{"id":4263,"date":"2025-06-06T18:13:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themuseumguy.weblorenz.com\/?p=4263"},"modified":"2025-06-06T18:13:50","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:13:50","slug":"lions-oh-my","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themuseumguy.co.il\/he\/post\/lions-oh-my\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions, Oh My!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Lion
Lion and bull in combat. Relief from Persepolis. In the Boston MFA. Photo: Nachliel Selavan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The combat of wild animals was a dominant and persistent theme throughout ancient Near Eastern art. The lion was a traditional symbol for the deities of war and destruction-and also, ironically, of love. The bull, noted for its sexuality and brute strength, was associated with the gods of storms, chaos, and fertility. In art, combat between such powerful animals may have symbolically represented the increasing and unresolved conflicts in nature. This fits into an overall background theme stretching to the earliest Mesopotamian cultures of order over chaos, the urbanization and civilization subduing the wild, a constant fight which the kings and gods had to lead. This particular composition was repeated over and over again at either end of the grand staircases at Persepolis. [Based on a plaque on display at Boston MFA]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lion King<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the ancient world, lions were symbols of strength, power, ferocity, and most importantly – of kingship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biblical and Midrashic literature are fraught with mentions of lions in many different contexts. The lion has seven names in Hebrew, and its various aspects are used in prophecy and metaphor. Oftentimes, it is used to describe an enemy, the most prominent of which is Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This short article is not attempting to cover the length of the fascinating mentions and usages of the lion in Jewish literature. That has already been expertly done in the Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom<\/a> (Slifkin, 2015), and I highly recommend reading it. Rabbi Dr. Slifkin covers many fascinating insights about lions, both zoological and conceptual, which are beyond the scope of this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I offer here are a few valuable tidbits for educational purposes, highlighting connections and providing food for thought. I link artifacts relating to the main antagonists of the late First Temple through Persian periods, with Biblical references tying them to lions. Finally, I will end with a treat from my hometown of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assyria – The Lion\u2019s Den<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What has become of that <\/em>lion’s\u2019 den<\/em><\/strong> , that pasture of great beasts, where lion and lion\u2019s breed walked, and lion\u2019s cub\u2014with none to disturb them? [Where is] the lion that tore victims for his cubs and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his lairs with prey and his dens with mangled flesh? I am going to deal with you \u2014declares the Lord of Hosts: I will burn down her chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your great beasts; I will stamp out your killings from the earth, and the sound of your messengers shall be heard no more. <\/em>(Nahum 2:12-14)<\/em><\/a> .<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

On the surface, this is an allegory, a metaphor to the great and mighty Assyrians who feared no one. The impact of Nahum\u2019s prophecy would have been most impactful if it was said while Assyria was still at its height. According to the Seder Olam Rabba (20:2), Nahum prophesied during the reign of King Menashe, who ruled for 52 years (II Kings 21:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this time, Assyria was indeed at the peak of its strength, both under Esarhaddon (ca. 681-669 BCE) and Ashurbanipal (ca. 668-631 BEC). Both of them were involved with Judah on some level, but mostly with Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A further description in Nahum 3:8-10 refers to the destruction of Thebes and exile of Egyptians (possibly the Nubians), which was done once by Esarhaddon and twice by Ashurbanipal. This would narrow down the time in which he prophesied. For more on Assyrian involvement in Egypt, see my article Taharqa, Sennacherib and Hezekiah – the Untold Story<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the events of 701 BCE, Sennacherib returned to Assyria. Instead of making Judah a vassal, as he had intended (II Chr. 32:1-2), he merely taxed it heavily. You can see more about how that was documented both in Assyrian records and in the Bible in\u00a0this video by Megalim Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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