When we are looking at the heroes of The Scriptures, some of them fought with the lions in order to show us their strength and courage, when they competed with them.

The first story is with Samson, who fought against the whelp of lion as it written in judges 14:5-6-

” וַיֵּרֶד שִׁמְשׁוֹן וְאָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ, תִּמְנָתָה; וַיָּבֹאוּ, עַד-כַּרְמֵי תִמְנָתָה, וְהִנֵּה כְּפִיר אֲרָיוֹת, שֹׁאֵג לִקְרָאתוֹ. וַתִּצְלַח עָלָיו רוּחַ יְהוָה, וַיְשַׁסְּעֵהוּ כְּשַׁסַּע הַגְּדִי, וּמְאוּמָה, אֵין בְּיָדוֹ; וְלֹא הִגִּיד לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה.”

“Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah; and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as one would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand; but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”

When the spirit of The Lord is with you, even the king of the animals can’t defeat you (see also the post on Benaiah the son of Jehoiada). The lion could be also a symbol to the power of the enemies (physical or mental) as we can see for example in Psalm 7:2-3-

” יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי, בְּךָ חָסִיתִי;    הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי מִכָּל-רֹדְפַי, וְהַצִּילֵנִי. פֶּן-יִטְרֹף כְּאַרְיֵה נַפְשִׁי;  פֹּרֵק, וְאֵין מַצִּיל”

“O LORD my God, in Thee has I taken refuge; save me from all them that pursue me, and deliver me; lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.”

When the far distant future will come the lion would be different than today; he will be with a good relationship with the humanity as written in Isaiah 11:6-7-

“  וְגָר זְאֵב עִם-כֶּבֶשׂ, וְנָמֵר עִם-גְּדִי יִרְבָּץ; וְעֵגֶל וּכְפִיר וּמְרִיא יַחְדָּו, וְנַעַר קָטֹן נֹהֵג בָּם. וּפָרָה וָדֹב תִּרְעֶינָה, יַחְדָּו יִרְבְּצוּ יַלְדֵיהֶן; וְאַרְיֵה, כַּבָּקָר יֹאכַל-תֶּבֶן”

“And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

Let us pray and hope for those days that we all will be in this amazing picture described above, as the nature and the people of this planet will live in a great harmony!

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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