“The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.”
My Notes
What Does Job 4:10 Mean?
"The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken." Eliphaz's observation about the WICKED: even the strongest, most fearsome creatures are BROKEN. Five different Hebrew words for lion appear in verses 10-11 — aryeh (lion), shachal (fierce lion), kephirim (young lions), layish (old lion — verse 11), and lavi (lioness — verse 11). The vocabulary is EXHAUSTIVE — every type of lion, every stage of life, every expression of strength — all BROKEN.
The phrase "the teeth of the young lions, are broken" (shinne kephirim nitto'u — the teeth of the young lions are shattered/broken) targets the lion's PRIMARY weapon: the TEETH. Not the claws, not the speed, not the strength — the TEETH. The instrument of the lion's power — what makes a lion DANGEROUS — is specifically destroyed. The weapon is neutralized. The predator's tool is shattered.
The FIVE lion-words in two verses create a COMPREHENSIVE image of power being dismantled: every kind of lion — old, young, male, female, fierce, roaring — is included. No type is exempted. The destruction of the powerful is TOTAL across categories. The old lion (layish) and the young lion (kephirim) both fall. The fierce lion (shachal) and the lioness (lavi) both lose. Strength at every stage and in every form is broken.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What instrument of predatory power has God broken or neutralized?
- 2.What does FIVE words for lion (every type, every stage) teach about the comprehensiveness of God's dismantling?
- 3.How does breaking the TEETH (not the body) describe targeting the specific source of danger?
- 4.What 'roaring' that seems unstoppable in your life is God specifically silencing?
Devotional
FIVE words for lion in two verses. Every type of strength represented — the roaring lion, the fierce lion, the young lion, the old lion, the lioness. Every stage of power included. And ALL of them: BROKEN. The teeth shattered. The roaring silenced. The fierceness finished. The most powerful creature in the ancient world, in every possible form, dismantled.
The TEETH being broken is the specific targeting: not the legs (speed), not the body (mass), not the eyes (hunting). The TEETH — the instrument of killing, the weapon that makes the lion DANGEROUS. God doesn't just weaken the lion. He removes the lion's PRIMARY tool. The predator without teeth is a predator without power. The weapon-system is neutralized at the source.
Eliphaz uses this to argue that the WICKED will fall — no matter how powerful they appear. The lion-imagery says: you may roar, you may look fierce, you may have young protectors and old authority. But God breaks TEETH. God silences ROARING. God dismantles EVERY form of predatory power. The strength that seems unassailable is specifically targeted by God.
The EXHAUSTIVE vocabulary is the point: Eliphaz doesn't say 'the lion is broken.' He names FIVE kinds of lions. The comprehensiveness says: no form of predatory power is exempt. No stage of strength is safe. Young, old, male, female, fierce, roaring — all broken. The catalog of power becomes the catalog of destruction.
What 'teeth' — what instrument of predatory power — has God broken in your situation?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey,.... Or rather "the stout" and "strong lion" (e), that is most able to take the…
The roaring of the lion - This is evidently a continuation of the argument in the preceding verses, and Eliphaz is…
Eliphaz here advances another argument to prove Job a hypocrite, and will have not only his impatience under his…
The sudden destruction of the wicked is thrown by Eliphaz into another graphic figure, the breaking-up and dispersion of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture