they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just describe enemies roaring like lions; it emphasizes their eagerness to devour. The Hebrew word for "ravening" specifically paints a picture of tearing prey apart, highlighting their ferocious intent to utterly destroy, not just intimidate.
they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is describing an intense and terrifying assault by his enemies, who are compared to fierce beasts. Following the image of bulls surrounding him, he now depicts them as lions, eager to tear him apart and roaring with destructive intent. This vivid imagery underscores the extreme danger and the desperate plea for divine intervention.
When you hear 'roaring lion,' what comes to mind? This verse paints a picture of more than just noise – it's a terrifying, predatory hunger.
The enemies are not just making a racket; they are described with terms that mean 'tearing in pieces' and 'voraciously devouring.' This isn't just loud opposition; it's a violent, destructive intent.
A Threat to Consume
Imagine a lion that has cornered its prey. Its roar isn't just a warning; it's the sound of its absolute intent to destroy and consume. The enemies in this psalm are depicted with this same terrifying eagerness, their mouths wide open, ready to tear the Psalmist apart.
The Purpose of Their Fury
This isn't idle aggression. Their 'gaping' mouths are meant to 'affright' and, more importantly, to 'tear and devour.' It highlights the sheer brutality and bloodthirstiness directed towards the one being described.
Enemies can oppose us in many ways. This verse shows a progression from loud, scornful cries to a full-blown, predatory attack.
The imagery here shifts and intensifies. While earlier in the psalm the enemies might be described as mocking (Psalms 22:7), here their actions are likened to a lion ready to pounce and rend its prey. This 'gaping' isn't just for scorn; it's for consumption.
A Multi-Faceted Opposition
The enemies are compared to bulls, then lions, and later dogs (as noted in commentary). Each metaphor reveals a different facet of their cruelty: the brute strength of bulls, the ravenous hunger of lions, and the relentless pack mentality of dogs. This verse focuses on the lion-like ferocity.
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The Weight of Deadly Intent
This isn't a game. The enemies' actions are described with the intent to not just intimidate, but to 'tear and devour.' Their mouths are open for destruction, signifying a mortal threat, a desire to completely annihilate.
Understand the original words
ari · Hebrew Noun
A predatory animal known for its strength, ferocity, and terrifying roar; frequently used in the Bible to symbolize aggressive persecutors or the devouring nature of death.
The imagery of the lion captures the terrifying, voracious intent of the enemies during the Babylonian exile, portraying their eagerness to destroy and devour the people and their hopes.
c. 1000 BC
Davidic Kingdom Flourishes
King David establishes Jerusalem as the capital of a unified Israel, leading to a period of relative peace and prosperity.
c. 931 BC
Kingdom Divides
Following Solomon's reign, the united kingdom splits into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its inhabitants and scattering them.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire begin deporting Judeans, including elites and skilled workers, to Babylon.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
More Judeans are exiled to Babylon, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, as Babylonian control tightens.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus Cylinder Issued
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon and issues a decree allowing exiled peoples to return to their homelands.
This passage uses similar imagery of enemies opening their mouths wide against the one suffering, portraying them as roaring and showing no pity, which echoes the desperate situation in Psalms 22.
Amos 3:4This verse directly asks if a lion roars unless it has prey, drawing a parallel between a lion's roar and divine judgment or action, similar to how the roaring lion in Psalms 22 represents imminent danger and destruction.
Matthew 27:20Here, the crowd incited by the chief priests and elders demands Jesus' crucifixion, showing the same fierce, unified clamor and bloodthirsty intent described by the roaring lion imagery in Psalms 22.
Jeremiah 50:17This verse describes Israel being devoured by its enemies, likening them to lions that have scattered their prey, which powerfully illustrates the predatory and destructive nature conveyed by the ravening lion in Psalms 22.
clarkePsalms 22:13: "They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion."
They gaped upon me - They were fiercely and madly beat on my destruction.
pulpitPsalms 22:13: "They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion."
Verse 13. - They gaped upon me with their mouths. One metaphor is superseded by another. Fierce and threatening as bulls, the adversaries are ravenous as lions. They "gape with their mouths," eager to devour, ready to spring on the prey and crush it in their monstrous jaws. As a ravening and a roaring lion. The tumult and noise made by those who demanded our Lord's death are noted by the evangelist, περισσῶς…
The verse doesn't just describe enemies roaring like lions; it emphasizes their eagerness to devour. The Hebrew word for "ravening" specifically paints a picture of tearing prey apart, highlighting their ferocious intent to utterly destroy, not just intimidate.
The psalmist is describing an intense and terrifying assault by his enemies, who are compared to fierce beasts. Following the image of bulls surrounding him, he now depicts them as lions, eager to tear him apart and roaring with destructive intent. This vivid imagery underscores the extreme danger and the desperate plea for divine intervention.
The psalmist is describing an intense and terrifying assault by his enemies, who are compared to fierce beasts. Following the image of bulls surrounding him, he now depicts them as lions, eager to tear him apart and roaring with destructive intent. This vivid imagery underscores the extreme danger and the desperate plea for divine intervention.
"they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion." — The verse doesn't just describe enemies roaring like lions; it emphasizes their eagerness to devour. The Hebrew word for "ravening" specifically paints a picture of tearing prey apart, highlighting…
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Last reviewed October 2026