2 Raja-raja 17:25

17:25 When they first moved in, ¹  they did not worship ²  the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them.

Yeremia 51:38

51:38 The Babylonians are all like lions roaring for prey.

They are like lion cubs growling for something to eat. ³ 

Zefanya 3:3

3:3 Her princes ⁴  are as fierce as roaring lions; ⁵ 

her rulers ⁶  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ⁷ 

who completely devour their prey by morning. ⁸ 

Zakharia 11:3

11:3 Listen to the howling of shepherds,

because their magnificence has been destroyed.

Listen to the roaring of young lions,

because the thickets of the Jordan have been devastated.

[17:25]  ¹ tn Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”

[17:25]  ² tn Heb “fear.”

[51:38]  ³ tn Heb “They [the Babylonians] all roar like lions. They growl like the cubs of lions.” For the usage of יַחְדָו (yakhdav) meaning “all” see Isa 10:8; 18:6; 41:20. The translation strives to convey in clear terms what is the generally accepted meaning of the simile (cf., e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 358, and J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 762).

[3:3]  ⁴ tn Or “officials.”

[3:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Traditionally “judges.”

[3:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.