One method of Bible study is called a word study.  In this method, a concordance or search feature is used to look up all the instances when a word is used in the Bible.  Then the similarities and differences in use for each case are noted and studied.  This is the perfect method to employ when trying to understand strange symbols in the Bible. 

When you do not want to be overwhelmed by the number of verses you need to study, you can limit the number of texts in two ways.  One way is to pick a word that is uncommon.  A second way is to limit your search to only a portion of the Bible, such as Paul’s letters.  Be careful.  Just because a word is translated the same in English, it does not mean that it is the same word in the original language.  It is helpful to have a Hebrew/Greek dictionary, such as Strong’s or Thayer to check on the original word, so that you do not draw erroneous connections between unrelated words.  You should also compare the word in different translations of the Bible.

In Daniel 7, there is a vision of four beasts—a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dreadful terrifying beast.  There is no need to do a word study to know what these beasts symbolize.  The interpretation is given right in the chapter.  “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.” (Daniel 7:17).  The four beasts of Daniel are political powers.  However, the question remains as to why these particular beasts were chosen to represent these kingdoms.  How are these animals viewed in the rest of the scriptures?

LION

In the Bible, lions tear and kill and threaten.  They are the top predators that destroy.  In Genesis, the lion is the symbol of Judah.  Judah is to be feared.  Isaiah applies this symbol to nations who will come and attack Israel. 

• Genesis 49:9  (9)  Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
• Isaiah 5:29-30 (29)  Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue.  (30)  They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.

BEAR

A bear is to be feared also, especially a mother bear defending her cubs.  In Lamentations, Jeremiah compares the wrath of God against Judah to a bear or a lion tearing it to pieces. Often the lion and the bear are juxtaposed as two great evils that attack.  In Daniel’s vision, the bear (Medo-Persia) is told to devour much flesh.  Thus, it is to destroy many humans.  In Amos, God tells the hypocrites who claim to serve him that they do not want to face the day of the Lord.  They think that they will escape one destruction (the lion) by calling upon God, but because of their evil, they will be destroyed by another judgment (the bear).    The lion is the symbol of ultimate destruction, but the bear is second on the list of destroying powers.

• Lamentations 3:10-11  (10)  He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding; 11)  he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces; he has made me desolate;
• Daniel 7:5  (5)  And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’
• Amos 5:18-20  (18)  Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, (19)  as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.  (20)  Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?

LEOPARD

Leopards are viewed as predators that pick off the unwary.  They hide and pounce on those whose attention is turned towards other dangers.  When Jeremiah gives a judgment against Judah, he compares the enemy armies to lions and leopards.  The lion attacks directly, but the leopard lies in wait to pick off those who flee the lion’s attack.  Hosea combines the lion, leopard, and mother bear.  God says that He will go from being Israel’s protector to being the predator attacking it.  Lions and bears attack directly and overwhelm their prey, but leopards are the hidden danger that will kill a person just as effectively as the others.

• Jeremiah 5:6  (6)  Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.
• Hosea 13:6-8  (6)  but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.  (7)  So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.  (8)  I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.

BEAST

Most times the term beast is just a contrast between humans and animals.  In Daniel chapter four, this contrast is used to show Nebuchadnezzar going from logical lucidity to unthinking activity based on emotion and instinct.  In the vision of Daniel 7, the beast is not a known predatory animal.  It is a creature of nightmares.  In Revelation 13:2, the beast has all the savage characteristics of the lion, bear, and leopard.  In verse 11, the new beast speaks like a dragon, the most dangerous of all the creatures of the Bible.  Thus, a beast can simply be an animal, but when it is dreadful and terrifying as in Daniel and Revelation, it is an enemy of God’s people to be feared more than the lion, bear, or leopard.  

• Jeremiah 21:6  (6)  And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence.
• Daniel 4:16  (16)  Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.
• Daniel 7:7  (7)  After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
• Revelation 13:2  (2)  And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
• Revelation 13:11  (11)  Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.

CONCLUSION

The Bible is consistent in using the symbols of the lion, leopard, and bear as something to be feared because they kill and attack people.  When a beast is seen as a wild beast or a predatory beast, it is also negative.  Modern society honors predators like eagles, lions, and wolves, which hunt and kill prey, but the Bible is consistent about condemning predatory beasts and comparing them to political powers. 

However, isn’t Jesus the lion of the tribe of Judah?  How does that relate to the usage of lion that I found in my word study? When I searched for Jesus as the lion of the tribe of Judah, I found out that there was only one place in the Bible that gives him that title.  When I read the context in Revelation, I suddenly had a giant “ah-ha” moment.  Read Revelation 5:5-6 and compare it to what the rest of the Bible says about lions.  Do you see the truth that the Bible is trying to teach us about the beastly kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of heaven?  Do you understand the profound significance of supporting worldly powers to achieve your goals versus the power of God?  Pay attention to the lesson of Revelation chapter 5.

• Revelation 5:5-6  (5)  And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”  (6)  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

The predatory lion of the tribe of Judah is really a Lamb.  God’s government looks nothing like worldly political powers.  It does not tear and rend and kill.  Instead, the Lamb gains power by dying in defense of humans.  All human governments force and destroy.  God’s government draws us in with love and heals us. What a contrast! Choose carefully who you will serve each day. Will you choose one of the beastly powers or the Lamb?