Lions of God in 2 Samuel - Lion Men?
What or who are the "Lions of God" in 2nd Samuel?
“Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of Ish-Hai, was a great man of deeds from Kabzeel. He struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab, and he went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.” - 2 Samuel 23:20
Lion or Lioness Symbolism in Ancient Mesopotamia
In the ancient Near East, lions symbolized war, kingship, divine power, and magical protection. It was closely associated with deities, demons, and mythological creatures across various periods. Lions often served as protective guardians at temple entrances, divine messengers, or even manifestations of deities themselves. Their presence across Mesopotamian mythology reinforced their role as both feared and revered symbols of divine power.
What we see in 2 Samuel 23:20 & 1 Chronicles 11:22 seems to be elite warrior class men, who have taken on the image or attributes of a lion as part of their fierce countenance. This verbiage of "two lion-hearted men" of Moab (הָאֲרִיאֵל מוֹאָב, ha'ari’el Mo’av) could be taken as literal nephilim-style lion-like warriors or a reference to a legendary class of human warriors.
The meaning of Ariel disputed amongst scholars
“אראל is a term for a distinguished warrior even though the more obvious literal rendering might be “lion of God” or “very great lion” - a “technical term applied to military leaders.”1
Join Niko, Shaun and I as we discuss this topic on Myths, Mysteries and Majesty.
“The etymology of this word might suggest a translation ‘lion of god.’2 - Hebrew words ʾărî and ʾēl, ‘the-lion-of-God.’”3
“warrior from Moab, lion-like person, i.e., a very great ferocious warrior…brave formidable soldier, i.e., the best, champion warriors”4
Lions & Lioness Deities, Images, etc.
Symbol of Warlike Deities and Kings – The lion was a metaphor for warrior-kings and fierce gods, especially Ninurta (Nisroch) and Inana (Ishtar). It was also linked to Ningirsu in Sumerian tradition.5
Magical Protection – The lion was viewed as a protective force. Lion figurines were buried in foundations or placed in homes for magical defense against sickness and evil.
Lion-Hybrid Creatures:
Lion-Centaur (Urmahlullu) – A lion-bodied, human-torso creature protecting against demons.
Lion-Demon – A hybrid with a lion's head, donkey ears, and bird feet.
Lion-Dragon (Lion-Griffin) – Male deity or demon appearing possibly linked to certain gods.
Lion-Humanoid (Uridimmu) – lion's lower body and a human upper body, connected to a god (Marduk) as a protective minor deity.
Lion Skins in Rituals – Priests may have worn lion skins in rituals, possibly imitating certain gods - Gilgamesh. Dain - is there an element of transformational-shape shifting? Shamanism? Heracles (Hercules), from Greek mythology, gains invulnerability after slaying the Nemean lion and wearing its skin.
For more sources and information refer to the video.
A. A. Anderson, 2 Samuel, vol. 11, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 276.
Ralph W. Klein, 1 Chronicles: A Commentary, ed. Thomas Krüger, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2006).
Victor P. Hamilton, “159 ארה,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 70.
James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
Farber, Walter, and F. A. M. Wiggermann. “Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 116, no. 2 (April 1996): 263. https://doi.org/10.2307/605703.