What is the meaning of Job 4:11? the old lion “The old lion perishes for lack of prey” (Job 4:11a) • Eliphaz pictures a fully grown, once-dominant predator who can no longer hunt. • In Scripture, lions often stand for power and pride (Psalm 17:12; Ezekiel 19:2-3). Here, that strength fails. • The literal image underscores a spiritual truth: even the mightiest creature depends on God for daily provision (Psalm 104:21). • Eliphaz is warning Job that human greatness also collapses when God removes His sustaining hand (Proverbs 16:18). perishes for lack of prey • Lack of prey means scarcity, famine, the drying up of resources. • God can withhold what the proud rely on, just as He did with Egypt’s Nile (Exodus 7:18) or Israel’s manna when they rebelled (Numbers 11:33-34). • Psalm 34:10 echoes this: “The young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” • The lesson is not random cruelty; it is a reminder that God alone is the source of every need (Matthew 6:26). the cubs of the lioness are scattered • When the dominant lion dies, the pride breaks up. Weak, vulnerable cubs flee or are driven off. • Scattering reflects judgment and loss of security (Jeremiah 50:17; Zechariah 13:7). • Eliphaz implies that Job’s troubles are a divine scattering that follows hidden sin—his mistaken conclusion, yet his principle is biblically consistent: sin can fracture families and communities (Joshua 7:24-25; Proverbs 11:29). • God later refutes Eliphaz’s application (Job 42:7), but the image still warns us: earthly safety unravels when God’s protection is withdrawn (Deuteronomy 32:30). summary Job 4:11 uses the downfall of a once-fearsome lion and the dispersal of its cubs to illustrate how quickly strength and security evaporate when God withholds provision. The verse teaches that power without dependence on the Lord ends in ruin, underscoring our need to trust Him rather than our own resources. |
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