Job 4:10
The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions are broken.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Eliphaz uses multiple words for "lion" not just for poetic flair, but to emphasize that all stages and types of fierce, predatory power—from the mature predator to the young hunters—ultimately have their might shattered and silenced by divine justice. This isn't just about individual destruction, but the complete breaking of their destructive capacity, much like a powerful roar fading to nothing.
Eliphaz is arguing that calamities do not befall the innocent, but rather the wicked, citing his observations as evidence. He uses vivid imagery of powerful lions whose strength ultimately fails, suggesting that even the fiercest and most dangerous individuals, like tyrannical rulers, eventually have their power broken and their plans thwarted by divine justice. This is all part of Eliphaz's attempt to convince Job that his suffering must be a consequence of his own sin.
Eliphaz uses powerful imagery to describe those who oppose God. What do these fierce predators represent in his argument?
In this passage, Eliphaz isn't just talking about wild animals. He's using the lion, a creature known for its strength, ferocity, and predatory nature, as a powerful metaphor for wicked and oppressive people.
A Multi-Faceted Threat
Eliphaz employs several different Hebrew words for 'lion' to capture the various aspects of wickedness:
These terms together paint a picture of powerful individuals or groups who terrorize others, embodying a potent threat. Their 'roar' and 'teeth' are symbols of their ability to inflict harm and spread fear.
Eliphaz observes that even the fiercest predators eventually have their power broken. What does this reveal about God's justice?
The core of Eliphaz's point here is that God's justice ultimately prevails, even against the most formidable of wicked people.
The Ultimate Restraint
Understand the original words
layish · Hebrew Noun
In biblical imagery, the lion is frequently used to symbolize power, ferocity, cruelty, and the pride of the wicked. It represents those who prey upon the weak and resist divine order.
This Psalm directly compares wicked leaders to lions whose 'teeth' God will break, mirroring the imagery in Job of powerful, destructive forces being rendered harmless.
Jeremiah 4:7Here, a 'destroyer' is described as coming from the forest like a lion to devastate the land, linking the lion's power to destruction and judgment, which aligns with Eliphaz's critique.
2 Timothy 4:17Paul, facing severe opposition, declares that the Lord stood by him 'and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that through me the gospel might be proclaimed, and all the Gentiles might hear.' This echoes the idea of divine intervention to overcome formidable forces, even as Eliphaz suggests God can break the lion's power.
Proverbs 30:30This verse describes the lion as 'the mighty among animals, who turns back before nothing,' highlighting its fearsome power and untamed nature, which is the very quality Eliphaz is contrasting with divine judgment.
jfbJob 4:10: "The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken."
10, 11. lion—that is, wicked men, upon whom Eliphaz wished to show that calamities come in spite of their various resources, just as destruction comes on the lion in spite of his strength (Ps 58:6; 2Ti 4:17). Five different Hebrew terms here occur for "lion." The raging of the lion (the tearer), and the roaring of the bellowing lion and the teeth of the young lions, not whelps, b…
pooleJob 4:10: "The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken."
The voice of the fierce lion; understand vanisheth , or perisheth , out of Job 4:9 ; or, is restrained, or suppressed, as may be gathered out of the following branch of this verse. The teeth of the young lions are broken; which is true literally; the lions when taken having most commonly their teeth broken, as ancient and modern writers relate. But this is here mystically meant o…
Eliphaz uses multiple words for "lion" not just for poetic flair, but to emphasize that all stages and types of fierce, predatory power—from the mature predator to the young hunters—ultimately have their might shattered and silenced by divine justice. This isn't just about individual destruction, but the complete breaking of their destructive capacity, much like a powerful roar fading to nothing.
Eliphaz is arguing that calamities do not befall the innocent, but rather the wicked, citing his observations as evidence. He uses vivid imagery of powerful lions whose strength ultimately fails, suggesting that even the fiercest and most dangerous individuals, like tyrannical rulers, eventually have their power broken and their plans thwarted by divine justice. This is all part of Eliphaz's attempt to convince Job that his suffering must be a consequence of his own sin.
Eliphaz is arguing that calamities do not befall the innocent, but rather the wicked, citing his observations as evidence. He uses vivid imagery of powerful lions whose strength ultimately fails, suggesting that even the fiercest and most dangerous individuals, like tyrannical rulers, eventually have their power broken and their plans thwarted by divine justice. This is all part of Eliphaz's attempt to convince Job that his suffering must be a consequence of his own sin.
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Eliphaz uses this image to argue that suffering is not necessarily a sign of personal wickedness, but that God has a way of dealing with true wickedness in the end.
"The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions are broken." — Eliphaz uses multiple words for "lion" not just for poetic flair, but to emphasize that all stages and types of fierce, predatory power—from the mature predator to the young hunters—ultimately have…
