Aryeh is a beautiful name that stems from a couple of different sources. Its original source is the Hebrew name, Aryeh, meaning "lion" from the noun אריה ('aryeh), lion, or “Gatherer” from the verb ארה ('ara), to gather. (Also note that this name terminates with the familiar י-ה (yah), the name of the Lord.) As a Scandinavian name, Aryeh shares the same interpretations. When we look to the natural world for animals that symbolize aspirational traits such as strength, courage, intelligence, honor, and leadership, lions are top of the list.
In Israel, Aryeh is a popular name amongst many notable people, including politicians, activists, and authors.
The name Aryeh appears in the Bible in the book of Kings. Aryeh is an officer who is killed along with King Pekahiah of Israel and a fellow guard named Argob (2 Kings 15:25). The assassin's name is Pekah, a royal officer who is helped by fifty men from Gilead. Pekah subsequently becomes king.
The word lion appears all over the bible in many different forms from the generic word for lion (aryeh), to a rarer word for lion “shakhal”, along with lioness (laviy), a young lion (kefir), and a lion cub (gur). They play a role in histories, in metaphors, in prophecies, and in poems. In many instances lions denote the fierceness, stealthiness, destruction and greed of enemies. For example:
Psalm 17:11-13
They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground.
He is like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion lurking in hiding places.
Arise, O God, confront him, bring him low;
Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword.
The roar of a lion also provides strong imagery in the Bible. It often represents the powerful voice of God:
Hosea 11:9-11
God: I will not execute My fierce anger; I will not destroy Ephraim again.
For I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.
They will walk after God, He will roar like a lion;
Indeed He will roar and His sons will come trembling from the west.
They will come trembling like birds from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria;
And I will settle them in their houses, declares God.
Clearly a lion is something to be saved from.
In the bible the lion is also the symbol of the Israelite Tribe of Judah:
Genesis 49:8-10
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
The cub of a lion is Judah; From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches, he lies down as a lion; Like a lioness who dares rouse him up?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
In this passage Jacob gives a blessing over his sons, and he calls Judah the cub of a lion. But there is so much more to this verse. First of all it points out that Judah’s brothers will praise and bow down to him, which is extraordinary considering he is the fourth born son. The prophecy continues saying that the scepter or ruler’s staff shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes.
It is from this verse that we get the phrase the Lion of Judah, and the Lion of Judah is generally identified as the coming Messiah.
Take away all the metaphors and prophecies and this truth remains: God carefully designed the lion, He cares for these majestic creatures, and they belong in this world.
Psalm 104:19-24
He [God] made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting.
You appoint darkness and it becomes night in which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.
The young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God.
When the sun rises they withdraw and lie down in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until evening.
O God, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your possessions.
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