Isaiah 31:4

The Lord Will Defend Zion

31:4 Indeed, this is what the Lord says to me:

“The Lord will be like a growling lion,

like a young lion growling over its prey. ¹ 

Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it,

it is not afraid of their shouts

or intimidated by their yelling. ² 

In this same way the Lord who commands armies will descend

to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill. ³ 

Isaiah 42:13

42:13 The Lord emerges like a hero,

like a warrior he inspires himself for battle; ⁴ 

he shouts, yes, he yells,

he shows his enemies his power. ⁵ 

Jeremiah 25:30

25:30 “Then, Jeremiah, ⁶  make the following prophecy ⁷  against them:

‘Like a lion about to attack, ⁸  the Lord will roar from the heights of heaven;

from his holy dwelling on high he will roar loudly.

He will roar mightily against his land. ⁹ 

He will shout in triumph like those stomping juice from the grapes ¹⁰ 

against all those who live on the earth.

Joel 3:16

3:16 The Lord roars from Zion;

from Jerusalem ¹¹  his voice bellows out. ¹² 

The heavens ¹³  and the earth shake.

But the Lord is a refuge for his people;

he is a stronghold for the citizens ¹⁴  of Israel.

Amos 1:2

God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations

1:2 Amos ¹⁵  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ¹⁶  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ¹⁷  he comes bellowing! ¹⁸ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ¹⁹ 

the summit of Carmel ²⁰  withers.” ²¹ 

Amos 3:4

3:4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? ²² 

Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?

Amos 3:8

3:8 A lion has roared! ²³  Who is not afraid?

The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy? ²⁴ 

[31:4]  ¹ tn Heb “As a lion growls, a young lion over its prey.” In the Hebrew text the opening comparison is completed later in the verse (“so the Lord will come down…”), after a parenthesis describing how fearless the lion is. The present translation divides the verse into three sentences for English stylistic reasons.

[31:4]  ² tn Heb “Though there is summoned against it fullness of shepherds, by their voice it is not terrified, and to their noise it does not respond.”

[31:4]  ³ tn Some prefer to translate the phrase לִצְבֹּא עַל (litsbo’ ’al) as “fight against,” but the following context pictures the Lord defending, not attacking, Zion.

[42:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “like a man of war he stirs up zeal” (NIV similar).

[42:13]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps, “he triumphs over his enemies” (cf. NIV); NLT “will crush all his enemies.”

[25:30]  ⁷ tn The word “Jeremiah” is not in the text. It is supplied in the translation to make clear who is being addressed.

[25:30]  ⁸ tn Heb “Prophesy against them all these words.”

[25:30]  ⁹ tn The words “like a lion about to attack” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor. The explicit comparison of the Lord to a lion is made at the end of the passage in v. 38. The words are supplied in the translation here for clarity.

[25:30]  ¹⁰ sn The word used here (Heb “his habitation”) refers to the land of Canaan which the Lord chose to make his earthly dwelling (Exod 15:13) and which was the dwelling place of his chosen people (Jer 10:25; Isa 32:18). Judgment would begin at the “house of God” (v. 29; 1 Pet 4:17) but would extend to the rest of the earth (v. 29).

[25:30]  ¹¹ sn The metaphor shifts from God as a lion to God as a mighty warrior (Jer 20:11; Isa 42:13; Zeph 3:17) shouting in triumph over his foes. Within the metaphor is a simile where the warrior is compared to a person stomping on grapes to remove the juice from them in the making of wine. The figure will be invoked later in a battle scene where the sounds of joy in the grape harvest are replaced by the sounds of joy of the enemy soldiers (Jer 48:33). The picture is drawn in more gory detail in Isa 63:1-6.

[3:16]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he sounds forth his voice.”

[3:16]  ¹² tn Or “the sky.” See the note on “sky” in 2:30.

[3:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “sons.”

[1:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “he;” the referent (Amos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:2]  ¹⁴ sn The Lord, in his role of warrior-king, is compared to a lion. See 3:4, 8.

[1:2]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “gives his voice.”

[1:2]  ¹⁷ tn Lexicographers debate whether there are two roots אָבַל (’aval), one signifying “mourn” and the other “be dry,” or simply one (“mourn”). The parallel verb (“withers”) might favor the first option and have the meaning “wilt away.” It is interesting to note, however, that the root appears later in the book in the context of lament (5:16; 8:8, 10; 9:5). Either 1:2 is a possible wordplay to alert the reader to the death that will accompany the judgment (the option of two roots), or perhaps the translation “mourns” is appropriate here as well (cf. KJV, NASB, NKJV, NJPS; see also D. J. A. Clines, “Was There an ’BL II ‘Be Dry’ in Classical Hebrew?” VT 42 [1992]: 1-10).

[1:2]  ¹⁸ sn Carmel was a region known for its abundant plants and trees. See Isa 33:9; 35:2; Jer 50:19.

[1:2]  ¹⁹ sn Loss of a land’s fertility is frequently associated with judgment in the OT and ancient Near Eastern literature.

[3:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “without having prey [or “food”].”

[3:8]  ¹⁹ sn The roar of the lion is here a metaphor for impending judgment (see 1:2; cf. 3:4, 12). Verses 7-8 justify Amos’ prophetic ministry and message of warning and judgment. The people should expect a prophetic message prior to divine action.

[3:8]  ²⁰ sn Who can refuse to prophesy? When a message is revealed, the prophet must speak, and the news of impending judgment should cause people to fear.