Expert: Rev C.Brian Ross - 1/22/2010

Question
Hello Reverend Ross!  Hope your 2010 has been great so far!

One of my favorite Bible verses has always been Proverbs 30:30.....not because of any special meaning, but perhaps because I have always loved animals from a young age.  I don't remember it exactly, but it reads something like this:

"of all the beasts the lion is the strongest, it turneth away from no one"

Several things puzzle me about this verse.  As beautiful and majestic as the lion is, there are several animals that are stronger.  The elephant, the rhino, the hippo, many species of buffalo, and the giraffe are a few animals that exceed it in physical strength.  Many crocodiles and bears are stronger as well.  In regards to the "turneth away from nothing" part of the verse, there are a few animals that the lion(even an adult male) will turn away from.  Lions give way to elephants and rhinos, and buffaloes will often chase them away.  Lions avoid the edge of waters that harbor crocodiles as well.

I have always told myself that my lack of understanding of certain parts of this great book signifies my current state of ignorance and not a "flaw" in its text.  I have developed a few "theories" in an attempt to satisfy my doubts regarding this verse:

1. It is implying a point of view from the author(of this section of Proverbs) and not necessarily stating an absolute about the lion.

2. The intended definiton of "beast" may be different than "animal"...maybe "beast" is synonymous with "predator" perhaps?

3. The author had never run across any of the animals that happen to be stronger than the lion...or perhaps in that part of the world there weren't any rhinos, bears, etc....but the bear is mentioned in Proverbs I think (bear robbed of her whelps...or words to that effect)...and bears are stronger than lions with few exceptions!

4. The "turneth away from no one" may be saying that a lion will not turn away from doing what it needs to do...like hunting or fighting.....and that its avoidance of elephants and rhinos can be chalked up as prudence instead of cowardace.

Even Samson mentioned the lion's strength in the answer to his riddle "out of eater came something to eat, out of the strong one something sweet"(what is stronger than a lion? what is sweeter than honey?)....his answer seemed to indicate that he was under the impression that nothing was stronger than a lion.

What insights can you give me about this verse and its meaning?  I will be grateful for any you may have!
Thanks!  

Answer
Hi Brad.  Welcome back!!!  I trust that you, too, will have a blessed and peaceful 2010.

Your question is interesting – especially as you near enough answer it for yourself!!  My first comment would be to look at the context.  A good little ‘jingle’ to remember is that “A text without a context, is a pretext”.  In other words, we may take almost any verse of Scripture out of the setting in which it is found, and use it to provide a backing for almost any crazy idea that our minds can invent!  After all, the Bible states, quite categorically that “There is no God” (Ps.14:1, 53:1)!!  However, if you look up those verses you will see that, while I have quoted the Word accurately, I have taken the words out of context, and made a false (even blasphemous!) statement.  I also suggest that, while the A.V/K.J.V. may be beautiful in its 17th century language, a modern translation is usually more accurate.

The context of this verse is found in v.29 which, in the N.L.T. reads “There are three stately monarchs on the earth - no, four:”  The verse to which you allude then continues (as the first example) “the lion, king of animals, who won't turn aside for anything,”

The simile here, as in the succeeding verses, is of the most majestic ‘creatures’ of which king Agur could think.  We must remember that, while God the Holy Spirit is ultimately responsible for the written Word of God, He did not turn the various human authors into automatic typing machines, but has worked within their culture, knowledge, and experience.  I am no “animal expert”, so could not make a comment on the relative strength of a lion and a bear – but I wouldn’t wish to tangle with either of them!!  While your own point 3 may well be true, the lion is traditionally “the king of the jungle” – whether in a children’s chorus, or a Disney film!

So, the reference is not an attempt to teach us some zoology, but to point to certain creatures that are exceptional in their grace, majesty, and even arrogance.  I would suggest that the basic lesson is that, just as each of the four may, in fact, be vanquished, that we ought to be careful as to how we live our lives – see Prov.16:18!

I trust that this will have helped you.

Blessings

C.Brian Ross (Rev)