Job 4:11
New International Version
The lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

New Living Translation
The fierce lion will starve for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness will be scattered.

English Standard Version
The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

Berean Standard Bible
The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

King James Bible
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

New King James Version
The old lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

New American Standard Bible
“The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

NASB 1995
“The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

NASB 1977
“The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

Legacy Standard Bible
The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

Amplified Bible
“The lion perishes for lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

Christian Standard Bible
The strong lion dies if it catches no prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The strong lion dies if it catches no prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

American Standard Version
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

Contemporary English Version
they starve, and their children are scattered.

English Revised Version
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The old lions die without any prey [to eat], and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

Good News Translation
Like lions with nothing to kill and eat, they die, and all their children are scattered.

International Standard Version
Full grown lions die when they cannot find prey; that's when the lion cubs are scattered.

Majority Standard Bible
The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

NET Bible
The mighty lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

New Heart English Bible
The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.

Webster's Bible Translation
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

World English Bible
The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
An old lion is perishing without prey, "" And the whelps of the lioness separate.

Young's Literal Translation
An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.

Smith's Literal Translation
The lion perished from failure of prey, and the sons of the lioness shall be scattered.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The tiger hath perished for want of prey, and the young lions are scattered abroad.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The tiger has perished because it does not have prey, and the young lions have been scattered.

New American Bible
The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.

New Revised Standard Version
The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The lion perishes for the lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A lion perishes from want, he has no prey, and the offspring of the lionesses are scattered
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The old lion has perished for want of food, and the lions' whelps have forsaken one another.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Eliphaz: The Innocent Prosper
10The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl, yet the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. 12Now a word came to me secretly; my ears caught a whisper of it.…

Cross References
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Psalm 34:10
Young lions go lacking and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Isaiah 31:4
For this is what the LORD has said to me: “Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey—and though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamor—so the LORD of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights.

Hosea 5:14
For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can rescue them.

Amos 3:4
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught nothing?

Ezekiel 19:1-9
“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel / and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness 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. ...

Nahum 2:11-13
Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away? / The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey. / “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will reduce your chariots to cinders, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

Revelation 5:5
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Genesis 49:9
Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

Proverbs 28:15
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

Jeremiah 4:7
A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to lay waste your land. Your cities will be reduced to ruins and lie uninhabited.

Lamentations 3:10
He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.

Daniel 7:4
The first beast was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and given the mind of a man.

2 Timothy 4:17
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

Isaiah 11:6-9
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. / The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. / The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. ...


Treasury of Scripture

The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

old lion.

Job 38:39
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

Genesis 49:9
Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

Numbers 23:24
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

perisheth.

Psalm 34:10
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

the stout.

Job 1:19
And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Job 8:3,4
Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? …

Job 27:14,15
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread…

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Abroad Cubs Directions End Food Lion Lion's Need Perishes Perisheth Perishing Prey Scattered Separate She-Lion Stout Strong Wandering Whelps Young
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Abroad Cubs Directions End Food Lion Lion's Need Perishes Perisheth Perishing Prey Scattered Separate She-Lion Stout Strong Wandering Whelps Young
Job 4
1. Eliphaz reproves Job that the innocent do not suffer
7. He teaches God's judgments to be not for the righteous, but for the wicked.
12. His fearful vision to humble the excellency of creatures before God.














The mighty lion
In the Hebrew text, the word for "lion" is "לַיִשׁ" (layish), which often symbolizes strength, power, and majesty. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the lion was a symbol of royalty and divine power. The imagery of a "mighty lion" here suggests a figure of great strength and authority. In the context of Job, this could be seen as a metaphor for those who are powerful and self-reliant, yet ultimately vulnerable without God's provision. The lion's might is not self-sustaining, reminding us that human strength is insufficient without divine support.

perishes
The Hebrew word used here is "אָבַד" (avad), meaning to perish, be lost, or be destroyed. This term conveys a sense of finality and total loss. The use of "perishes" in this context emphasizes the inevitable downfall of even the strongest when they are cut off from their source of sustenance. It serves as a sobering reminder of the transient nature of earthly power and the ultimate dependence on God for survival and success.

for lack of prey
The phrase "lack of prey" highlights the lion's dependence on external resources for survival. In the natural world, a lion's strength is meaningless without the availability of prey. Spiritually, this can be interpreted as a metaphor for the soul's need for spiritual nourishment. Just as a lion cannot survive without food, humans cannot thrive without spiritual sustenance from God. This phrase challenges believers to recognize their need for God's provision and guidance in their lives.

and the cubs of the lioness
The "cubs" (Hebrew: "בְּנֵי לָבִיא" - benei lavi) represent the next generation, the future, and the continuation of the lion's lineage. In a broader sense, they symbolize the legacy and influence of the powerful. The mention of "the lioness" underscores the nurturing and protective aspects of strength. However, even the lioness's care cannot prevent the scattering of her cubs without adequate provision. This serves as a poignant reminder that human efforts, no matter how well-intentioned, are insufficient without God's blessing.

are scattered
The Hebrew word "נָפַץ" (nafatz) means to be dispersed or scattered. This conveys a sense of disarray and loss of unity. The scattering of the cubs signifies the breakdown of structure and order when the source of strength is removed. In a spiritual context, it reflects the chaos and vulnerability that ensue when individuals or communities are disconnected from God. This phrase calls believers to seek unity and strength in their relationship with God, who is the ultimate source of order and stability.

(11) The old lion perisheth . . .--This means that even though wickedness is joined with strength, it is equally unable to prosper. It is to be observed that no less than five different words are here used for lion, showing that these animals must have been common and of various kinds in Job's country.

Verse 11. - The old lion perisheth for lack of prey. The human counterpart of the "old lion" is the oppressor whose strength and cunning begin to fail him, who can no longer carry things with a high hand, enforce his will on men by bluster and throats, or even set traps for them so skilfully that they blindly walk into them. Political charlatans whose role is played out, bullies whose nerve is beginning to fail, cardsharpers whose manual dexterity has de-sorted them, come under this category. And the stout lion's whelps; rather, the whelps of the lioness (see the Revised Version). Are scattered abroad. Even the seed of ill-doers suffer. They are involved in their parents' punishment (see Exodus 20:5). Eliphaz darkly hints that Job may have been among the class of oppressors, or (at any rate) of transgressors, and that the untimely fate of his children may have been the consequence of his evil-doings.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The old lion
לַ֭יִשׁ (la·yiš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3918: A lion

perishes
אֹבֵ֣ד (’ō·ḇêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6: To wander away, lose oneself, to perish

for lack
מִבְּלִי־ (mib·bə·lî-)
Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 1097: Failure, nothing, destruction, without, not yet, because not, as long as

of prey,
טָ֑רֶף (ṭā·rep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2964: Something torn, a fragment, a fresh leaf, prey, food

and the cubs
וּבְנֵ֥י (ū·ḇə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of the lioness
לָ֝בִ֗יא (lā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3833: To roar, a lion,

are scattered.
יִתְפָּרָֽדוּ׃ (yiṯ·pā·rā·ḏū)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6504: To break through, spread, separate


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OT Poetry: Job 4:11 The old lion perishes for lack (Jb)
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