In Scripture, the lion is a powerful and recurring symbol. Sometimes the lion stands for strength, courage, royalty, or God’s mighty protection. In other instances, this majestic animal can represent danger, enemies, or the power of evil. The lion’s image captures both awe and warning, revealing spiritual truths and lessons about how we live and trust God.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, lions are used as metaphors by prophets, psalmists, and apostles. The “Lion of Judah” is a name given to Jesus, speaking of His royal authority and victory. Yet, the Bible also describes Satan as a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” illustrating how spiritual threats can lurk in our lives.
These powerful images invite readers to consider both the promises and the cautions woven throughout God’s Word. Taken together, these passages help us understand how God uses the lion as a vivid picture for His people—calling us to courage, warning us of danger, and drawing our eyes to the true King.
Bible Verses About What Does a Lion Represent
1. Revelation 5:5
“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.’”
2. Proverbs 28:1
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
3. 1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
4. Amos 3:8
“The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”
5. Hosea 11:10
“They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.”
6. Genesis 49:9
“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?”
7. Proverbs 30:30
“The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any.”
8. Numbers 23:24
“Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”
9. 2 Timothy 4:17
“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed … So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
10. Judges 14:5-6
“Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat.”
11. Psalm 34:10
“The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”
12. Psalm 7:2
“Lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.”
13. Psalm 22:13
“They open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.”
14. Psalm 91:13
“You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”
15. Isaiah 31:4
“For thus the Lord said to me, ‘As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey … so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.’”
16. Daniel 6:16
“Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!’”
17. Daniel 6:22
“My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
18. Ezekiel 19:2-3
“What was your mother? A lioness! Among lions she crouched; in the midst of young lions she reared her cubs. And she brought up one of her cubs; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch prey; he devoured men.”
19. 2 Samuel 17:10
“Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear…”
20. 2 Samuel 23:20
“And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada … struck down two ariels of Moab. And he also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.”
21. Job 4:10-11
“The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions are broken. The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.”
22. Psalm 10:9
“He lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor…”
23. Psalm 17:12
“Like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.”
24. Psalm 35:17
“How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!”
25. Lamentations 3:10
“He is a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in hiding.”
26. Isaiah 5:29
“Its roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue.”
27. Isaiah 11:6-7
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat … and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.”
28. Jeremiah 2:30
“In vain have I struck your children; they took no correction; your own sword devoured your prophets like a ravening lion.”
29. Jeremiah 4:7
“A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste…”
30. Jeremiah 50:44
“Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her.”
31. Ezekiel 22:25
“The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives…”
32. Hosea 5:14
“For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah … I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and none shall rescue.”
33. Hosea 13:7-8
“So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way. I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs…”
34. Joel 1:6
“For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness.”
35. Nahum 2:11-12
“Where is the lions’ den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb? The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses…”
Our Thought on What the Bible Says About What Does a Lion Represent
The biblical image of the lion is deeply significant and multi-faceted. In many verses, the lion conveys strength, courage, and kingly authority. Jesus is declared “the Lion of Judah,” picturing His victorious power, righteous rule, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. The righteous are compared to bold lions—unyielding in the face of fear—showing that those who trust God can face any trial with courage.
Yet, the lion also stands for danger and destruction. Israel’s enemies, wild threats, and even the devil are likened to lions that seek to devour and destroy. These representations warn of spiritual vigilance and the reality of evil, calling God’s people to depend on Him for deliverance and protection. Stories like Daniel in the lions’ den demonstrate how, even when the threat is real and overwhelming, God is able to shut the lion’s mouth and save.
Ultimately, the lion points to both the dangers that surround us and the sovereignty of God over all creation. For believers, it serves as a reminder that God is both powerful and protective; He is the true Lion who conquers evil and secures victory for His people. When