and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
Parallel translations
- WEB He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor mauled the donkey.
- KJV And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
- NKJV Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey.
- NASB Then he went and found his body thrown on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor harmed the donkey.
- NLT and he went out and found the body lying in the road. The donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The prophet finds the body with the lion and donkey still standing by, untouched and unharmed. The unnatural restraint of the lion confirms this was a deliberate act of God.
Overview
A lion that has killed would normally devour its prey and attack the nearby donkey, but here it does neither. This supernatural restraint marks the death as a targeted judgment, not random violence. The scene visibly testifies that Yahweh's word, spoken against disobedience, had been precisely carried out.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jer 5:22–23Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
- Dan 3:27–28and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
- 1 Kgs 17:4And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
- 1 Kgs 17:6The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.
- Job 38:11and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?
- Dan 3:22The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
- Acts 16:26Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
- Dan 6:22–24My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”
- Heb 11:33–34who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,
- Ps 148:7–8Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,
- Lev 10:2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
- Lev 10:5So they came forward and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had directed.
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
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Original language
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