Yehezkiel 19:2-6

19:2 and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions!

She lay among young lions; ¹  she reared her cubs.

19:3 She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion.

He learned to tear prey; he devoured people. ² 

19:4 The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit.

They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. ³ 

19:5 “‘When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost.

She took another of her cubs ⁴  and made him a young lion.

19:6 He walked about among the lions; he became a young lion.

He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.

Yehezkiel 38:13

38:13 Sheba and Dedan and the traders of Tarshish with all its young warriors ⁵  will say to you, “Have you come to loot? Have you assembled your armies to plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to haul away a great amount of spoils?”’

[19:2]  ¹ sn Lions probably refer to Judahite royalty and/or nobility. The lioness appears to symbolize the Davidic dynasty, though some see the referent as Hamutal, the wife of Josiah and mother of Jehoahaz and Zedekiah. Gen 49:9 seems to be the background for Judah being compared to lions.

[19:3]  ² tn Heb “a man.”

[19:4]  ³ sn The description applies to king Jehoahaz (2 Kgs 23:31-34; Jer 22:10-12).

[19:5]  ⁴ sn The identity of this second lion is unclear; the referent is probably Jehoiakim or Zedekiah. If the lioness is Hamutal, then Zedekiah is the lion described here.

[38:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “young lions.”