Why Some Bibles Substitute "Wolf" for "Lion" in Isaiah 11
Isaiah 11:6–7 describes a future messianic kingdom characterized by profound peace, where predators and prey coexist harmoniously: "The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox" [3, 5]. This passage, along with Isaiah 65:25, which states, "Wolf and lamb do feed as one, And a lion as an ox eateth straw," paints a picture of a restored Edenic state [7, 8].
The imagery in Isaiah 11:6–7 is rich with symbolic meaning, depicting a reversal of the natural order of predation. The "wolf" (Hebrew: zeeb) is frequently used in Scripture as an emblem of treachery and cruelty [1]. Wolves were common in biblical times and were a significant threat to shepherds and their flocks [2]. Similarly, the "lion" is described as the most powerful of carnivorous animals, once numerous in Palestine, with lairs in forests, caves, and riverbanks [4]. The "leopard" (namer), known for being spotted, also frequented the hilly ranges of Lebanon [6]. The pairing of these fierce predators with their natural prey—lambs, young goats, and calves—underscores the radical transformation envisioned in the messianic era [3, 8].
While the King James Version (KJV) and some other translations render Isaiah 11:6 as "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb," some modern translations, such as the Young's Literal Translation (YLT) for Isaiah 65:25, use "wolf" and "lion" in similar contexts [3, 7]. The question of substituting "wolf" for "lion" in Isaiah 11 specifically does not arise from a textual variant in the Hebrew Masoretic Text for Isaiah 11:6. The Hebrew word for "wolf" (zeeb) is consistently present in Isaiah 11:6, and the Hebrew word for "lion" (aryeh or kephir) appears in Isaiah 11:7 [3, 5]. Therefore, the idea of substitution is not about a textual variant within Isaiah 11:6 itself, but rather about the broader thematic connection between Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65, where similar imagery of peace among animals is used.
Interpreters have approached these passages in various ways. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, suggests that the peace described is not to be understood literally as a change in the nature of savage creatures, but rather as a figurative representation of the peace and unity within the Messiah's kingdom [9]. He elaborates on Isaiah 65:25, explaining that "the wolf and the lamb shall feed together" signifies that people, once like wolves in their fierceness and cruelty, will become mild and gentle through God's grace, joining with the innocent "lambs" (God's people) in spiritual fellowship [10]. Abraham Ibn Ezra, a Jewish rationalist commentator, also views the imagery in Isaiah 65:25 as a "figurative expression for peace will be established," suggesting that it implies God will remove the wolf's natural voracity [12].
However, other interpretations, such as that found in Jamieson, Fausset & Brown's commentary, propose that while the animals may represent men of corresponding animal-like characters (e.g., fierce men becoming peaceful), a literal change in the relations of animals to man and each other, restoring the state in Eden, is a "more likely interpretation" [8]. This view aligns with the idea of a complete restoration of creation, harkening back to the harmonious state before the Fall (Genesis 2:19-20) [8]. Rashi, a prominent Jewish rabbinic commentator, also discusses the lion eating straw like cattle in Isaiah 65:25, connecting it to the idea of peace and even to the subjugation of nations compared to beasts [11].
The imagery of predators and prey coexisting peacefully is a powerful prophetic vision of the messianic age, emphasizing universal peace and harmony under the "Prince of Peace" [8]. This vision extends beyond human society to encompass the natural world, symbolizing a complete renewal of creation.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Wolf — Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem of treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf" (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike character of that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah represents the peace of Messiah's kingdom by the words, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb" (Isa. 11:6). The habits of the wolf are described in Jer. 5:6; Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3; Ezek. 22:27; Matt. 7:15; 10:16; Acts 20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in Palestine, and are the dread of shepherds, as of old.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Wolf — There can be little doubt that the wolf of Palestine is the common Canis lupus, and that this is the animal so frequently mentioned in the Bible. (The wolf is a fierce animal of the same species as the dog, which it resembles. The common color is gray with a tinting of fawn, and the hair is long and black. The Syrian wolf is of lighter color than the wolf of Europe it is the dread of the shepherds of Palestine.--ED.) Wolves were doubtless far more common in biblical times than they are now, though they are occasionally seen by modern travellers. The following a”
- Isaiah “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. -- Isaiah 11:6”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Lions — The most powerful of all carnivorous animals. Although not now found in Palestine, they must have been in ancient times very numerous there. They had their lairs in the forests (Jer. 5:6; 12:8; Amos 3:4), in the caves of the mountains (Cant. 4:8; Nah. 2:12), and in the canebrakes on the banks of the Jordan (Jer. 49:19; 50:44; Zech. 11:3). No fewer than at least six different words are used in the Old Testament for the lion. (1.) Gor (i.e., a "suckling"), the lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9; Jer. 51:38, etc.). (2.) Kephir (i.e., "shaggy"), the young lion (Judg. 14:5; ”
- Isaiah “The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. -- Isaiah 11:7”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Leopard — (Heb. namer) is invariably given by the Authorized Version as the translation of the Hebrew word, which occurs in the seven following passages: (Song of Solomon 4:8; Isaiah 11:6; Jeremiah 5:6; 13:23; Daniel 7:6; Hosea 13:7); Habb 1:8 Leopard occurs also in Ecclus. 28:23 and in (Revelation 13:2) From (Song of Solomon 4:8) we learn that the hilly ranges of Lebanon were in ancient times frequented by these animals. They are now not uncommonly seen in and about Lebanon and the southern maritime mountains of Syria. Under the name namer, which means "spotted," it ”
- Isaiah “Isaiah 65:25 (YLT) — Wolf and lamb do feed as one, And a lion as an ox eateth straw, As to the serpent--dust <FI>is<Fi> its food, They do no evil, nor destroy, In all My holy mountain, said Jehovah!”
- Isaiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Isaiah 11:6: wolf . . . lamb--Each animal is coupled with that one which is its natural prey. A fit state of things under the "Prince of Peace" (Isa 65:25; Eze 34:25; Hos 2:18). These may be figures for men of corresponding animal-like characters (Eze 22:27; Eze 38:13; Jer 5:6; Jer 13:23; Mat 7:15; Luk 10:3). Still a literal change in the relations of animals to man and each other, restoring the state in Eden, is a more likely interpretation. Compare Gen 2:19-20, with Psa 8:6-8, which describes the restoration to man, in the person of "the Son of man," of the lost ”
- Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 11:6: And the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,.... This, and the three following verses Isa 11:7, describe the peaceableness of the Messiah's kingdom; and which the Targum introduces in this manner, "in the days of the Messiah of Israel, peace shall be multiplied in the earth.'' The wild and tame creatures shall agree together, and the former shall become the latter; which is not to be understood literally of the savage creatures, as if they should lose their nature, and be restored, as it is said, to their paradisiacal estate, which is supposed to be the time of th”
- Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 65:25: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,.... Or, "as one" (k): as if they were one, of the same kind and nature, and lived upon the same food. The people of God are comparable to lambs, for their harmlessness and innocence; and wicked men to wolves, for their fierceness and cruelty; but, by the grace of God, the latter become as mild and as gentle as the former, and live upon the same spiritual food, and join with them in attendance on the word and ordinances, where they find spiritual refreshment and comfort together; such who have been persecutors of the church s”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Isaiah 65:25: and a serpent Indeed, dust is his food, which is always available for him. And the Midrash Aggadah explains: And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. Since we find that Esau will fall into the hands of the sons of Joseph, as it is said (Obadiah 18): “The house of Esau shall become stubble, and the house of Joseph a flame etc.” But [that they should fall] into the hands of the remaining tribes, who were compared to beasts, we do not find. It is, therefore, stated: “And a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw.” Those tribes that were compared to a li”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Isaiah 65:25: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together . This is a figurative expression for peace will be established. Many imagine this to be done in such a way, that God will deprive the wolf of its natural voracity, as indicated by the words, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock.”