Topical Bible: The Bear: Cruel

◄ The Bear: Cruel ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the Bible, the bear is often depicted as a symbol of ferocity and cruelty, embodying the untamed and dangerous aspects of the natural world. This imagery is used to convey the severity of certain situations or the nature of certain individuals or groups.

Biblical References:

1. 2 Kings 2:23-24 : One of the most direct references to the bear's ferocity is found in the account of the prophet Elisha. As Elisha was traveling to Bethel, a group of youths mocked him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead!" In response, Elisha cursed them in the name of the LORD, and two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. This incident underscores the bear's role as an instrument of divine judgment and the seriousness of disrespecting God's prophets.

2. Proverbs 17:12 : "It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly." This proverb highlights the extreme danger posed by a bear that has been deprived of her cubs, using it as a metaphor for the peril of encountering a fool in the midst of his foolishness. The comparison emphasizes the bear's reputation for being particularly vicious when provoked or threatened.

3. Hosea 13:8 : In this passage, God describes His impending judgment on Israel with the imagery of a bear: "Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them open." Here, the bear's ferocity is used to illustrate the intensity of God's wrath against the unfaithfulness and idolatry of His people.

4. Daniel 7:5 : In Daniel's vision of the four beasts, the second beast is described as resembling a bear. "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’" This bear is often interpreted as representing the Medo-Persian Empire, known for its military might and conquests, further associating the bear with power and destruction.

Symbolism and Interpretation:

The bear's depiction in Scripture as cruel and fierce serves as a powerful symbol of divine retribution and the consequences of sin. It is often used to illustrate the severity of God's judgment and the dangers of straying from His commandments. The bear's natural characteristics—strength, aggression, and protective instincts—are harnessed in biblical narratives to convey messages of warning and the need for reverence towards God and His anointed.

In a broader theological context, the bear's portrayal aligns with the biblical theme of God's sovereignty over creation, using even the most fearsome creatures to fulfill His purposes. The bear's cruelty, while fearsome, ultimately serves as a reminder of the divine justice that governs the world and the moral order established by God.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Amos 5:19
As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

A Poem on the Passion of the Lord
... and at times [2087] bear me and my admonitions in your devoted heart. Follow the
footsteps of my life, and while you look upon my torments and cruel death ...
/.../of the manner in which the persecutors died/a poem on the passion.htm

The Disciple, -- what is the Meaning and Purpose of the Cross...
... that the love of God should be such that, in order to save His creatures and to
bring to them eternal life, He should become incarnate and bear the cruel cross ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/singh/at the masters feet/section i the disciple 5.htm

Low Beetling Brows, -- a Sensual, Cruel Mouth with a Loosely ...
... You will grow the stigmata of the Saviour in your hands and feet"you will bear terrible
marks of the nails hammered into your ... Do not prophesy so cruel a fate ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/corelli/the master-christian/ix low beetling brows .htm

Dread of Ridicule.
... Of course it is, but it is not so bitter to bear as a cruel death, and that is what
the early Christians had to expect if they would live godly in Christ Jesus ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lxi dread of ridicule.htm

Servants of Sin.
... the knave and the false man; mark the flushed brow and cruel eyes of the angry man;
see the weak lips and trembling hand of the drunkard; they bear the marks ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon xlii servants of sin.htm

Endurance of the World's Censure.
... They "had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and
imprisonment: they ... He must not mind it, he must bear it, and in time (if God so ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon x endurance of the.htm

Up to the Sixth Year the Storm had Been Incessantly Raging against ...
... but, on the other hand, strong in soul, and endowed with an understanding superior
to her body,"being unable to bear the merciless and cruel and inhuman deeds ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pamphilius/church history/chapter viii up to the.htm

Before Thy Cross we Take Our Place,
... Because Thy blood was spilt. For Thou, to free us from our foes,. Didst bear that
cruel Cross,. And by its agony and woes. Bring gain for all our loss. ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the russian church/v before thy cross we.htm

Jesus and Pilate
... flourish about his own carefulness to bring judicial impartiality to bear on the
case ... almost beneficent, but it would not make the scourging less cruel, nor its ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/jesus and pilate.htm

The Evil and Daring Deeds done by Georgius in Alexandria.
... put themselves under the surgeon's hand; others were not able to bear the agony ... it
might appear that they had nothing to do with these cruel transactions, and ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xi the evil and daring.htm