He is like a lion that is eager to tear, And as a young lion lurking in secret places.
Parallel translations
- WEB He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
- KJV Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
- BSB like a lion greedy for prey, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
- NKJV As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
- NLT They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart— like young lions hiding in ambush.
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
David likens his enemy to a hungry lion lurking to seize its prey. It matters because it vividly portrays the predatory threat the godly face from the wicked.
Overview
David compares his foe to a lion greedy for prey and a young lion crouching in ambush. The image captures the deadly, calculating menace of the wicked. Scripture elsewhere likens the adversary to a roaring lion, against whom believers stand firm by trusting the God who delivers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 7:2lest they tear apart my soul like a lion, ripping it in pieces, while there is no one to deliver.
- 1 Pet 5:8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
- Ps 10:9He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net.
- Ps 22:13They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.
- 2 Tim 4:17But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 17:12 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.