3249

Lexical Summary

(Not Used): (Not Used)

(Not Used)
Part of Speech:
Transliteration: (Not Used)
(Not Used)

Topical Lexicon

𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

Strong’s Greek 3249 designates a vivid compound that pictures a “lion-handed” or “lion-fisted” fighter—an image of fearless strength. Though absent from the Greek New Testament, the term survives in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) and later Jewish and Hellenistic writings, preserving an ancient Near-Eastern ideal of heroic valor.

𝐔𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐭

1 Chronicles 11:22 and 2 Samuel 23:20 recount Benaiah’s exploits: he “struck down two formidable warriors of Moab”. The Greek translator chose 3249 to render the Hebrew idiom “lionlike men,” stressing the combatants’ terrifying prowess. A similar nuance appears in 1 Chronicles 12:8, where Gadites are said to have “faces like the faces of lions”; manuscript traditions vary, but several late copies again employ 3249 to emphasize their battle-readiness.

𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬
• Classical Greek occasionally applies the same compound to gladiators or bodyguards renowned for unmatched courage.
• Rabbinic storytellers adopt it for biblical champions such as Samson, reinforcing the continuity between Israel’s narrative and wider Mediterranean hero motifs.
• In Second Temple literature, the word becomes shorthand for any defender of God’s people who “stands in the gap” (Ezekiel 22:30).

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 Whether Benaiah facing Moabite champions or Gadites rallying to David, 3249 marks warriors acting in faithful alignment with the Lord’s anointed king. Their lion-like strength is presented not as self-exaltation, but as evidence of God-given boldness.

𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞 Old Testament history anticipates New Testament spiritual conflict (Ephesians 6:10-17). The physical bravery encapsulated in 3249 foreshadows the moral and spiritual steadfastness believers are now called to exhibit.

𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 Revelation 5:5 hails Jesus as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” By echoing lion imagery of earlier champions, 3249 indirectly points to the ultimate Warrior-King whose victory secures redemption.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

1. Encouraging Servant-Leaders Church elders and ministry workers may glean from Benaiah’s example a call to sacrificial courage in defending the flock (1 Peter 5:1-4).
2. Discipleship Formation Youth curricula can highlight 3249 to illustrate how God forges lion-hearted believers who resist cultural intimidation (2 Timothy 1:7).
3. Prayer and Spiritual Warfare Intercessors are reminded that genuine boldness is birthed in communion with Christ, the stronger Lion who “has overcome” (Revelation 5:5).

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲
• Septuagint apparatus for 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11–12
• Studies on biblical heroism and ancient Near-Eastern warrior motifs
• Commentaries on Revelation emphasizing lion imagery (e.g., Revelation 5:5, 10:3)

No occurrences of Strong’s 3249 appear in the canonical Greek New Testament, yet its Old Testament and intertestamental usage enriches the biblical portrait of God-empowered bravery, culminating in the triumph of the Lion-King, Jesus Christ.

Englishman's Concordance

μελῶν — 2 Occ.
μέλος — 5 Occ.
Μελχὶ — 2 Occ.
Μελχισεδέκ — 8 Occ.
ἔμελεν — 2 Occ.
μέλει — 7 Occ.
μελέτω — 1 Occ.
μεμβράνας — 1 Occ.
μέμφεται — 1 Occ.
μεμφόμενος — 1 Occ.
μὲν — 182 Occ.
Μενοῦν — 1 Occ.
μενοῦνγε — 2 Occ.
μέντοι — 8 Occ.
ἐμείναμεν — 2 Occ.
ἔμειναν — 2 Occ.
ἔμεινεν — 10 Occ.
ἔμενεν — 3 Occ.
ἔμενον — 1 Occ.
μεῖναι — 6 Occ.