And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.
Parallel translations
- WEB and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs.
- BSB and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.
- NKJV and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.
- NASB and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among young lions, She raised her cubs.
- NLT “What is your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among the young lions and reared her cubs.
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 lament asks what the mother was: a lioness who raised her cubs among lions. Judah's royal house is pictured as a once-strong lion family.
Overview
The 'mother' represents Judah or the Davidic dynasty, and her 'cubs' are the kings. The imagery of strength and ferocity recalls the royal promise of Genesis 49:9. Yet the dirge form signals that this strength will end in captivity and grief.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Zeph 3:1–4Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
- Zech 11:3There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
- Ps 58:6Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
- Isa 11:6–9The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
- Nah 2:11–12Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
- Job 4:11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.
- Isa 5:29Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 19:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.