Topical Bible: Blood: Beasts of Prey Delight In

◄ Blood: Beasts of Prey Delight In ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, blood is a significant symbol, often representing life, covenant, and sacrifice. However, it also appears in contexts that highlight the darker aspects of creation, particularly in relation to beasts of prey. These creatures, often depicted as fierce and untamed, are portrayed as delighting in blood, symbolizing their predatory nature and the fallen state of the world.

The imagery of beasts of prey delighting in blood is vividly illustrated in the prophetic and poetic literature of the Bible. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet speaks of the judgment upon the nations, using the metaphor of wild beasts to describe the devastation and bloodshed that will ensue. Ezekiel 39:17-19 states: "As for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Speak to every kind of bird and every beast of the field: Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, and you will eat flesh and drink blood. You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan. At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat until you are satisfied and drink blood until you are drunk.'"

This passage underscores the theme of divine retribution, where the beasts of prey are summoned to feast on the fallen, symbolizing the complete and utter defeat of those who oppose God. The consumption of blood by these creatures serves as a metaphor for the totality of judgment and the reversal of the natural order due to sin.

In the Psalms, the imagery of beasts of prey is used to describe the threats faced by the righteous. Psalm 22:12-13 reads: "Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul." Here, the psalmist likens his enemies to predatory animals, emphasizing their ferocity and the danger they pose. The delight in blood is implicit in their aggressive pursuit and desire to devour.

The book of Isaiah also employs this imagery to convey the desolation that follows divine judgment. Isaiah 34:5-7 describes the sword of the LORD being filled with blood, and the land being soaked with it, as wild animals feast on the carnage: "For My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it will descend in judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood; it drips with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen will fall with them, the young bulls with the mighty bulls. Their land will be soaked with blood, and their soil will be enriched with fat."

These passages collectively highlight the biblical portrayal of beasts of prey as creatures that revel in blood, serving as instruments of divine judgment and reminders of the consequences of sin. The delight in blood by these animals is not merely a reflection of their natural instincts but also a symbolic representation of the chaos and destruction that sin brings into the world. Through these vivid images, the Bible communicates the severity of divine justice and the ultimate triumph of God's righteousness over evil.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 23:24
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 68:23
That your foot may be dipped in the blood of your enemies, and the tongue of your dogs in the same.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Parting Counsels
... he knew that behind some turn of it lay in wait, like beasts of prey, dangers of ...
of a teacher, and try to remember that we are 'pure from the blood of all ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/parting counsels.htm

The Saint's Heritage and Watchword
... are ours""the gift of God, the purchase of the Saviour's blood; so that time ... can
we speak of Philistia and her giants given to the beasts of prey, or Edom ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 50 1904/the saints heritage and watchword.htm

Chapter ix
... The more frequent killing of beasts is not to beget ... When, therefore, the Scriptures
do speak of blood revenge, it ... a time of comparative safety, fell prey to a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter ix.htm

India's Ills and England's Sorrows
... thine own lions, and less tender than beasts of prey ... shake, when death must give
up its prey, when the ... theory of salvation; when ye perish, your blood must be ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/indias ills and englands sorrows.htm

Salvation
... he that departed from evil made himself a prey (or as ... it from becoming a cage of
wild beasts, tearing each ... and just and good body; and his blood a purifying ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xxi salvation.htm

The Creation of Fowl and Water Animals.
... from the flesh to the blood, from the blood to the ... you will find that the soul of
beasts is earth. ... lending perfidious help to the huntsmen to seize their prey. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily viii the creation of.htm

Ancient Civilisation {5} {6}
... Empire, remember, was never stronger than when the old Patrician blood had mingled ...
the silly finch; And man, the mightiest of all beasts of prey, Eats what ...
/.../kingsley/historical lectures and essays/ancient civilisation 5 6.htm

The Hymns of Isaac Watts
... On the other hand, we have this pleasing picture of supernatural natural history:
A thousand savage beasts of prey. ... Nor will of man, nor blood, nor birth,. ...
/.../manning/the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/the hymns of isaac watts.htm

section iv.
... prompting and suggesting us unto mischief, blood, and villany ... and start at us: the
Birds and Beasts of the ... us, forgetting all allegiance, begin to prey upon us. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/browne/religio medici/section iv.htm

Ancient Civilisation.
... empire, remember, was never stronger than when the old Patrician blood had mingled ...
the silly finch; And man, the mightiest of all beasts of prey, Eats what ...
/.../lectures delivered in america in 1874/lecture v ancient civilisation.htm