a lion his covert, For their land hath become a horror, Because of the fierceness of oppression and Because of the fierceness of his anger.
Lo! like a lion, will he come up from the majesty of the Jordan, unto the pasture perennial, But I will wink - I will make him run away therefrom, Who then shall be the Chosen One whom over it, I may set in charge? For who shall be like unto, me? And who shall appoint me, a time? And who is the Shepherd that shall stand before, me?
Together, like wild lions, shall they roar, - They have growled like lions' whelps.
and the likeness of their faces was the face of a man, with the face of a lion to the right of the four of them, and the face of an ox on the left, of the four of them, - the face of an eagle, also had they four;
Then nations heard of him. In their pit, was he caught, - So they brought him with hooks. Into the land of Egypt.
Then set upon him the nations round about. From the provinces,- And spread over him their net In their pit, was he caught; And they put him in a cage with hooks, And brought him to Babylon's king, - They brought him into strong-holds, That his noise might be heard no more Among the mountains of Israel.
And they put him in a cage with hooks, And brought him to Babylon's king, - They brought him into strong-holds, That his noise might be heard no more Among the mountains of Israel.
Will a lion roar in the forest, when, prey, he hath none? Will a young lion utter his voice out of his den, when he hath made no capture?
Thus, saith Yahweh, Just as a shepherd rescueth, out of the mouth of the lion, a couple of shankbones, or the tip of an ear, so, shall be rescued the sons of Israel, who are tarrying in Samaria, in the corner of the divan, and on the damask of the luxurious couch.
But, with an overflow rolling on, a full end, will he make of them who rise up against him, - and, his foes, will he pursue into darkness.
Where is the lair of the lions? Yea the very feeding-place of the young lions, - where walked the lion, the lioness, the lion's whelp, with none to make them afraid? The lion, used to tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and to strangle for his lionesses, - and then fill with prey his holes, and his lairs with what he had torn.
Wheresoever, the corpse, shall be, there, shall be gathered, the vultures!
Be sober! be watchful! Your slanderous adversary, as a roaring lion, is walking about - seeking to devour:
and, the first living creature, is like unto a lion, and, the second living creature, like unto a calf, and, the third living creature, hath the face as of a man, and, the fourth living creature, is like unto an eagle flying;
Hastings
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A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
Lo, a people, like a lioness, shall rise, And like a strong lion, shall rouse himself up; He will not lie down till be eat the torn, And the blood of the slain, he drink.
Lo, a people, like a lioness, shall rise, And like a strong lion, shall rouse himself up; He will not lie down till be eat the torn, And the blood of the slain, he drink.
He hath knelt - hath lain down, Like a strong lion, yea like a lioness, Who shall rouse him up? Such as bless thee are each one blessed, But, such, as curse thee, are each one cursed.
And, of Dan, he said, Dan, is a lion's whelp, - He leapeth out of Bashan.
So he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said - A woman, have I seen in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines, - now, therefore, take her for me, to wife.
And the Spirit of Yahweh, came suddenly over him, and he tore it in pieces as if he had torn in pieces a kid, there being, nothing at all, in his hand, - but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
And he returned, after a time, to take her, and went aside to see the carcass of the lion, - and lo! a swarm of bees, in the body of the lion, and, honey,
Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock;
And, when he had gone, there met him a lion by the way, and slew him, - and his dead body was cast out in the way, and, the ass, was standing near it, and, the lion, was standing near the dead body.
And, a certain man of the sons of the prophets, said unto his neighbour, by the word of Yahweh - Smite me, I pray thee. But the man refused to smite him.
Notwithstanding the roaring of the lion, and the noise of the howling lion, yet, the teeth of the fierce lions, are broken:
Notwithstanding the roaring of the lion, and the noise of the howling lion, yet, the teeth of the fierce lions, are broken: The strong lion perishing for lack of prey, Even the whelps of the lioness, are scattered.
The strong lion perishing for lack of prey, Even the whelps of the lioness, are scattered.
Wherefore then, from the womb, didst thou bring me forth? I might have breathed my last, and, no eye, have seen me.
On the lion and adder, shalt thou tread, Shalt trample on young lion and crocodile.
The growl as of a young lion, is the rage of a king, but, like dew upon the grass, is his good pleasure.
The growl as of a young lion, is the dread inspired by a king, he that provoketh him, endangereth his own life.
The lion, hero among beasts, which turneth aside from the face of no one;
The Oracle on the Beasts of the South, - Through a land of distress and oppression - Lioness and lion coming therefrom, Viper and fiery flying serpent, They would carry, on the shoulders of young asses their wealth And on the humps of camels their treasures Unto a people that cannot serve them.
For Thus, hath Yahweh said unto me - Like as a lion or a young lion growleth over his prey. Who - though there be called out against him a multitude of shepherds - Will not at their voice, be dismayed, Nor, at their noise, be daunted, So, will Yahweh of hosts come down, to make war over Mount Zion, and over the hill thereof.
Thou, therefore, shalt prophesy against them all these words, - and shalt say unto them - Yahweh, from on high, will roar Yea from his holy habitation, will utter his voice, He will, roar mightily over his home, With a shout as of them who tread the winepress, will he answer unto all the inhabitants of the earth.
Lo! like a lion, will he come up from the majesty of the Jordan, unto the pasture perennial, But I will wink - I will make him run away therefrom, Who then shall be the Chosen One whom over it, I may set in charge? For who shall be like unto, me? And who shall appoint me, a time? And who is the Shepherd that shall stand before, me?
Lo! as a lion, shall he come up from the majesty of the Jordan, Unto the pasture perennial, But I will wink - I will make them run away therefrom, Who then shall be the Chosen One whom against it, I may set in charge? For who shall be like unto, me? And who shall appoint me, a time? And who is the Shepherd that shall stand before me?
and thou shalt say - How was thy mother a lioness, Between lions, she lay down,- I n the midst of young lions, She nourished her whelps;
and thou shalt say - How was thy mother a lioness, Between lions, she lay down,- I n the midst of young lions, She nourished her whelps;
For, I, will be as a lion unto Ephraim, and as a young lion to the house of Judah, - I, I, will tear in pieces, and depart, I will carry off, and none be able to rescue.
And, Yahweh, out of Zion, will roar, and, out of Jerusalem, will utter his voice, and the heavens and the earth, shall tremble, - but, Yahweh, shall be a shelter to his people, and a refuge to the sons of Israel.
A lion, hath roared, Who will not fear? My Lord Yahweh, hath spoken, Who can forbear to prophesy?
Thus, saith Yahweh, Just as a shepherd rescueth, out of the mouth of the lion, a couple of shankbones, or the tip of an ear, so, shall be rescued the sons of Israel, who are tarrying in Samaria, in the corner of the divan, and on the damask of the luxurious couch.
And, the remnant of Jacob, shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the jungle, as a young lion among flocks of sheep, - who, if he passeth by, both treadeth down - and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
The noise of the howling of the shepherds, for spoiled is their majesty, - The noise of the roaring of the young lions, for spoiled are the proud banks of the Jordan.
Be sober! be watchful! Your slanderous adversary, as a roaring lion, is walking about - seeking to devour:
And, one of the elders, saith unto me - Do not weep! Lo! the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome, to open the scroll and the seven seals thereof.
Morish
There are several Hebrew words translated 'lion,' the principal of which is ari, from 'to tear.' The lion is declared to be the "strongest among beasts and turneth not away for any." Pr 30:30. This shows that the lion may be taken as a symbol of 'strength,' and as such the Lord is called the lion of the tribe of Judah, to which is attached the symbol of royalty, for Judah held the sceptre. Ge 49:9-10; Re 5:5. Satan also has a kingdom and is called a strong one, Mt 12:26; and he is the 'lion' seeking whom he may devour. He is compared to a 'roaring lion,' because he is like that animal, which roars when it is sure of its prey: cf. Am 3:4. The Lord knows how to deliver His servants even out of the mouth of the lion.
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A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the commanders staff a from between his feet, - Until that he come in as a Shiloh, And, his, be the obedience of the peoples:
The lion, hero among beasts, which turneth aside from the face of no one;
Will a lion roar in the forest, when, prey, he hath none? Will a young lion utter his voice out of his den, when he hath made no capture?
And, if, Satan, is casting, Satan, out, against himself, hath he become divided, - How then shall, his kingdom, stand?
And, one of the elders, saith unto me - Do not weep! Lo! the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome, to open the scroll and the seven seals thereof.
Smith
Lion.
The most powerful, daring and impressive of all carnivorous animals, the most magnificent in aspect and awful in voice. At present lions do not exist in Palestine; but they must in ancient times have been numerous. The lion of Palestine was in all probability the Asiatic variety, described by Aristotle and Pliny as distinguished by its short and curly mane, and by being shorter and rounder in shape, like the sculptured lion found at Arban. It was less daring than the longer named species, but when driven by hunger it not only ventured to attack the flocks in the desert in presence of the shepherd,
but laid waste towns and villages,
and devoured men.
Among the Hebrews, and throughout the Old Testament, the lion was the achievement of the princely tribe of Judah, while in the closing book of the canon it received a deeper significance as the emblem of him who "prevailed to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof."
On the other hand its fierceness and cruelty rendered it an appropriate metaphor for a fierce and malignant enemy.
and hence for the arch-fiend himself.
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Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock;
And, when he had gone, there met him a lion by the way, and slew him, - and his dead body was cast out in the way, and, the ass, was standing near it, and, the lion, was standing near the dead body.
So he said to him - Because thou hast not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh, lo! when thou art departing from me, there shall smite thee a lion. And when he departed from beside him, a lion found him, and smote him.
And so it was, that, when they first dwelt there, they revered not Yahweh, - therefore Yahweh sent among them, lions, which were slaying them. Therefore spake they unto the king of Assyria, saying, The nations whom thou hast removed and settled in the cities of Samaria, know not the custom of the God of the land, - and he hath sent among them lions, and lo! they are slaying them, because they know not the custom of the God of the land.
Lest one tear, as a lion, my soul, - and there be no deliverer to rescue.
Save me from the mouth of the lion, - Yea, from the horns of wild beasts, hast thou delivered me.
My soul, is in the midst of lions, I lie down amidst flames, As for the sons of men, Their teeth, are spear and arrows, And, their tongue, is a sharp sword.
Saith the sluggard, A lion outside! Amidst the broadways, shall I be slain.
Saith the sluggard, A roaring lion in the road! A tearing lion in the midst of the broadways.
For Thus, hath Yahweh said unto me - Like as a lion or a young lion growleth over his prey. Who - though there be called out against him a multitude of shepherds - Will not at their voice, be dismayed, Nor, at their noise, be daunted, So, will Yahweh of hosts come down, to make war over Mount Zion, and over the hill thereof.
Be sober! be watchful! Your slanderous adversary, as a roaring lion, is walking about - seeking to devour:
And, one of the elders, saith unto me - Do not weep! Lo! the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome, to open the scroll and the seven seals thereof.
Watsons
LION, ???, or ???, Ge 49:9; De 33:22; Ps 7:2; 22:13; Ho 13:8; Mic 5:8; a large beast of prey, for his courage and strength called the king of beasts. This animal is produced in Africa, and the hottest parts of Asia. It is found in the greatest numbers in the scorched and desolate regions of the torrid zone, in the deserts of Zaara and Billdulgerid, and in all the interior parts of the vast continent of Africa. In these desert regions, from whence mankind are driven by the rigorous heat of the climate, this animal reigns sole master. His disposition seems to partake of the ardour of his native soil. Inflamed by the influence of a burning sun, his rage is tremendous, and his courage undaunted. Happily, indeed, the species is not numerous, and is said to be greatly diminished; for, if we may credit the testimony of those who have traversed those vast deserts, the number of lions is not nearly so great as formerly. Mr. Shaw observes that the Romans carried more lions from Libya in one year for their public spectacles, than could be found in all that country at this time. The lion was also found in Palestine, and the neighbouring countries. The length of the largest lion is between eight and nine feet, the tail about four, and its height about four feet and a half. The female is about one-fourth part less, and without a mane. As the lion advances in years, his mane grows longer and thicker. The hair on the rest of the body is short and smooth, of a tawny colour, but whitish on the belly. Its roaring is loud and dreadful. When heard in the night it resembles distant thunder. Its cry of anger is much louder and shorter. The attachment of a lioness to her young is remarkably strong. For their support she is more ferocious than the lion himself; makes her incursions with greater boldness; destroys, without distinction, every animal that falls in her way, and carries it reeking to her cubs. She usually brings forth in the most retired and inaccessible places; and when afraid that her retreat should be discovered, endeavours to hide her track by brushing the ground with her tail. When much disturbed or alarmed, she will sometimes transport her young, which are usually three or four in number, from one place to another in her mouth; and, if obstructed in her course, will defend them to the last extremity. The habits of the lion and the lioness afford many spirited, and often sublime, metaphors to the sacred writers.
The lion has several names in Scripture, according to his different ages or character:
1. ???, a little lion, a lion's whelp, De 33:22; Jer 51:38; Eze 19:2; Na 2:13.
2. ????, a young lion that has done sucking the lioness, and, leaving the covert, begins to seek prey. for himself. So Eze 19:2-3: "The lioness hath brought up one of her whelps; it became a chephir; it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men." See Ps 91:13; Pr 19:12.
3. ???, a grown and vigorous lion, having whelps, eager in pursuit of prey for them, Na 2:12; valiant, 2Sa 17:10; arrogantly opposing himself, Nu 23:24. This is, indeed, the general name, and occurs frequently.
4. ??? one in the full strength of his age; a black lion, Job 4:10; 10:16; Ps 91:13; Pr 26:13; Ho 5:14; 13:7.
5. ???, a fierce or enraged lion, Job 4:11; Pr 30:30; Isa 25:6. A regard to these characteristics and distinctions is very important for illustrating the passages of Scripture where the animal is spoken of, and discovering the propriety of the allusions and metaphors which he so often furnishes to the Hebrew poets. The lion of the tribe of Judah, mentioned Re 5:5, is Jesus Christ, who sprung from the tribe of Judah, and overcame death, the world, and the devil. The lion from the swelling of Jordan, Jer 50:44, is Nebuchadnezzar marching against Judea, with the strength and fierceness of a lion. Isaiah, describing the happy time of the Messiah, says, that then the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling should lie down together; and that a little child should lead them; and that the lion should eat straw like the ox, Isa 11:6-7, which is hyberbolical, and signifies the peace and happiness which the church of Christ should enjoy. "The lion hath roared, and who shall not fear?" Am 3:8. "The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion. Who provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul," Pr 19:12; 20:2; that is, he seeketh his own death. Solomon says, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," Ec 10:4; showing that death renders those contemptible who otherwise are the greatest, most powerful, and most terrible.
Then went Samson down, and, behold, a young lion roared against him, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand, Jg 14:5-6. An instance in quite modern times of an unarmed man attempting to combat a lion is related by Poiret: "In a douar, or a camp of Bedouin Arabs, near La Calle, a French factory, a young lion had seized a cow. A young Moor threw himself upon the savage beast, to tear his booty from him, and as at were to stifle him in his arms, but he would not let go his prey. The father of the young man hastened to him, armed with a kind of hoe; and aiming at the lion, struck his son's hand, and cut off three of his fingers. It cost a great deal of trouble to rescue the prey from the lion. I saw this young man, who was attended by Mr. Gay, at that time surgeon to the hospital of La Calle." David, according to 1Sa 17:34, had, when a shepherd, once fought with a lion, and another time with a bear, and rescued their prey from them. Tellez relates, that an Abyssinian shepherd had once killed a lion of extraordinary size with only two poles. "Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong," Jer 49:19. The comparison used by the prophet in these words will be perfectly understood by the account which Mr. Maundrell gives of the river Jordan: "After having descended," says he, "the outermost bank of Jordan, you go about a furlong upon a level strand, before you come to the immediate bank of the river. This second bank is so beset with bushes and trees, such as tamarisks, willows, oleanders, &c, that you can see no water till you have made your way through them. In this thicket anciently, and the same is reported of it at this day, several sorts of wild beasts were wont to harbour themselves, whose being washed out of the covert by the over-flowings of the river gave occasion to that allusion: 'He shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan.'" "He shall be cast into the den of lions," Da 6:7. "In Morocco," says Host, "the king has a lions' den, into which men, particularly Jews, are sometimes thrown; but the latter generally come off unhurt; because the keepers of these animals are Jews, who may safely be with them, with a rod in the hand, if they only take care to go out backward, as the lion does not suffer any one to turn his back upon him. The other Jews do not let their brethren remain longer than a night among the lions, as they might otherwise become too hungry; but ransom them with money, which is, in fact, the king's object." In another place in the same work we find the following description of the construction of this lions' den: "At one end of the royal palace there is a place for ostriches and their young; and beyond the other end, toward the mountains, there is a large lions' den, which consists of a large square hole in the ground, with a partition, in the middle of which there is a door, which the Jews, who are obliged to maintain and keep them for nothing, are able to open and shut from above, and can thus entice the lions, by means of the food, from one division to the other, to clean the other in the mean time. It is all in the open air, and a person may look down over a wall, which is a yard and a quarter high."
See Verses Found in Dictionary
A lion's whelp, is Judah, From the prey, my son hast thou come up! He hath stooped - hath crouched As a lion - or as a lioness, Who shall rouse him?
Lo, a people, like a lioness, shall rise, And like a strong lion, shall rouse himself up; He will not lie down till be eat the torn, And the blood of the slain, he drink.
And, of Dan, he said, Dan, is a lion's whelp, - He leapeth out of Bashan.
And, of Dan, he said, Dan, is a lion's whelp, - He leapeth out of Bashan.
So Samson went down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, - and they came as far as the vineyards of Timnath, when lo! a young lion, roaring to meet him. And the Spirit of Yahweh, came suddenly over him, and he tore it in pieces as if he had torn in pieces a kid, there being, nothing at all, in his hand, - but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock;
then will, even the son of valour himself, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, utterly melt, - for all Israel do know that, a man of might, is thy father, and that, sons of valour, are they who are with him.
Notwithstanding the roaring of the lion, and the noise of the howling lion, yet, the teeth of the fierce lions, are broken: The strong lion perishing for lack of prey, Even the whelps of the lioness, are scattered.
When it is lifted up, like a howling lion, thou dost hunt me, Then again thou dost shew thyself marvellous against me.
Lest one tear, as a lion, my soul, - and there be no deliverer to rescue.
They have opened wide against me their mouth, A lion rending and roaring.
On the lion and adder, shalt thou tread, Shalt trample on young lion and crocodile.
On the lion and adder, shalt thou tread, Shalt trample on young lion and crocodile.
The growl as of a young lion, is the rage of a king, but, like dew upon the grass, is his good pleasure.
The growl as of a young lion, is the rage of a king, but, like dew upon the grass, is his good pleasure.
The growl as of a young lion, is the dread inspired by a king, he that provoketh him, endangereth his own life.
Saith the sluggard, A roaring lion in the road! A tearing lion in the midst of the broadways.
The lion, hero among beasts, which turneth aside from the face of no one;
If, the spirit of a ruler, riseth up against thee, thy place, do not leave, for gentleness, pacifieth such as have greatly erred.
And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, And, the leopard, with the kid, shall lie down, - And the calf and the young lion and the fatling - together, With, a little child, leading them; And the cow, with the bear shall find pasture, Together, shall their young ones, lie down, - And, the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw;
Then will Yahweh of hosts prepare for all the peoples in this mountain, A banquet of fat things, A banquet of old wines, - Of fat things full of marrow, Of old wines well refined;
Lo! like a lion, will he come up from the majesty of the Jordan, unto the pasture perennial, But I will wink - I will make him run away therefrom, Who then shall be the Chosen One whom over it, I may set in charge? For who shall be like unto, me? And who shall appoint me, a time? And who is the Shepherd that shall stand before, me?
Lo! as a lion, shall he come up from the majesty of the Jordan, Unto the pasture perennial, But I will wink - I will make them run away therefrom, Who then shall be the Chosen One whom against it, I may set in charge? For who shall be like unto, me? And who shall appoint me, a time? And who is the Shepherd that shall stand before me?
Together, like wild lions, shall they roar, - They have growled like lions' whelps.
and thou shalt say - How was thy mother a lioness, Between lions, she lay down,- I n the midst of young lions, She nourished her whelps;
and thou shalt say - How was thy mother a lioness, Between lions, she lay down,- I n the midst of young lions, She nourished her whelps; And she reared up one of her whelps - A young lion, he became, And he learned to rend prey. Men, he devoured.
All the ministers of the kingdom, the nobles and satraps, the near friends and the pashas, have consulted together, to establish a royal statute, and to confirm an interdict, - That, whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man, for thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
For, I, will be as a lion unto Ephraim, and as a young lion to the house of Judah, - I, I, will tear in pieces, and depart, I will carry off, and none be able to rescue.
Therefore am I become to them as a lion, - As a leopard by the way, do I watch. I will fall upon them as a bear bereaved, and will read asunder the enclosure of their heart, - that I may devour them there, like a lioness, the wild beast of the field, shall tear them in pieces.
A lion, hath roared, Who will not fear? My Lord Yahweh, hath spoken, Who can forbear to prophesy?
And, the remnant of Jacob, shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the jungle, as a young lion among flocks of sheep, - who, if he passeth by, both treadeth down - and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
The lion, used to tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and to strangle for his lionesses, - and then fill with prey his holes, and his lairs with what he had torn. Behold me! against thee, Declareth Yahweh of hosts, Therefore will I burn up in smoke her chariots, and, thy young lions, shall be devoured by the sword, - so will I cut off, out of the earth, thy prey, nor shall be heard any more, the voice of thine envoy.
And, one of the elders, saith unto me - Do not weep! Lo! the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath overcome, to open the scroll and the seven seals thereof.