Topical Encyclopedia
The leopard is a large feline known for its distinctive spotted coat and is mentioned several times in the Bible. In the ancient Near East, the leopard was a symbol of swiftness, strength, and ferocity, characteristics that are reflected in its biblical appearances.
Biblical References:1.
Symbol of Swiftness and Stealth: · In the book of Habakkuk, the leopard is used metaphorically to describe the speed and stealth of the Chaldeans.
Habakkuk 1:8 states, "Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their horsemen charge ahead; their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping down to devour."
2.
Metaphor for Danger and Judgment: · The prophet Jeremiah uses the leopard to illustrate the inevitability of judgment and the difficulty of changing one's nature.
Jeremiah 13:23 asks rhetorically, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do good—you who are accustomed to doing evil."
3.
Imagery of the Beast: · In the apocalyptic vision of Daniel, the leopard is part of a composite beast symbolizing a kingdom.
Daniel 7:6 describes, "After this I looked, and there was another beast, like a leopard. On its back it had four wings like those of a bird, and the beast had four heads. It was given authority to rule."
4.
Representation of a Kingdom: · The book of Revelation also uses the imagery of a leopard in its depiction of the beast rising from the sea.
Revelation 13:2 states, "The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority."
Cultural and Historical Context:In the biblical era, leopards were native to the regions surrounding Israel, including parts of Africa and Asia. Their presence in the wild and their reputation as formidable predators made them a fitting symbol for the attributes they are used to represent in Scripture. The leopard's adaptability and ability to thrive in various environments further underscore its symbolic use in biblical texts.
Theological Significance:The leopard's biblical symbolism often conveys themes of judgment, power, and the unchangeable nature of certain aspects of humanity and divine decree. Its use in prophetic and apocalyptic literature serves to communicate the swift and sometimes unexpected nature of God's actions in history. The leopard's imagery in Daniel and Revelation points to the complex interplay of earthly kingdoms and divine sovereignty, highlighting the transient nature of human power in contrast to God's eternal rule.
In summary, the leopard in the Bible serves as a powerful metaphor for speed, danger, and the unyielding nature of divine judgment, reflecting the broader themes of God's interaction with humanity and the unfolding of His divine plan.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Leopard(Heb.namer) is invariably given by the Authorized Version as the translation of the Hebrew word, which occurs in the seven following passages: (Solomon 4:8;Isaiah 11:6;Jeremiah 5:6;13:23;Daniel 7:6;Hosea 13:7); Habb 1:8Leopard occurs also in Ecclus. 28:23 and in (Revelation 13:2) From (Solomon 4:8) we learn that the hilly ranges of Lebanon were in ancient times frequented by these animals. They are now not uncommonly seen in and about Lebanon and the southern maritime mountains of Syria. Under the namenamer , which means "spotted," it is not improbable that another animal, namely the cheetah (Gueparda jubata), may be included; which is tamed by the Mohammedans of Syria, who employ it in hunting the gazelle.
Scripture Alphabet Of Animals
LeopardThe leopard is a beautiful animal, though very savage and cruel. It is about as large as the largest of our dogs, but it looks much more like a cat than a dog. You have watched kittens at their play a hundred times, and you know how very quick, and pretty, and graceful all their motions are. It is just so with the leopard; and it can creep along too, as softly as a cat, and run up a tree after a monkey, as easily as a cat does after a bird. It lives mostly upon young antelopes and deer, and it often lies still a long time watching one till it comes near, and then springs out upon it. The Bible says in one place,"A leopard shall watch over their cities; every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces;" and in another,"Therefore will I be to them as a lion; as a leopard by the way will I observe (or watch for) them." The leopard runs very swiftly when it is trying to overtake any animal: the Bible says,"Their horses are swifter than leopards."
Its color is a clear, handsome yellow, spotted with black; the spots are found in little groups, two, or three, or four together, and the skin is very smooth and shining. There is such a great difference between the color of the spots and the rest of the skin, that you would think it a very curious looking animal.Jeremiah 12:23: " Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil." It would be no easy thing to wash away the leopard's black spots; indeed nothing but God's power could do it. So it is not easy to do right when we have been used to do wrong, and have loved to do it: this is why we need to pray that God will"create a clean heart and renew a right spirit within" us. Should we not be careful about every sinful habit? Remember, dear child, that such a habit in you may become fixed, almost like the leopard's spots; and pray God to help you love every thing that is"pure, and lovely, and of good report."
What a peaceful and happy time that will be, when Jesus our Savior shall reign in all the earth-when all men shall love him and each other-when " the leopard (fierce and cruel as it is now) shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." That bright day is coming; and if you love Christ, even you-a child-can do something to prepare for it.
ATS Bible Dictionary
LeopardA fierce wild beast of the feline genus, beautifully spotted with a diversity of colors; it has small eyes, wide jaws, sharp teeth, round ears, a large tail; five claws on the fore feet, and four on those behind. It is swift, craft, and cruel; dangerous to all domestic cattle, and even to man,Jeremiah 5:6 13:23Daniel 10:6Hosea 13:7Habakkuk 1:8. Its name, leopard, implies that it has something of the lion and of the panther in its nature. It seems from Scripture that the leopard could not be rare in Palestine. Its Hebrew name occurs significantly in several names of places; as Beth-nimrah, the haunt of leopards,Numbers 32:36. So in Nimrah, Nimrim, and perhaps Nimrod the mighty hunter. Isaiah, describing the happy reign of the Messiah, says,Isaiah 11:6, "The leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together." The spouse in the Canticles speaks of the mountains of the leopards, So 4:8; that is to say, such as Lebanon and Hermon, where wild beasts dwelt.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Hebrews namer, so called because spotted, Cant. 4:8), was that great spotted feline which anciently infested the mountains of Syria, more appropriately called a panther (Felis pardus). Its fierceness (
Isaiah 11:6), its watching for its prey (
Jeremiah 5:6), its swiftness (
Habakkuk 1:8), and the spots of its skin (
Jeremiah 13:23), are noticed. This word is used symbolically (
Dan. 7:6;
Revelation 13:2).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) A large, savage, carnivorous mammal (Felis leopardus). It is of a yellow or fawn color, with rings or roselike clusters of black spots along the back and sides. It is found in Southern Asia and Africa. By some the panther (Felis pardus) is regarded as a variety of leopard.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LEOPARDlep'-erd ((1) namer (Songs 4:8Isaiah 11:6Jeremiah 5:6;Jeremiah 13:23Hosea 13:7Habakkuk 1:8); compare Arabic nimr, "leopard." (2) Chaldaic nemar (Daniel 7:6). (3) pardalis (Revelation 13:2; Ecclesiasticus 28:23); compare nimrim Nimrim (Isaiah 15:6Jeremiah 48:34), nimrah, Nimrah (Numbers 32:3), and beth-nimrah, Beth-nimrah (Numbers 32:36Joshua 13:27)): The leopard is found throughout Africa and ranges through Southern Asia from Asia Minor to Japan, being absent from Siberia and Central Asia. Its range is much the same as that of the lion, which latter, however, does not extend so far to the East. Like other animals of wide range, it has local varieties, but these shade into each other imperceptibly, and the one specific name, Felis pardus, includes all. Leopards live in some of the valleys East and South of the Dead Sea, and in the mountains of Sinai and Northwestern Arabia. They have but rarely been seen of recent years in Lebanon or the more settled portions of Palestine. So far as can be judged from skins which are available for comparison, the leopard of Palestine is rather light in color, and is not as large as. some found in Africa or India. It is not certain that the place-names, NIMRIM, NIMRAH, and BETH-NIMRAH (which see), have to do with namer, "leopard," but their location is in Moab, where leopards are well known, even at the present day. One of the valleys entering the Dead Sea from the East, South of the Arnon, is called Wadi-en-Numeir ("valley of the little leopard"; numeir, diminutive of nimr).
In the Bible "leopard" occurs mainly in figurative expressions, as a large and fierce beast. The leopard is mentioned with the lion and bear inDaniel 7:6Hosea 13:7Revelation 13:2; with the lion, wolf and bear inIsaiah 11:6; with the lion and wolf inJeremiah 5:6; with the lion alone in Ecclesiasticus 28:23; with the wolf alone inHabakkuk 1:8. The leopard is smaller than the lion and the tiger, but is more active than either. Its swiftness is referred to inHabakkuk 1:8: "Their horses also (of the Chaldeans) are swifter than leopards." The spots of the leopard are referred to inJeremiah 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?"
The Greek pardalis, and panther, were both applied to the leopard. "Panther" is sometimes used of large leopards, while in America, with its corrupt form "painter," it is one of the names applied to the cougar or puma, Felis concolor, which, as the specific name implies, is not spotted like the leopard, or striped like the tiger.
Alfred Ely Day
Greek
3917. pardalis -- a panther,leopard... a panther,
leopard. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: pardalis Phonetic
Spelling: (par'-dal-is) Short Definition: a
leopard, panther Definition: a
...Strong's Hebrew
5246. namer -- aleopard... 5245, 5246. namer. 5247 . a
leopard. Transliteration: namer Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-mare') Short Definition:
leopard. Word Origin
...5245. nemar -- aleopard
... 5244, 5245. nemar. 5246 . aleopard. Transliteration: nemar Phonetic
Spelling: (nem-ar') Short Definition:leopard. Word Origin...
1039. Beth Nimrah -- "place of aleopard," a place East of the...
... "place of aleopard," a place East of the Jordan. Transliteration: Beth Nimrah Phonetic
Spelling: (bayth nim-raw') Short Definition: Beth-nimrah....
5247. Nimrah -- "place ofleopard," a place East of the Jordan
... 5246, 5247. Nimrah. 5248 . "place ofleopard," a place East of the Jordan.
Transliteration: Nimrah Phonetic Spelling: (nim-raw') Short Definition: Nimrah....
Library
Argument. From the Prison they are Led Forth with Joy into the...
... Perpetua and Felicitas are Thrown Down; They are Called Back to the Sanavivarian
Gate. Saturus Wounded by aLeopard, Exhorts the Soldier....
That Evening Vergilius Went to Feast with the Young Herodian...
... There he kept a lion from northern Africa, a tiger, and a blackleopard from the
Himalayas.... You shall be punished; you shall enter the cage of theleopard."....
Addition to Acts of Philip.
... And the executioners ran to the house of Stachys, and laid hold of Philip, and
Bartholomew, and Mariamme, with theleopard and the kid of the goats, and...
It was a Clear Morning and the Tenth Day Before the Kalends of...
... rest. With a hand quick as the paw of aleopard, Vergilius whirled it away
and caught the wrist of the Jew and flung him down. While...
To those who are Altogether Reprobate, and Unrepentant, who...
... To those who are altogether reprobate, and unrepentant, who possess the Ethiopian's
unchanging skin, [2287] and theleopard's spots, it shall be said, as it...
The Ten-Horned Beast.
... And the wild beast, which I saw was like aleopard, and his feet were like those
of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his...
On Daniel. Ii. The Interpretation by Hippolytus, (Bishop) of Rome...
... Then comes the third beast, "aleopard," which means the Greeks; for after the Persians,
Alexander of Macedon had the power, when Darius was overthrown, which...
Period iv. The Age of the Consolidation of the Church: 200 to 324...
... Therefore, in the beginning of the exhibition he and Revocatus made trial of the
leopard, and, moreover, upon the scaffold they were harassed by the bear....
On the Animals
... Theleopard is the devil, or the untrustworthy sinner in death; in the prophet:
as an Ethiopian cannot change his skin nor aleopard his spots....
Concerning Peaceableness
... a lamb-like gentleness. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid . . .' (Isaiah 11:6-9...
Thesaurus
Leopard (6 Occurrences)... It is found in Southern Asia and Africa. By some the panther (Felis pardus) is regarded
as a variety of
leopard. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
LEOPARD.
...Zoology
... MOLE (which see) not found in Palestine CHIROPTERA: Bat CARNIVORA (a) Felidae, Cat,
Lion,Leopard (b) Hyaenidae, Hyena (c) Canidae, Dog (including Greyhound...
Gopher (1 Occurrence)
... as, the gray gopher (Spermophilus Franklini) and the striped gopher (S.
tridecemlineatus); -- called also striped prairie squirrel,leopard marmot, and...
Spot (42 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A small part of a different color from the main part, or from the ground
upon which it is; as, the spots of aleopard; the spots on a playing card....
Lentils (4 Occurrences)
Lion (92 Occurrences)
... Therefore in prophetical references to the millennium, the lion, with the bear,
wolf, andleopard, is mentioned as living in peace with the ox, calf, kid, lamb...
Dominion (72 Occurrences)
... Revelation 13:2 The Wild Beast which I saw resembled aleopard, and had feet like
the feet of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion; and it was to...
Venture (10 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the
evenings shall spoil them, aleopard shall watch over their cities: every...
Observe (216 Occurrences)
... 37:11, the King James Version "His father observed the saying" (the Revised Version
(British and American) "kept the saying in mind"); Hosea 13:7, "As aleopard...
Ostrich (9 Occurrences)
... With its length and strength of leg and the weight of foot it could strike a blow
that saved it from attack by beasts smaller than aleopard....
Resources
What are the four beasts in Daniel chapter 7? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are some biblical examples of dream interpretation? | GotQuestions.orgWho is the beast of Revelation? | GotQuestions.orgLeopard: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
