The Lion and the Lamb verse in the Bible refers to a specific passage found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 11, verse 6. It is a well-known and often quoted verse that speaks about a future state of peace and harmony.
The verse states, “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” This verse is symbolic and represents a picture of peace and tranquility, a world where even predators and prey will coexist peacefully.
The key features of this verse are its
The symbol is used in both Christianity and Judaism to represent the Messianic Age. In addition, in Christianity, according to a sermon by Augustine, the lion stands for Christ resurrected and the lamb for Christ’s sacrifice (“He endured death as a lamb; he devoured it as a lion.”—Augustine, Sermon 375A).
In the future paradise, a lion is symbolically forbade in Isaiah 35:9 (“No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there”). However, in Isaiah 65:25 and Isaiah 11:6-7, respectively, these formerly ravenous beasts are described as becoming peaceful: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust!” and [4] “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.”
“In like a lion, out like a lamb” is a proverb having to do with March weather. According to astrology, Leo (the lion) and Aries (the ram) follow each other.
The Lion And The Lamb Verse In The Bible
One of the most iconic and powerful images in the Bible is that of the lion and the lamb. This imagery speaks to the idea of the powerful and the gentle coexisting peacefully in the Kingdom of God. The juxtaposition of these two animals symbolizes the duality of Jesus Christ, who is both a fierce conqueror and a gentle shepherd.
Bible Verses:
- Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.”
- Revelation 5:5-6: “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’ And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.”
- John 1:29: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'”
- Isaiah 65:25: “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.”
These verses showcase the harmony and unity that can exist between seemingly opposing forces. The lion and the lamb are able to abide together because of the peace and power of Jesus Christ, who embodies both strength and gentleness. This imagery reminds us of the multifaceted nature of God and the beauty of His Kingdom where all are welcomed and loved.
How should we understand the Lion and the Lamb passage?
Typically, when someone is thinking of the “lion and the lamb,” Isaiah 11:6 is in mind due to it often being misquoted: “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together.” The true “Lion and the Lamb” passage is Revelation 5:5–6. The Lion and the Lamb both refer to Jesus Christ. He is both the conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb who was slain. The Lion and the Lamb are descriptions of two aspects of the nature of Christ. As the Lion of Judah, He fulfills the prophecy of Genesis 49:9 and is the Messiah who would come from the tribe of Judah. As the Lamb of God, He is the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin.
The celestial throne room is the setting for Revelations 4–5. John is “caught up in the spirit” to the throne room in heaven after being given the assignment to write to the seven churches in Asia Minor. There, he will receive a sequence of visions that will ultimately lead to Christ’s victory at the end of time. We see in Revelation 4 the unending adoration that the 24 elders and angels express for God. John notices a scroll in the “right hand of him who was seated on the throne” at the opening of Chapter 5. The scroll is sealed with seven seals and bears writing on the inside.
After giving us a description of the scroll, an angel proclaims with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” John begins to despair when no one comes forth to answer the angel’s challenge. One of the 24 elders encourages John to “weep no more” and points out that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has come to take and open the scroll. The Lion of the tribe of Judah is obviously a reference to Christ. The image of the lion is meant to convey kingship. Jesus is worthy to receive and open the scroll because he is the King of God’s people.
Judah is described as a “lion’s cub” in Genesis 49:9, where Jacob is blessing his sons. In verse 10, we read that the “scepter shall not depart from Judah.” The scepter represents authority and lordship. This was a prophecy, stating that Judah will be the kingly line in Israel. When David ascended to the throne following King Saul’s death, that prophecy came to pass (2 Samuel). David’s ancestors were Judah’s descendants, and they ruled Israel and Judah as kings until 586 BC, when they were taken captive to Babylon.
This imagery of kingship is further enhanced when Jesus is described as the “root of David.” This harkens us back to the words of Isaiah the prophet: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. . . . In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:1, 10). As the root of David, Jesus is not only being identified as a descendant of David but also the source or “root” of David’s kingly power.
Why is Jesus worthy to open the scroll? He is worthy because He “has conquered.” We know that, when Jesus returns, He will conquer all of God’s enemies, as graphically described in Revelation 19. However, more importantly, Jesus is worthy because He has conquered sin and death at the cross. The cross was the ultimate victory of God over the forces of sin and evil. The events that occur at the return of Christ are the “mop-up” job to finish what was started at the cross. Because Jesus secured the ultimate victory at Calvary, He is worthy to receive and open the scroll, which contains the righteous judgment of God.
Christ’s victory at the cross is symbolized by his appearance as a “Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). Prior to the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were commanded by God to take an unblemished lamb, slay it, and smear its blood on the doorposts of their homes (Exodus 12:1–7). The blood of the slain lamb would set apart the people of Israel from the people of Egypt when the death angel came during the night to slay the firstborn of the land. Those who had the blood of the lamb would be spared. Fast forward to the days of John the Baptist. When he sees Jesus approaching him, he declares to all present, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus is the ultimate “Passover lamb” who saves His people from eternal death.
Therefore, when Jesus is called the Lion and the Lamb, we are to understand that He is both the conquering King who would defeat God’s adversaries upon His return and the sacrificial Lamb who removed the guilt of sin from His people so that they would partake in His final triumph.
The Images of Revelation
Vibrant imagery is one of the defining characteristics of Revelation: a beast with 10 horns and seven heads that resembled a leopard but had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion (13:1-2), living creatures, angels, horses and their riders, and a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes (5:6). These intricate pictures can appear more like monsters from fantasy literature than from the Bible. However, as theologian and biblical scholar Richard Bauckham notes in The Theology of the Book of Revelation, this kind of imagery was essential and significant for the Roman-era readership that John wrote for in the first century.
“Revelation’s readers in the great cities of the province of Asia were constantly confronted with powerful images of the Roman vision of the world. Civic and religious architecture, iconography, statues, rituals, and festivals, even the visual wonder of cleverly engineered ‘miracles’…in the temples – all provided powerful visual impressions of Roman imperial power and of the splendour of pagan religion. In this context, Revelation provides a set of Christian prophetic counter-images which impress on its readers a different vision of the world: how it looks from the heaven to which John is caught up in chapter 4.”
We might think of Revelation as a glimpse behind the scenes at what’s already going on right now. The images of Revelation aren’t meant to intimidate or scare the believer; they are meant to intimidate and challenge the images of power we encounter all around us.
In our Groundwork series “Jesus: the Lion and the Lamb,” we’ll follow Revelation’s purpose and turn our attention to two images of Jesus presented in Revelation 5:5-6: Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Jesus, the Lamb who was slain. We’ll see how these Revelation images of Jesus Christ reveal more to us about who he is and challenge the images of power around us.