Topical Bible: Lion: Fierceness of

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The lion, often referred to as the "king of beasts," is a symbol of strength, power, and fierceness throughout the Bible. Its presence in Scripture is frequently used to convey the attributes of majesty and terror, serving as a metaphor for both divine and earthly power.

In the Old Testament, the lion's fierceness is vividly depicted in various contexts. The prophet Amos uses the imagery of a lion to describe the inescapable judgment of God: "The lion has roared—who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken—who will not prophesy?" (Amos 3:8). Here, the lion's roar symbolizes the authoritative and fearsome voice of God, demanding attention and reverence.

The Book of Proverbs also highlights the lion's fearsome nature, using it as a metaphor for boldness and confidence. Proverbs 28:1 states, "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion" . This comparison underscores the lion's reputation for fearlessness, suggesting that the righteous possess a similar courage and strength.

In the narrative of Samson, the lion's fierceness is demonstrated in a literal encounter. Judges 14:5-6 recounts how Samson, empowered by the Spirit of the LORD, tears apart a young lion with his bare hands: "Then 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" . This event not only illustrates the lion's formidable nature but also highlights the extraordinary strength given to Samson by God.

The lion's fierceness is further emphasized in the Psalms, where it is often used to describe the threats faced by the psalmists. In Psalm 22:13, David laments his adversaries, saying, "They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul" . The imagery of a lion's open jaws conveys the imminent danger and aggression faced by the psalmist, reflecting the intensity of his plight.

In the New Testament, the lion's fierceness is employed to describe the devil's predatory nature. 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" . This vivid metaphor serves as a caution to Christians, urging them to remain vigilant against spiritual threats.

The lion's fierceness is not only a symbol of danger but also of divine protection and power. In the vision of the prophet Daniel, the lion is one of the four beasts representing kingdoms, with its strength and authority reflecting the sovereignty of God over earthly powers (Daniel 7:4).

Throughout Scripture, the lion's fierceness is a multifaceted symbol, representing both the threats posed by evil and the strength and majesty of God. Its presence in biblical narratives and metaphors underscores the awe-inspiring and sometimes terrifying aspects of divine and earthly power.

Nave's Topical Index

Job 4:10
The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
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Job 28:8
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.
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Psalm 7:2
Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
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Proverbs 22:13
The slothful man said, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
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Jeremiah 2:15
The young lions roared on him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
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Jeremiah 49:19
Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
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Jeremiah 50:44
Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan to the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
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Hosea 13:8
I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the lobe of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.
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Library

The Tamed Lion.
... The hardest heart subdues; Here furious lions while they gaze,. Their rage and
fierceness lose. Isa 11:6. Yet are we but renewed in part,. The lion still remains ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 93 the tamed lion.htm

Concerning Peaceableness
... Grace turns the vulture into a dove, the briar into a myrtle tree (Isaiah
55:13), the lion-like fierceness into a lamb-like gentleness. ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/18 concerning peaceableness.htm

On Patience
... The brutal courage, or rather fierceness, of a lion may probably spring from impatience;
but true fortitude, the courage of a man, springs from just the ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 83 on patience.htm

Antichrist in Jeremiah
... which the Antichrist brings upon the land of Israel: "He hath forsaken his covert,
as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/2 antichrist in jeremiah.htm

Nahum's Doom of Nineveh
... and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? ... Where is the den of the lions,
And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion and the lioness walked ...
/.../select masterpieces of biblical literature/xi nahums doom of nineveh.htm

The New Heart
... He has the fierceness of the lion without its nobility; he has the stubbornness
of an ass without its patience; he has all the devouring gluttony of the wolf ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the new heart.htm

The Lord's Furnace
... represented as a crowd of shepherds vainly trying to scare a lion by their ... of metaphor,
the prophet passes from a picture of the extreme of fierceness to one ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the lords furnace.htm

A Discourse of Mercifulness
... Before conversion the sinner is compared to a wolf for his savageness, to a lion
for his fierceness (Isaiah 11:6), to a bee for his sting (Psalm 118:12), to an ...
/.../15 a discourse of mercifulness.htm

The General Deliverance
... savage fierceness, what unrelenting cruelty; are invariably observed in thousands
of creatures; yea, is inseparable from their natures! Is it only the lion, ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 60 the general deliverance.htm

That Evening Vergilius Went to Feast with the Young Herodian ...
... vines and fruit trees and beds of martagon and mirasolus, to the lion-house in ... a
huge setting of bone and muscle strangely fitted to its fierceness, with eyes ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 4 that evening vergilius.htm