A large predatory feline. The lion is frequently depicted in the Bible, often as a symbol of danger, but also one of strength. The Bible also mentions numerous encounters between humans and lions. The beasts are savage killers (1Kgs 13:24; 1Kgs 13:26). Still, Benaiah (2Sam 23:20), David (1Sam 17:34-36), and Samson (Judg 14:6) manage to overcome their aggressors, and Daniel escapes unharmed (Dan 6:16-24). (Amos 3:1) describes how a shepherd rescued a lamb from the mouth of a lion. Some OT proverbs deal with the lion. In (Eccl 9:4 “a living dog is better than a dead lion”), and in (Judg 14:18) Samson is asked, “What is stronger than a lion?” (Prov 26:13) tells the story of the lazy man, who does not want to go to work, because there “is a lion in the road . . . a lion in the streets!” In the NT, the ferocity of the predatory lion makes it an apt simile for Satan (1Pet 5:8). A reference to Paul being rescued from the lion’s mouth (2Tim 4:17) alludes to the turning loose of such beasts on prisoners in spectacles at the Roman Colosseum.
