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Introduction:
Lions hold a significant place in the biblical narrative, symbolizing both the majesty and the ferocity of God's creation. They are frequently mentioned throughout the Scriptures, serving as metaphors for strength, power, and sometimes danger. The lion's presence in the Bible reflects its prominence in the ancient Near East, where it was both feared and revered.

Symbolism and Metaphor:
Lions are often used symbolically in the Bible to represent strength and courage. InProverbs 28:1, the righteous are compared to a lion: "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." This verse highlights the lion's association with boldness and fearlessness.

The lion is also a symbol of royalty and authority. InGenesis 49:9-10, Jacob blesses his son Judah, saying, "Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion, he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his." Here, the lion symbolizes the future kingship and leadership that will come from the tribe of Judah.

Divine Judgment and Protection:
Lions are sometimes depicted as instruments of divine judgment. In1 Kings 13:24, a prophet who disobeys God's command is killed by a lion: "As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was left lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it." This account illustrates the lion as an agent of God's justice.

Conversely, lions also appear in narratives of divine protection. The most famous example is Daniel in the lions' den. InDaniel 6:22, Daniel testifies to God's deliverance: "My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions, and they have not harmed me, because I was found innocent in His sight." This account underscores God's power to protect His faithful servants even in the face of mortal danger.

Christological Imagery:
In the New Testament, the lion is used as a Christological symbol.Revelation 5:5 refers to Jesus as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah": "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.'" This imagery connects Jesus to the royal lineage of Judah and emphasizes His authority and victory.

Adversarial Imagery:
While lions are often positive symbols, they can also represent danger and evil.1 Peter 5:8 warns believers: "Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Here, the lion is a metaphor for the devil's destructive power and the need for vigilance among Christians.

Conclusion:
The lion's multifaceted symbolism in the Bible reflects its complex role in the ancient world as both a creature of awe and a symbol of divine and royal power. Whether representing God's protection, judgment, or the majesty of Christ, the lion remains a powerful biblical image.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

The most powerful of all carnivorous animals. Although not now found in Palestine, they must have been in ancient times very numerous there. They had their lairs in the forests (Jeremiah 5:6;12:8;Amos 3:4), in the caves of the mountains (Cant. 4:8;Nahum 2:12), and in the canebrakes on the banks of the Jordan (Jeremiah 49:19;50:44;Zechariah 11:3).

No fewer than at least six different words are used in the Old Testament for the lion.

(1.) Gor (i.e., a "suckling"), the lion's whelp (Genesis 49:9;Jeremiah 51:38, etc.).

(2.) Kephir (i.e., "shaggy"), the young lion (Judges 14:5;Job 4:10;Psalm 91:13;104:21), a term which is also used figuratively of cruel enemies (Psalm 34:10;35:17;58:6;Jeremiah 2:15).

(3.) 'Ari (i.e., the "puller" in pieces), denoting the lion in general, without reference to age or sex (Numbers 23:24;2 Samuel 17:10, etc.).

(4.) Shahal (the "roarer"), the mature lion (Job 4:10;Psalm 91:13;Proverbs 26:13;Hosea 5:14).

(5.) Laish, so called from its strength and bravery (Job 4:11;Proverbs 30:30;Isaiah 30:6). The capital of Northern Dan received its name from this word.

(6.) Labi, from a root meaning "to roar," a grown lion or lioness (Genesis 49:9;Numbers 23:24;24:9;Ezek. 19:2;Nahum 2:11).

The lion of Palestine was properly of the Asiatic variety, distinguished from the African variety, which is larger. Yet it not only attacked flocks in the presence of the shepherd, but also laid waste towns and villages (2 Kings 17:25, 26) and devoured men (1 Kings 13:24, 25). Shepherds sometimes, single-handed, encountered lions and slew them (1 Samuel 17:34, 35;Amos 3:12). Samson seized a young lion with his hands and "rent him as he would have rent a kid" (Judges 14:5, 6). The strength (Judges 14:18), courage (2 Samuel 17:10), and ferocity (Genesis 49:9) of the lion were proverbial.

Greek

3023. leon -- a lion
... Word Origin a prim. word Definition a lion NASB Word Usage lion (5), lion's (1),
lions (3). lion. A primary word; a "lion" -- lion. (leonti) -- 1 Occurrence....

Strong's Hebrew

3715. kephir -- young lion
... 3714, 3715. kephir. 3716 . young lion. Transliteration: kephir Phonetic
Spelling: (kef-eer') Short Definition:lions. Word Origin...

738. ari -- a lion
... 737, 738. ari. 739 . a lion. Transliteration: ari Phonetic Spelling:
(ar-ee') Short Definition:lions. Word Origin from arah Definition...

3833a. lebi -- a lion
... a lion. Transliteration: lebi Short Definition:lions. Word Origin from the same
as labi Definition a lion NASB Word Usagelions (1). 3833, 3833a....

744. aryeh -- a lion
... Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to ari Definition a lion NASB Word Usage lion
(1),lions (3),lions' (6). lion. (Aramaic) corresponding to 'ariy -- lion....

743b. aryeh -- a lion
... a lion. Transliteration: aryeh Short Definition: lion. Word Origin from arah Definition
a lion NASB Word Usage lion (41), lion's (4),lions (2). 743a, 743b....

Library

Daniel and theLions.
... DANIEL AND THELIONS.... So Daniel was cast into the den oflions, and a stone was put
over the mouth of the den, which was sealed by the King and the lords....

Meeting theLions
... TALK SIX. MEETING THELIONS. The Bible recounts some interesting stories of
lions.... Thelions of these stories may be likened to our trials....

In theLions' Den
... In the Lands of the Heathen Chapter 44 In theLions' Den.... A violation of this decree
should be punished by casting the offender into a den oflions....

Faith Stopping the Mouths ofLions
... THE BOOK OF DANIEL FAITH STOPPING THE MOUTHS OFLIONS. 'Then the king commanded,
and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den oflions....

Against "The RoaringLions"
... SAINT AUGUSTIN IV AGAINST "THE ROARINGLIONS". One day (this was soon after
he became bishop) Augustin went to visit a Catholic farmer...

Lions Lacking --But the Children Satisfied
...Lions Lacking"But the Children Satisfied.... "The younglions do lack and suffer hunger;"
that is the foil to set off the jewel and make it shine more brightly....

Wesley's Experiments withLions
... Chapter 13. Wesley in Scotland Again; Methodist's Wealth; "No Law for Methodists";
Exhausting Days; Whitefield Wesley's Experiments withLions....

Lions and Panthers Adored Him Likewise, and Accompanied them in...
...Lions and panthers adored Him likewise, and accompanied them in the desert.?Lions
and panthers adored Him likewise, and accompanied them in the desert....

One Lion TwoLions no Lion at All
... One Lion TwoLions No Lion at All. A sermon (No... is fallen.Lions or nolions,
men must work, or find disease and death in sloth. But...

Daniel in theLions' Den
... THE OLD TESTAMENT DANIEL IN THELIONS' DEN.... So the king gave his command,
and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den oflions....

Thesaurus

Lions (50 Occurrences)
... Shepherds sometimes, single-handed, encounteredlions and slew them (1 Samuel
17:34, 35; Amos 3:12).... Multi-Version ConcordanceLions (50 Occurrences)....

She-lions (2 Occurrences)
She-lions. She-lion, She-lions. Shelishiyah . Multi-Version Concordance
She-lions (2 Occurrences). Nahum 2:12 Food enough...

Whelp (4 Occurrences)
... lion's whelp" (Genesis 49:9); "Da is a lion's whelp" (Deuteronomy 33:22); it is
said of the Babylonians, "They shall roar together like younglions; they shall...

She-lion (8 Occurrences)
She-lion. Shelf, She-lion. She-lions .... (BBE). Job 38:39 Do you go after food
for the she-lion, or get meat so that the younglions may have enough, (BBE)....

Den (19 Occurrences)
... Daniel was cast into "the den oflions" (Dan. 6:16, 17). Some recent
discoveries among the ruins of Babylon have brought to light...

Lioness (13 Occurrences)
... Job 38:39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the
younglions, (WEB JPS ASV DBY NIV).... They will roar like younglions....

Cubs (11 Occurrences)
... folly. (WEB NAS RSV NIV). Jeremiah 51:38 They shall roar together like young
lions; they shall growl aslions' cubs. (WEB NAS NIV)....

Roaring (28 Occurrences)
... Job 4:10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth
of the younglions, are broken.... They will roar like younglions....

Growl (11 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Job 4:10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce
lion, the teeth of the younglions, are broken. (See NIV)....

Whelps (10 Occurrences)
... (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). Jeremiah 51:38 They shall roar together likelions: they
shall yell aslions' whelps. (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV)....

Resources

What is the significance of lions in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What should we learn from the account of Daniel in the lions' den? | GotQuestions.org

What is Bel and the Dragon? | GotQuestions.org

Bible Concordance •Bible Dictionary •Bible Encyclopedia •Topical Bible •Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Lions (50 Occurrences)

Hebrews 11:33
who, through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths oflions,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 9:8
They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like those oflions.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 9:17
Thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads oflions. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 17:36
Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath taunted the armies of the living God.'
(See RSV)

2 Samuel 1:23
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. In their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger thanlions.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 23:20
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, son of a valiant man, great in exploits, of Kabzeel: he it was that smote twolions of Moab; and he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.
(DBY)

1 Kings 7:29
and on the panels that were between the ledges werelions, oxen, and cherubim; and on the ledges there was a pedestal above; and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 7:36
On the plates of its stays, and on its panels, he engraved cherubim,lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 10:19
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and twolions standing beside the stays.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

1 Kings 10:20
Twelvelions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 17:25
So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn't fear Yahweh: therefore Yahweh sentlions among them, which killed some of them.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 17:26
Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, don't know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sentlions among them, and behold, they kill them, because they don't know the law of the god of the land."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 11:22
Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, a fighting-man of Kabzeel, had done great acts; he put to death two younglions going into their secret place; and he went down into a hole and put a lion to death in time of snow.
(BBE DBY)

1 Chronicles 12:8
Of the Gadites there separated themselves to David to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, that could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces oflions, and they were as swift as the roes on the mountains;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 9:18
And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and twolions standing beside the stays.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

2 Chronicles 9:19
Twelvelions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 4:10
The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the younglions, are broken.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 38:39
"Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, or satisfy the appetite of the younglions,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Job 38:41
Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the younglions with loud noise go wandering after their food?
(BBE)

Psalms 22:13
They open their mouths wide against me,lions tearing prey and roaring.
(WEB BBE NIV)

Psalms 22:21
Save me from the lion's mouth; yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen do Thou answer me.
(See NIV)

Psalms 34:10
The younglions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 35:17
Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from thelions.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 57:4
My soul is amonglions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 58:6
Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the younglions, Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 74:4
Sending out their voices likelions among your worshippers; they have put up their signs to be seen.
(BBE)

Psalms 104:21
The younglions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Song of Songs 4:8
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from thelions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 5:29
Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like younglions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 15:9
For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon,lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.
(KJV WBS)

Isaiah 30:6
The burden of the beasts of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the lion, the viper and flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
(See NIV)

Jeremiah 2:15
The younglions have roared on him, and yelled; and they have made his land waste: his cities are burned up, without inhabitant.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 50:17
Israel is a hunted sheep; thelions have driven him away: first, the king of Assyria devoured him; and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 51:38
They shall roar together like younglions; they shall growl as lions' cubs.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 19:2
and say, What was your mother? A lioness: she couched amonglions, in the midst of the young lions she nourished her cubs.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 19:6
He went up and down among thelions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 38:13
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the younglions of it, shall tell you, Have you come to take the spoil? have you assembled your company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great spoil?
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

Daniel 6:7
All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den oflions.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:12
Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's decree: Haven't you signed an decree, that every man who shall make petition to any god or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den oflions? The king answered, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn't alter.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:16
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den oflions. Now the king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:19
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den oflions.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:20
When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spoke and said to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from thelions?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:22
My God has sent his angel, and has shut thelions' mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:24
The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den oflions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces, before they came to the bottom of the den.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 6:27
He delivers and rescues, and he works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of thelions.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joel 1:6
For a nation hath come up on my land, Strong, and there is no number, Its teeth 'are' the teeth of a lion, And it hath the jaw-teeth of a lioness.
(See RSV)

Nahum 2:11
Where is the den of thelions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion's cubs, and no one made them afraid?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Nahum 2:13
"Behold, I am against you," says Yahweh of Armies, "and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your younglions; and I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Zephaniah 3:3
Her princes in the midst of her are roaringlions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing until the next day.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Zechariah 11:3
A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of younglions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Lions

Related Terms

Whelp (4 Occurrences)

Cub (4 Occurrences)

Lions (50 Occurrences)

Lioness (13 Occurrences)

Whelps (10 Occurrences)

Couches (15 Occurrences)

Den (19 Occurrences)

Lion (92 Occurrences)

Dan (71 Occurrences)