Conquering Lion
of the Tribe
of Judah

The lion has of course long been called the King of the Beasts, in recognition of his great strength, and so it is natural that such imagery should be used to describe the King of Kings, the Messiah himself.



The expression, "Lion of the tribe of Judah", is derived from Revelation 5:5 - And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.




According to the New Testament, Jesus Christ's mighty triumph over the powers of death, sin and hell in his miraculous resurrection has shown that he alone is worthy to complete his work and redeem all of humankind. Thus he is rightly called the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.



Judah once unselfishly offered himself in place of his younger brother Benjamin (Genesis 44:18-34). Thus it was from his line that all the kings of Israel, from David and Solomon onwards, were descended, as was even Jesus Christ himself. Hence, 'Judah is a lion's whelp...' (Genesis 49:9), and his name was incorporated into this title of the Messiah.



'The Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah [hath prevailed]' has also become the motto of the Ethiopian monarchs, and the expression is often attached to the name of the Emperor, as a mark of the Ethiopian Orthodox belief. In Reggae songs, therefore, it is much associated with Haile Selassie I.



I received the following very valid comment from a visitor to this website, and have included it here, since I hope it will inspire and be of help to others also:
"The revelation of John contains many Holy Names, yet this reference to the Lord as the Lion of Judah is a fascinating one. A lion, or wild cat, is courageous and fearless, yet silent in its pursuit of its goal. It also spends much time watching and waiting with patience for the right circumstances to arise before it attains its goal. In the vision of John, no one could be found who could open the seals of the book of Life. Yet the Lord was represented as having the ability to open the book because He was the lion of Judah—one who had the patience and courage and focused attention of the lion. We may gain insight from this, in that our pursuit of God—and His of us—reflects these qualities. We need the courage to undertake and continue the process of recognizing the Divine, of opening the seals which bind us in our circumstances. When we rest in the divine silence, we are both watchful and attentive. We are made into those qualities reflected in this Holy Name of the Lord, and through that Grace, we are open to the Book of Life."
Give thanks to kËñÐ¥_tHË_Çöö|_®ü|Ë® :-)



See 'Love Is The Light' by Horace Andy and Big Youth, or Lee Perry's version of the Wailers' song 'Soul Rebel'.

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