He roved among the lions, And became a young lion; He learned to catch prey; He devoured men.
Parallel translations
- WEB He went up and down among the lions; he became a young lion, and he learned to catch the prey. He devoured men.
- KJV And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.
- BSB He prowled among the lions, and became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
- NASB ‘And he walked about among the lions, He became a young lion; He learned to tear his prey; He devoured people.
- NLT He prowled among the other lions and stood out among them in his strength. He learned to hunt and devour prey, and he, too, became a man-eater.
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 second young lion grows strong, learns to hunt, and devours men. It depicts a king who ruled with predatory violence.
Overview
Like the first cub, this king becomes a fierce lion, but his strength is marked by violence and oppression ('he devoured men'). The imagery condemns the bloodshed and injustice of Judah's later kings rather than praising their power. Such abuse of God-given authority stands in sharp contrast to the Messiah, the Lion of Judah, who lays down His life rather than devouring His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jer 36:1–32In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,
- Jer 22:13–17“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t give him his hire;
- 2 Kgs 24:1–7In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.
- Jer 26:1–24In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh:
- 2 Chr 36:5Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh his God’s sight.
- 2 Kgs 24:9He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that his father had done.
- 2 Chr 36:9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight.
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 19:6 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.