In the context of the Bible, the term "cubs" typically refers to the young of wild animals, particularly lions. The imagery of lion cubs is used in various passages to convey ideas of strength, ferocity, and the natural instincts of creatures. The Bible often employs such imagery to draw parallels between the animal kingdom and human behavior or divine attributes.

Biblical References:

1. Ezekiel 19:2-3 : "and say: ‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs. She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.’" This passage uses the metaphor of a lioness and her cubs to describe the leaders of Israel, emphasizing their potential for power and destruction.

2. Nahum 2:11-12 : "Where is the lions’ den, the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled, and the lion’s cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion mauled enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his lairs with prey and his dens with torn flesh." Here, the prophet Nahum uses the imagery of a lion's den and its cubs to depict the once-mighty city of Nineveh, highlighting its former strength and the impending judgment upon it.

3. Job 4:10-11 : "The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl, yet the teeth of the young lions are broken. The mighty lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered." In this passage, the fate of the lion and its cubs serves as a metaphor for the downfall of the wicked, illustrating the theme of divine justice.

Symbolism and Themes:

· Strength and Ferocity: Lion cubs symbolize potential strength and the ferocity that can develop as they mature. This imagery is often used to describe leaders or nations that possess great power or the potential for destruction.

· Judgment and Downfall: The scattering or downfall of lion cubs is sometimes used to illustrate the consequences of divine judgment. Just as lion cubs depend on their parents for survival, so too do nations and leaders depend on God's favor and protection.

· Natural Instincts: The behavior of lion cubs, such as learning to hunt and fend for themselves, is used to draw parallels with human behavior, particularly in the context of leadership and the exercise of power.

Conservative Christian Interpretation:

From a conservative Christian perspective, the use of cubs in biblical texts serves as a reminder of the natural order established by God. The imagery underscores the themes of divine sovereignty, justice, and the moral lessons that can be drawn from observing the animal kingdom. The strength and potential of lion cubs are seen as a reflection of God's creation, while their dependence and vulnerability highlight the need for divine guidance and protection in human affairs.7909b. shakul -- bereaved, robbed of offspring
... 7909a, 7909b. shakul. 7910 . bereaved, robbed of offspring. Transliteration:
shakul Short Definition: cubs. Word Origin from shakol ...
/hebrew/7909b.htm - 5k

1482. gur -- a whelp
... 1481c, 1482. gur. 1483 . a whelp. Transliteration: gur Phonetic Spelling:
(goor) Short Definition: cubs. Word Origin from gur Definition ...
/hebrew/1482.htm - 6k

1484. gor -- a whelp
... a whelp. Transliteration: gor Phonetic Spelling: (gore) Short Definition: cubs.
Word Origin from gur Definition a whelp NASB Word Usage cubs (2). whelp. ...
/hebrew/1484.htm - 6k

There is a Road Going Out of Jericho and Leading to the River ...
... And there was beside the road, near the bank of the Jordan, a cave where a lioness
was nursing her cubs; and no one was safe to walk that way. ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of pseudo-matthew/chapter 35 there is a.htm

Charity.
... ye? do not even publicans the same?" Wicked men love one another from
mere natural affinity, as the tiger loves its cubs. There ...
//christianbookshelf.org/booth/godliness/chapter iii charity.htm

The Doomed Three
... your prayers. Farewell, but leave those two youths here with my young
wolf-cubs. They shall bear you news of what I do.'. So Chrysostom ...
/.../chapter xxxi the doomed three.htm

Does the Body Cause the Soul to Sin?
... does one call him a good man; for even the most savage of the wild beasts do so,
and indeed willingly endure death, if need be, for the sake of their cubs. ...
/.../chapter viii does the body cause.htm

That Even the Fierceness of War and all the Disquietude of Men ...
... foxes, eagles, bats. For what tigress does not gently purr over her cubs, and
lay aside her ferocity to fondle them? What kite, solitary ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 12 that even the fierceness.htm

That as Long as we are in this Mortal Life we May Lose the Love of ...
... apparent goods, which through the obscurities which are mixed with the certainty
and verity of faith, steal in unperceived, like little fox cubs, and demolish ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter i that as long.htm

Absalom the Ungrateful Son
... not good. You know that your father and his men are mighty warriors and
are now angry, like a bear robbed of her cubs. Your father ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/absalom the ungrateful son.htm

Galatians.
... pains and diligence, as is said to have been the case with Virgil, of whom it is
related that he treated his books as a bear treats her cubs, and licked them ...
//christianbookshelf.org/jerome/the principal works of st jerome/galatians.htm

The Creation of Terrestrial Animals.
... If the lioness loves her cubs, if the she wolf fights to defend her little ones,
what shall man say who is unfaithful to the precept and violates nature herself ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily ix the creation of.htm

Chapter xlix
... in that bold security equally characteristic of the bold lion ('aryeh) or, for that
matter, of the still bolder and fiercer "lioness" who has cubs to guard. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xlix.htm

Cubs (11 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Cubs (11 Occurrences). ... Job 4:11 The old lion perishes for
lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad. (WEB NIV). ...
/c/cubs.htm - 9k

Lioness (13 Occurrences)
... The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad. ... A lioness: she couched among lions,
in the midst of the young lions she nourished her cubs. ...
/l/lioness.htm - 10k

Robbed (27 Occurrences)
... 8 Hushai said moreover, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty
men, and they are fierce in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the ...
/r/robbed.htm - 14k

Lions (50 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Jeremiah 51:38 They shall roar
together like young lions; they shall growl as lions' cubs. ...
/l/lions.htm - 26k

Lion (92 Occurrences)
... The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad. ... Jeremiah 51:38 They shall roar
together like young lions; they shall growl as lions' cubs. ...
/l/lion.htm - 46k

Cuckoo (2 Occurrences)

/c/cuckoo.htm - 9k

Prey (105 Occurrences)
... Job 4:11 The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are
scattered abroad. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/p/prey.htm - 42k

Unfulfilled (1 Occurrence)
... Ezekiel 19:5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she
took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion. (See NIV). ...
/u/unfulfilled.htm - 6k

Lion's (14 Occurrences)
... Nahum 2:11 Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion's cubs, and no one made ...
/l/lion's.htm - 10k

Lairs (2 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Nahum 2:12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled
for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill, and his dens with prey. ...
/l/lairs.htm - 6k

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