In biblical literature, the term "whelp" is often used to refer to the young of certain animals, particularly lions, and is employed metaphorically to convey various themes and messages. The term appears in several passages throughout the Bible, primarily in the Old Testament, and is used to illustrate strength, potential, and sometimes judgment.

Biblical References:

1. Genesis 49:9 : "Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion, he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?" In this passage, Jacob blesses his sons and likens Judah to a lion's whelp, symbolizing strength, leadership, and the future prominence of the tribe of Judah. The imagery of a young lion suggests vigor and the potential for growth and dominance.

2. Deuteronomy 33:22 : "Concerning Dan he said: 'Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.'" Here, Moses blesses the tribes of Israel, and Dan is compared to a lion's whelp. This metaphor highlights the tribe's potential for strength and assertiveness, as well as its ability to spring forth with power.

3. Ezekiel 19:2-3 : "and say: 'What was your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs. She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.'" In this lamentation for the princes of Israel, the imagery of a lioness and her whelps is used to describe the royal lineage and the rise of leaders who initially show promise and strength but ultimately fall into judgment due to their actions.

4. Nahum 2:11-12 : "Where is the lions’ den, the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness walked, and the lion’s cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion mauled enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his lairs with prey and his dens with torn flesh." This passage uses the imagery of lions and their whelps to depict the once-great power and security of Nineveh, which is now subject to divine judgment and destruction.

Theological Significance:

The use of "whelp" in the Bible often serves as a metaphor for potential and the inherent qualities of strength and leadership. In the context of the tribes of Israel, it underscores the idea of divine blessing and the expectation of future greatness. However, it also serves as a cautionary symbol, as seen in the prophetic books, where the strength of a lion's whelp can lead to pride and eventual downfall if not aligned with God's will.

The imagery of a whelp, particularly in relation to lions, is a powerful tool in biblical narrative, conveying both the promise of future strength and the potential for misuse of power. It reflects the dual nature of human potential—capable of great good when aligned with divine purposes, but also susceptible to corruption and judgment when misused.1. (n.) One of the young of a dog or a beast of prey; a puppy; a cub; as, a lion's whelps.

2. (n.) A child; a youth; -- jocosely or in contempt.

3. (n.) One of the longitudinal ribs or ridges on the barrel of a capstan or a windless; -- usually in the plural; as, the whelps of a windlass.

4. (n.) One of the teeth of a sprocket wheel.

5. (v. i.) To bring forth young; -- said of the female of the dog and some beasts of prey.

6. (v. t.) To bring forth, as cubs or young; to give birth to.

WHELP

hwelp (gur, or gor; either absol. (Ezekiel 19:2, 3, 5; Nab 2:12); or constr. with 'aryeh, "lion" (Genesis 49:9 Deuteronomy 33:22 Jeremiah 51:38 Nahum 2:11); also benelabhi', literally, "sons of a lioness," translated "the whelps of the lioness" (Job 4:11). In Job 28:8, the King James Version has "lion's whelps" for bene shachats, which the Revised Version (British and American) renders "proud beasts," margin "sons of pride." In Lamentations 4:3 gur is used of the young of tannin the Revised Version (British and American) "jackal," the King James Version "sea-monsters," the King James Version margin "sea-calves"; it may possibly mean "wolves"; skumnos, the technical word for "lion's whelp" (1 Maccabees 3:4)): These references are all figurative: "Judah is a lion's whelp" (Genesis 49:9); "Da is a lion's whelp" (Deuteronomy 33:22); it is said of the Babylonians, "They shall roar together like young lions; they shall growl as lions' whelps" (Jeremiah 51:38); of the Assyrians, "Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid? The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin" (Nahum 2:11, 12). In Ezekiel 19:2-9, the princes of Israel are compared to lions' whelps.

See DRAGON; LION.

Alfred Ely Day

1482. gur -- a whelp
... 1481c, 1482. gur. 1483 . a whelp. Transliteration: gur Phonetic Spelling:
(goor) Short Definition: cubs. Word ... 1). whelp, young one. ...
/hebrew/1482.htm - 6k

1484. gor -- a whelp
... a whelp. Transliteration: gor Phonetic Spelling: (gore) Short Definition: cubs.
Word Origin from gur Definition a whelp NASB Word Usage cubs (2). whelp. ...
/hebrew/1484.htm - 6k

1121. ben -- son
... rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger,
X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one ...
/hebrew/1121.htm - 8k

Next it is Written that "He Gave up the Ghost. " this Also had ...
... And in another place, "I will give the malignant for his burial;" and yet once more,
"He hath lain down and slept as a lion, and as a lion's whelp; who shall ...
/.../27 next it is written.htm

Treatise on Christ and Antichrist.
... Judah is a lion's whelp: from the shoot, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down,
he couched as a lion, and as a lion's whelp; who shall rouse him up? ...
/.../treatise on christ and antichrist.htm

On the Words, and Rose Again from the Dead on the Third Day, and ...
... There is also the prophecy of Jacob saying in the Scriptures, He lay down and couched
as a lion, and as a lion's whelp: who shall rouse Him up [1662] ? ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture xiv on the words.htm

But Seeing Now that we must Make Proof of what is Alleged at ...
... 1939] of his horses; at the sound of the neighing [1940] of his horses the whole
land trembled." [1941] And again, Moses says: "Dan is a lion's whelp, and he ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/piece xix but seeing now.htm

As the Lord Jesus Christ Made his Sojourn with us in the Flesh ...
... Judah is a lion's whelp; from a sprout, [1926] my son, thou art gone up: he stooped
down, he couched as a lion, and as a lion's whelp: [1927] who shall rouse ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/piece xviii as the lord.htm

Jacob Predicted Two Advents of Christ.
... Judah is a lion's whelp; from the germ, my son, thou art sprung up. Reclining, he
lay down like a lion, and like [a lion's] whelp: who shall raise him up? ...
/.../chapter lii jacob predicted two advents.htm

That the Gentiles Should Rather Believe in Christ.
... Judah is a lion's whelp: from the slender twig, [3898] my son, thou hast ascended:
thou layedst down and sleepedst as a lion, and as a lion's whelp. ...
/.../three books of testimonies against the jews/21 that the gentiles should.htm

Of the Blessing which Jacob Promised in Judah his Son.
... Judah is a lion's whelp: from the sprouting, my son, thou art gone up: lying down,
thou hast slept as a lion, and as a lion's whelp; who shall awake him? ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 41 of the blessing which.htm

Psalm XVII.
... They have taken Me, like that adversary who "walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour." [517] "And as a lion's whelp dwelling in secret places." And as his ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xvii.htm

From the Fifth Chapter.
... Jacob says, "Judah, thy brethren shall praise thee; thou hast lain down and slept,
and hast risen up again as a lion, and as a lion's whelp." [2273] For He is ...
/.../commentary on the apocolypse of the blessed john/from the fifth chapter.htm

Whelp (4 Occurrences)
... to. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WHELP. hwelp (gur, or gor; either absol.
(Ezekiel 19:2, 3, 5; Nab 2:12); or constr. with 'aryeh ...
/w/whelp.htm - 10k

Lion (92 Occurrences)
... (6) aur, gor, "whelp," with 'aryeh or a pronoun, eg "Judah is a lion's whelp," gur ...
Judah is a "lion's whelp" (Genesis 49:9), likewise Dan (Deuteronomy 33:22). ...
/l/lion.htm - 46k

Judah (802 Occurrences)
... This tribe marched at the van on the east of the tabernacle (Numbers 2:3-9;
10:14), its standard, as is supposed, being a lion's whelp. ...
/j/judah.htm - 101k

Whelps (10 Occurrences)

/w/whelps.htm - 9k

Lion's (14 Occurrences)
... Judges 14:5 And Samson goeth down -- also his father and his mother, to Timnath,
and they come unto the vineyards of Timnath, and lo, a lion's whelp roareth at ...
/l/lion's.htm - 10k

Lions (50 Occurrences)
... Testament for the lion. (1.) Gor (ie, a "suckling"), the lion's whelp (Genesis
49:9; Jeremiah 51:38, etc.). (2.) Kephir (ie, "shaggy ...
/l/lions.htm - 26k

Lionesses (3 Occurrences)
... And a feeding-place it 'is' for young lions Where walked hath a lion, an old
lion, A lion's whelp, and there is none troubling. (YLT). ...
/l/lionesses.htm - 7k

Leapeth (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Leapeth (2 Occurrences). Deuteronomy 33:22 And of Dan
he said, Dan is a lion's whelp, That leapeth forth from Bashan. (ASV JPS). ...
/l/leapeth.htm - 6k

Gur (2 Occurrences)
... A whelp, a place near Ibleam where Jehu's servants overtook and mortally wounded
king Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:27); an ascent from the plain of Jezreel. Int. ...
/g/gur.htm - 7k

Wheelwork (2 Occurrences)

/w/wheelwork.htm - 7k

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