The Lion’s Mysterious Symbolism

How the lion and its conqueror in the Old Testament point in an impressive way to the Bible’s one true hero, Jesus Christ.

As Israel was taking possession of the land of Canaan bit by bit, it soon came under the rule of foreign powers again during the time of the judges. At this time, hope that someone would save them from these powers was rekindled. And there was a reason for this hope: With the judges, the people finally had rescuers who did just that. One of them was Samson, who embodied this like none other through supernatural strength. His first deed that garnered attention wasn’t a victory over the Philistines, but over something of no less importance. It was a victory over a lion which, for many of Israel’s important historical figures, became proof that God wanted to bestow salvation through them. And so, the fight with the lion became an archetype of the Bible’s true hero—the true lion tamer.

The Savior and the Lion

In every hero’s journey, their first courageous deed is especially important. This is also true of important figures in the Bible. Through this first deed, a kind of routine becomes clear. But in Samson’s case, his first deed in Judges is a strange one: He tears apart a lion.

“Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done” (Jdg 14:5-6).

What happens here is truly impressive. The lion symbolizes deadly, threatening danger in a way that no other animal does. Equipped with claws and teeth, it has a kind of natural weaponry that humans lack. What could an unarmed man possibly do against this wild beast? A lion has a thick coat and full mane to protect it against claws and teeth, while the thin skin of humans makes them extremely vulnerable to this wild animal. It was already clear to the people of Samson’s day that the lion was the wildest and most dangerous animal to be found. “What is stronger than a lion?” (Jdg 14:18) is the Philistines’ rhetorical question shortly thereafter.

Samson encounters one such lion coming from the shelter of the dense vineyards. And even before it attacks, it roars, projecting terror around him. It’s the first time (but hardly the last) that the roaring lion features prominently in the Bible. The truly impressive thing about this first deed of Samson (for which God’s Spirit equips him) is not the lion but Samson himself: fearless, unarmed, and unflinching. By God’s power alone, he meets the lion and simply “tears” it with his bare hands. This dramatic language certainly shows how extraordinary this event is. Samson doesn’t merely kill the lion; he doesn’t strangle it or overpower it, but tears it to pieces. Sheer physical strength and superiority could hardly be more clearly expressed. Scripture emphasizes how remarkable this is by including the phrase, “he had nothing in his hand” (Jdg 14:6).

Now such a story could be dismissed as inconsequential. After all, what does a fight with a lion mean? Isn’t all of this just an afterthought, and relatively unimportant for the history of the Bible? The mere fact that the Bible reports this as Samson’s first great deed, however, should capture our attention. That this fight with the lion is the sign of a true hero of the faith is made clear much later in Hebrews, in the “hall of faith.” It explicitly mentions Samson in a list with other important people who “through faith conquered kingdoms,” “stopped the mouths of lions,” “were made strong out of weakness [and] became mighty in war” (Heb 11:33-34). Fighting a lion is an expression of heroism, and it’s no coincidence that the heroes of the faith are still spoken of today.

Because Samson’s first heroic deed is so significant, it becomes symbolic for his entire life. He enters into battle against an overpowering opponent—not with weapons, but solely through God’s power. And so, victory over the lion is simply a foreshadowing of his fight against and defeat of God’s enemies. Even for Samson, it isn’t about the lion in and of itself, but about what becomes clear from the fight and what the lion stands for. It’s no coincidence that the conflict with the Philistines begins at this very point in Samson’s life. The fight with the lion becomes its starting point, as we see in Judges 14:10-20.

Therefore, in the life of Samson, his fight with the lion is inseparable from his fight against the Philistines. The fight against the lion has already shown him to be a strong savior and conqueror of the enemy. And in vanquishing it, Samson awakens hope in a true hero who will enter the great battle and vanquish God’s enemies—through unusual and unexpected means. He defeats “the strong” and even drew “something sweet” from it (Jdg 14:14). For “can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?” (Matt 12:29). Because again, “What is stronger than a lion?” And so, Samson has become the archetype of the true hero, who overpowers the strongest non-human adversary—“the strong”—and frees the ones in its power. It’s possible that the Old Testament Israelites were already longing for the One who had been announced in the first pages of the Bible … the One who would defeat man’s greatest enemy, the enemy of God: the adversary, “Satan” in Hebrew. Through his actions, Samson also further increases hope in this Savior. And, it’s no coincidence that Samson achieves his greatest victory over Israel’s enemies by sacrificing his own life (Jdg 16:30).

The Shepherd and the Lion

Accordingly, it’s unsurprising that Israel’s next great historical hero also defeats a lion as his first heroic deed. David isn’t yet 16 years old, and is still looking after the flocks as a shepherd when he fends off a lion and a bear.

“And Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.’ And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’” (1 Sam 17:33-37).

The pattern continues: Solely by God’s power and without human strength and weapons, David defeats the lion and the bear, becoming the savior of the helpless, defenseless sheep. And, as it was in Samson’s case, David’s heroic deed also occurs in the context of a larger struggle: the fight against the Philistines. Once again, the lion is just one example of how God can help against seemingly superior enemies. When the young man—seemingly weak and powerless and lacking the usual weapons—defeats Israel’s heavily-armed enemy solely through God’s power, saving the whole people from bondage (1 Sam 17:47-51), then Israel’s hope of the true hero—who had been announced in the first pages of Scripture—was awakened more than ever before. From then on, David performs yet more deeds through God’s power. As a result, he’s known as a hero (1 Sam 16:18; 2 Sam 17:10). Doesn’t it make sense that someone else will eventually come along, just as unremarkable from the outside and mocked like David, but who will achieve the greatest victory by defeating the most powerful enemy, saving an immense number of people from bondage by a single deed?

The Hero and the Lion

David isn’t the only one compared to a lion; Jonathan is as well due to his extraordinary deeds (2 Sam 1:23). And David’s 30 “mighty men”—the heroes of their day (2 Sam 23:8)—are also distinguished by their ability to defeat lions. One is described: “Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian” (2 Sam 23:20-21a). Because of his extraordinary deeds, he was honored even more than David’s 30 heroes (2 Sam 23:23). The true heroes in this passage are described with genuine admiration. But what is a “lion” doing between the defeat of Moab’s heroes and Egypt’s hero? It’s simple: The sudden pivot to focus on the lion is only appropriate because it’s such a clear expression of God’s use of this man. Victory over a lion is symbolic of victory over even greater opponents of Israel. Such instances make it clear that a true hero absolutely vanquishes the lion, because it shows symbolically that he also triumphs over all of God’s enemies.

The True Lion Slayer

This is the explicit hope that has been kept alive in Israel throughout the centuries, starting with Samson, David, and other heroes. Then, eventually, the prophet Isaiah foretells that, just like David, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse … And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him … and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked” (Isa 11:1-2, 4). This passage describes an even greater hero than David, whose triumph won’t even need a slingshot. What is the result? “And the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (v. 7b). In other words, it will finally be tamed. It is the promise of the true lion tamer and bear slayer, who vanquishes wild beasts. The fight against wild beasts is just a depiction of the fact that he will defeat the greatest enemy, restoring peace to mankind. There’s only one surprising part: Although the lion is finally subdued, there’s no hint of a fight. How can that be? And who is the savior being described here?

This savior is obviously no mere ordinary man. The same prophet also predicts that it will be none other than God Himself who will come as Israel’s Savior (Isa 35:3-4). When He does, He will make a way for the redeemed. “No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there” (v. 9). They will have “everlasting joy” as “the ransomed of the LORD,” “and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (v. 10). Finally, the people of Israel will no longer be awaiting a normal person who can save them from a literal lion. They’re waiting for God Himself to come and vanquish every adversary. The lion is a symbol of powers and influences that are simply too big for Israel, and thus God’s deliverance is required.

Midnight Call - 08/2025