Therefore I am like a lion to them. Like a leopard, I will lurk by the path.
Parallel translations
- KJV Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
- BSB So like a lion I will pounce on them; like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
- NKJV “So I will be to them like a lion; Like a leopard by the road I will lurk;
- NASB So I will be like a lion to them; Like a leopard I will lie in wait by the wayside.
- NLT So now I will attack you like a lion, like a leopard that lurks along the road.
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
Because they forgot him, God will come against them like a lion lurking by the path. It portrays the fearsome judgment that meets persistent rebellion.
Overview
The God who tenderly cared for Israel now appears as a predator because of their hardened sin. The lion and leopard imagery conveys sudden, inescapable judgment. This sobering reversal shows that the same God of mercy is also a consuming judge of the unrepentant.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jer 5:6Therefore a lion out of the forest shall kill them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; everyone who goes out there shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their backsliding is increased.
- Hos 5:14For I will be to Ephraim like a lion, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear in pieces and go away. I will carry off, and there will be no one to deliver.
- Lam 3:10He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.
- Amos 3:8The lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord Yahweh has spoken. Who can but prophesy?
- Isa 42:13Yahweh will go out like a mighty man. He will stir up zeal like a man of war. He will raise a war cry. Yes, he will shout aloud. He will triumph over his enemies.
- Amos 1:2He said: “Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither.”
- Amos 3:4Will a lion roar in the thicket, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's relentless love for an unfaithful bride dramatizes the gospel: 'Out of Egypt I called my son' is fulfilled in Jesus, who redeems an adulterous people at his own cost.
How Hosea 13:7 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.