Lions in the Bible

• A lion roars over its prey; a young lion growls in its denAmos 3:4
  The verses

  Amos 3:4Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught nothing?
• Lionesses and young lions crouch in their dens and lie in wait in thicketsJob 38:39–40
  The verses

  Job 38:39–40Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in the thicket?
• A lion mauled prey for its cubs and filled its dens with the killNah 2:11–12
  The verses

  Nah 2:11–12Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away? The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.
• An old lion perishes for lack of prey; the lioness’s cubs are scatteredJob 4:10–11
  The verses

  Job 4:10–11The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl, yet the teeth of the young lions are broken. The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
• Mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anythingProv 30:30
  The verses

  Prov 30:30a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;
• Lions lived in the thickets of the JordanJer 49:19, Jer 50:44, Zech 11:3
  The verses

  Jer 49:19Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture. For in an instant I will chase Edom from her land. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? For who is like Me, and who can challenge Me? What shepherd can stand against Me?”

  Jer 50:44Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture. For in an instant I will chase Babylon from her land. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? For who is like Me, and who can challenge Me? What shepherd can stand against Me?”

  Zech 11:3Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the roaring of the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
• A shepherd might snatch only two legs or a piece of an ear from a lionAmos 3:12
  The verses

  Amos 3:12This is what the LORD says: “As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be rescued having just the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.
• A band of shepherds shouting could not frighten a lion off its preyIsa 31:4
  The verses

  Isa 31:4For this is what the LORD has said to me: “Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey— and though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamor— so the LORD of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights.

Encounters

• Samson tore apart a young lion with his bare handsJudg 14:5–6
  The verses

  Judg 14:5–6Then Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.
• Later he found bees and honey in the lion’s carcassJudg 14:8–9
  The verses

  Judg 14:8–9When Samson returned later to take her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a swarm of bees, along with their honey. So he scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. And when he returned to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.
• His riddle: “Out of the eater came something to eat”Judg 14:14, Judg 14:18
  The verses

  Judg 14:14So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they were unable to explain the riddle.

  Judg 14:18Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
• David, a shepherd boy, killed lions and bears that carried off lambs1 Sam 17:34–36
  The verses

  1 Sam 17:34–36David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
• Benaiah went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion2 Sam 23:20
  The verses

  2 Sam 23:20And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion.
• A lion killed the man of God but did not eat him or touch his donkey1 Kgs 13:24–28
  The verses

  1 Kgs 13:24–28As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived. When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.” Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it, and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
• A lion killed the man who refused to strike the prophet1 Kgs 20:35–36
  The verses

  1 Kgs 20:35–36Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him. Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.
• Lions killed some of the settlers brought to the towns of Samaria2 Kgs 17:25–26
  The verses

  2 Kgs 17:25–26Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them. So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”
• Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, sealed with a stone and the king’s ringDan 6:16–17
  The verses

  Dan 6:16–17So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed.
• At dawn Daniel was lifted out without a woundDan 6:19–23
  The verses

  Dan 6:19–23At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions. When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.” The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
• His accusers were thrown in, and the lions overpowered them before they reached bottomDan 6:24
  The verses

  Dan 6:24At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Lions in carving

• Solomon’s throne: a lion by each armrest and twelve lions on six steps1 Kgs 10:19–20
  The verses

  1 Kgs 10:19–20The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.
• Lions, oxen and cherubim decorated the bronze stands of the temple1 Kgs 7:29, 1 Kgs 7:36
  The verses

  1 Kgs 7:29and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work.

  1 Kgs 7:36He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around.

Sayings

• “Even a live dog is better than a dead lion”Eccl 9:4
  The verses

  Eccl 9:4There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.
• The slacker says, “There is a lion outside!”Prov 22:13, Prov 26:13
  The verses

  Prov 22:13The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”

  Prov 26:13The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
• “The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion”Prov 20:2
  The verses

  Prov 20:2The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.
• Saul and Jonathan were “swifter than eagles, stronger than lions”2 Sam 1:23
  The verses

  2 Sam 1:23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
• Gadite warriors had faces like lions and were swift as gazelles1 Chr 12:8
  The verses

  1 Chr 12:8Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: