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LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH
A title of the Messiah that appears only in Revelation 5:5: “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has conquered” (NLT). This is an allusion to the messianic promise of Genesis 49:9-10, “Judah is a young lion. . . . The scepter will not depart from Judah” (NLT). The expression summarizes the OT hope that the Messiah would come as a conquering hero, delivering his people from every form of spiritual, political, and social evil (cf. 2 Esd 11:37; 12:31). The OT frequently employs the lion as a symbol of power and the complete ability to subdue one’s enemies (Jb 10:16; Ps 10:9; Ez 1:10; Dn 7:1-4).
The author of Revelation expressed the belief of all Christians—that Christ is the deliverer who would defeat all the powers of evil. However, in contrast to the OT hope, the deliverer comes not as the conquering Lion of military power, but rather as the Lamb, who suffers and is sacrificed for the sins of his people (Rv 5:6).