Leopard: Fierceness of
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The leopard, a large and powerful feline, is frequently mentioned in the Bible as a symbol of swiftness, stealth, and ferocity. Its characteristics are often used metaphorically to convey the nature of certain nations, individuals, or divine judgments.

In the prophetic literature of the Old Testament, the leopard's fierceness is vividly depicted. The prophet Jeremiah uses the imagery of a leopard to describe the relentless pursuit of judgment upon the people of Judah. In Jeremiah 5:6 , it is written: "Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf of the desert will ravage them, a leopard will watch over their cities. Everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are numerous." Here, the leopard's watchful and predatory nature underscores the inevitability and severity of divine retribution.

Similarly, the prophet Hosea employs the leopard's ferocity to illustrate the consequences of Israel's unfaithfulness. Hosea 13:7 states: "So I will pounce on them like a lion; like a leopard on the path I will lurk." This passage highlights the sudden and unexpected nature of God's judgment, akin to a leopard's ambush.

In the apocalyptic visions of Daniel, the leopard is used to symbolize a swift and powerful kingdom. Daniel 7:6 describes a beast "like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads, and it was given authority to rule." The leopard's speed and authority in this vision are indicative of the rapid conquests and dominion of the kingdom it represents.

The New Testament also alludes to the leopard's characteristics in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 13:2 , the beast rising from the sea is described as having "the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion." This composite creature embodies the ferocity and power of the empires it symbolizes, with the leopard's body suggesting agility and lethal prowess.

Throughout Scripture, the leopard serves as a powerful metaphor for the fierce and often destructive nature of both human and divine actions. Its presence in biblical texts underscores themes of judgment, power, and the consequences of sin, reflecting the broader narrative of God's interaction with humanity.
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Jeremiah 5:6
Why a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goes out there shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
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Jeremiah 13:23
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
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Hosea 13:7
Therefore I will be to them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
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Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
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Library

That Evening Vergilius Went to Feast with the Young Herodian ...
... You shall be punished; you shall enter the cage of the leopard.". ... There, in a huge
setting of bone and muscle strangely fitted to its fierceness, with eyes of ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 4 that evening vergilius.htm

Concerning Peaceableness
... into a myrtle tree (Isaiah 55:13), the lion-like fierceness into a lamb-like gentleness.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/18 concerning peaceableness.htm

Concerning Persecution
... Antichrist may be compared to a leopard for subtlety and fierceness, and on his
head was the name of blaspheming (verse 1), which agrees with that description ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/21 concerning persecution.htm

The General Deliverance
... will be found in any creature, no fierceness, no cruelty, or thirst for blood. So
far from it that "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 60 the general deliverance.htm

The New Creation
... other; for cruelty will be far away, and savageness and fierceness be forgotten ... may
be literally as well as figuratively understood,) "and the leopard shall lie ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 64 the new creation.htm

The New Heart
... He has the fierceness of the lion without its nobility; he has the stubbornness
of ... white by applying cosmetics to it, or as well might the leopard think that ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the new heart.htm

His Future Work
... shall rule them with a rod of iron and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness
and wrath ... The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gaebelein/the work of christ/iii his future work.htm

Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... And hitherto the leopard and the kid cannot lie down in peace together ... is, that even
now he at some times suspends the contempt as well as the fierceness of men ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 23 upon our lords.htm

The Mystery
... For the leopard is the type of the kingdom of the Greeks, the bear of ... rather to the
natural disposition of those beasts, whose qualities or fierceness the ten ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the mystery 2.htm

A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
... And we almost shrank from the fierceness of the fire. ... of wild beasts, having the
chief characteristic strength of each, the cunning of the leopard, the feet of ...
/.../vi a clearing-up storm in the.htm

Resources
How should we understand the Lion and the Lamb passage? | GotQuestions.org

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

Why do we need a Savior? | GotQuestions.org

Leopard: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Leopard

Leopard of Antichrist

Leopard of God in his Judgments

Leopard of the Macedonian Empire

Leopard: (Tamed) the Wicked Subdued by the Gospel

Leopard: A Carnivorous Animal

Leopard: Fierce and Cruel

Leopard: Fierceness of

Leopard: Figurative

Leopard: Inhabited Mountains of Canaan

Leopard: Lies in Wait for Its Prey

Leopard: Spotted

Leopard: Swift

Leopard: Taming of, the Triumph of the Gospel

Related Terms

Zoology

Gopher (1 Occurrence)

Spot (42 Occurrences)

Lentils (4 Occurrences)

Lion (92 Occurrences)

Dominion (72 Occurrences)

Venture (10 Occurrences)

Observe (216 Occurrences)

Ostrich (9 Occurrences)

Owed (10 Occurrences)

Lurk (5 Occurrences)

Lurketh (2 Occurrences)

Leopardess (1 Occurrence)

Watcheth (6 Occurrences)

Wayside (16 Occurrences)

Fattened (19 Occurrences)

Fatted (17 Occurrences)

Fatling (4 Occurrences)

Resembled (18 Occurrences)

Ravage (9 Occurrences)

Evenings (15 Occurrences)

Doleful (2 Occurrences)

Deserts (18 Occurrences)

Markings (1 Occurrence)

Mamre (10 Occurrences)

Beth-nimrah (2 Occurrences)

Bethnimrah (2 Occurrences)

Backslidings (5 Occurrences)

Backsliding (19 Occurrences)

Bear's (1 Occurrence)

Apostasies (3 Occurrences)

Alexander (5 Occurrences)

Accustomed (15 Occurrences)

Skin (115 Occurrences)

Spotted (9 Occurrences)

Spots (6 Occurrences)

Hermon (16 Occurrences)

Sojourned (20 Occurrences)

Wolf (4 Occurrences)

Wide (206 Occurrences)

Cushite (15 Occurrences)

Bashan (54 Occurrences)

Woods (37 Occurrences)

Yearling (48 Occurrences)

Trained (37 Occurrences)

Transgressions (64 Occurrences)

Ethiopian (11 Occurrences)

Kid (42 Occurrences)

Beast (243 Occurrences)

Rebellion (51 Occurrences)

Ethiopia (26 Occurrences)

Wild (147 Occurrences)

Throne (181 Occurrences)

Numerous (88 Occurrences)

Multiplied (109 Occurrences)

Babel (3 Occurrences)

Bird (65 Occurrences)

Tear (97 Occurrences)

Watching (111 Occurrences)

Beheld (95 Occurrences)

Forest (67 Occurrences)

Writing (194 Occurrences)

Path (91 Occurrences)

Torn (100 Occurrences)

Guide (89 Occurrences)

Grass (92 Occurrences)

Seat (256 Occurrences)

Boy (94 Occurrences)

Wings (81 Occurrences)

Babylon (270 Occurrences)

Fowl (73 Occurrences)

Egypt (596 Occurrences)

Change (109 Occurrences)

Son (25967 Occurrences)

Goat (92 Occurrences)

Calf (39 Occurrences)

Man (26072 Occurrences)

Leopard: Fierce and Cruel
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