Genesis 49:8

Hebrew Bible

6 O my soul, do not come into their council, do not be united to their assembly, my heart, for in their anger they have killed men, and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel! 8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies, your father’s sons will bow down before you. 9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah, from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches and lies down like a lion; like a lioness—who will rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him.

Micah 5:8

Hebrew Bible

6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn sword. Our king will rescue us from the Assyrians should they attempt to invade our land and try to set foot in our territory. 7 Those survivors from Jacob will live in the midst of many nations. They will be like the dew the Lord sends, like the rain on the grass, that does not hope for men to come or wait around for humans to arrive. 8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations, in the midst of many peoples. They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which attacks when it passes through. It rips its prey and there is no one to stop it. 9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; may all your enemies be destroyed! 10 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will destroy your horses from your midst and smash your chariots.

 Notes and References

"... The Lion of Judah is from Genesis 49:9; the Root of David is from Isaiah 11:1, 10. Both Old Testament texts were loci classic of Jewish Messianic hopes in John's time. They were evidently favorites at Qumran, where the Messiah of Israel is described in terms of both Isaiah 11:1-5 and Genesis 49:8-10 in 4Q Patriarchal Blessings, and 1QSb 5:20-29; and again as the Isaianic 'Branch of David' in 4QFlor 1:11-12; 4QpIsa' Fragment D. Both texts characterize the Messiah as the warrior prince who will conquer the enemies of Israel ... The 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' is not attested as a messianic title in pre-rabbinic literature, but there are two significant instances of messianic application of the lion image from Genesis 49:9.' In 1QSb 5:29 die Messiah is addressed: 'you shall be as a lion; and you shall not lie down until you have devoured the prey which nought shall deliver ...' (Here the image is drawn from Numbers 23:24 and Micah 5:8 as well as from Genesis 49:9) In the vision of 4 Ezra ll-12 the great eagle, which represents the power of Rome, is reproved for its wickedness by a lion and consequently destroyed (11:37-l 2:3). The interpretation explains that the lion is the Messiah 'from the seed of David', who will rebuke and destroy the rulers of the empire (12:31-33) ..."

Bauckham, Richard The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (pp. 180-181) T&T Clark, 1993

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