Hebrew Word Study – Lion, Ox and Eagle – אֲרִי שׁ֥וֹר נֶ֖שֶׁר  Ari, Shor, Nesher   Aleph Resh Yod,   Shine Vav Resh    Nun Shin Resh 

Ezekiel 1:10,13: “As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. (13) As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

We really do not spend much time reading the book of Ezekiel because there is so much cryptic language in this book. Ezekiel 1 is one such chapter.  Commentators have waxed lyrical about the significance of these visions of Ezekiel and there are many interpretations thereof.  Since there are so many different interpretations, I would like to offer my own personal interpretation.  I find that deep within Jewish mystical works there are some interesting insights which I do not discount but cannot help but put a Christian spin on such insights. Now to be sure I do not read the Zohar to seek any spiritual benefit, I only do it to practice my study of Aramaic. The Aramaic of the Zohar is a bit different than Talmudic Aramaic and the Aramaic of the Targum so I do find it necessary to get a feel of the Aramaic of the Zohar.  I can’t say I even have an elementary understanding of the esoteric nature of the Zohar and personally I don’t seek an understanding of the Zohar, I have other mountains to climb. I just want to expand what little skills I have with the Aramaic.  With that said, I did run across some interesting that I could not help but make a spiritual application. As this is a personal view, I only offer it for your consideration.  

For instance in the Talmud in Berachot 26b I read that “Prayers were instituted based upon the daily offerings sacrificed in the Holy Temple.”  Now since there is no longer a Temple or altar to offer sacrifices the sages established daily prayers to take the place of the sacrifices.  That really started my creative juices to flow when I started to consider our prayers as sacrifices.  But what does the slaughter and burning of innocent animals have to do with prayer.  

This is where I found something interesting in the Zohar which is a Jewish mystical book. Now if that word “mystical” troubles you I suggest you read no further.  However, for me personally the idea of mystical is not Mickey Mouse wearing a pointed hat waving a magic wand.  The fundamental idea of mysticism, in the context that I use this word, is believing that there is a God who hears our prayers, who answers our prayers and that we have a personal relationship with this God.  I mean how much more mystical can you get than saying that you believe there is a God you cannot see who created the universe, who lives inside of you, loves you and that you are actually carrying on conversations with this unseen God. 

So, what I found interesting in the Zohar is that it teaches that during the first Temple a fire would descend from heaven to consume the sacrifice. Well, the Bible itself does teach that.  What is interesting, however, is that the Jewish teachers said the fire came in the form of a “lion.” Perhaps in my interpretation, I should capitalize the word “Lion” like the Lion of Judah. It is from Ezekiel 1:13 that these teachers associate fire with the lion. The ox is associated with the physical body, physical desires and wants of the human. The Lion is pictured as the fire of redemption which devours these human desires. 

Now keep in mind that I am applying Christian interpretation here, this is not the Jewish interpretation.  When the fire in the form of the Lion devoured the ox the desires of the human physical soul, the energy or shall we say from a Christian standpoint, the sins of the human, they are consumed by the fire of God and absorbed by His Son Jesus Christ who took all those sins to the cross where they were burned away by the shedding of His blood.  You see the Lion is the true source of the souls of humankind as it was God who breathed the neshamah, the eternal soul into the human. 

Let me just offer here that the sacrifice of prayer is a prayer for the redemption of our sins.  So long as we live in this human body, represented by the ox, we are going to sin.  There is a natural battle between our redeemed soul and our physical body.  My grandfather used to tell the story of a native American who became a Christian and when asked what it was like, he said it was like two dogs inside of him who were constantly fighting, one good and one evil.  When asked which one wins, he said; “Whichever one I feed the most.”  As long as we live in the human body, represented by the ox we will feed the ox more than the redeemed soul which I picture as the eagle. Hence we must through prayer confess those sins and when we do the Lion of Judah comes as a fire to consume the sins of the ox. 

So, why a Lion, ox and eagle?   The word lion in Hebrew is ‘arah which is a powerful leader, the leader among all leaders.  We have heard that the lion is the king among the animals or the King of the Jungle.  Throughout history including ancient history the lion has always been respected as the king among all animals.  One reason is because of its raw power and strength.  Lions do not fear any animals but they do have enemies. Its worst enemy is the hyena and jackal.  The hyenas and jackals are much smaller animals, much less powerful than the lion. They eat the same food as the lion and will steal the lion’s food when the lion is not looking. They let the lion do all the work hunting and capturing its prey and then the hyena comes along and steals his food. What better picture of Jesus the Lion of Judah who fights against the enemy, an enemy who is weaker and trying to steal His food.  That food is represented by the ox, our physical body which is destroying our neshamah – soul.  

The word for ox in Hebrew is shur which has the idea of blocking one’s vision. Our physical bodies, our ox, are constantly blocking our spiritual vision.  All we see is this natural world and what we want from the natural.  We place our natural desires ahead of our spiritual desires and the enemy uses that to cause us to sin.  Finally, when Jesus, the Lion of Judah, devours the ox, the natural physical desires it releases our eagle. The word eagle is nesher in Hebrew.  Nesher has two possible root words nasar and nashar.  Nasar is the idea of ripping and tearing apart and nesher is a word for protection, freedom from fear.  When sin has been ripped away from us and burned in the spiritual fire on the altar our souls or neshamah are then freed for we are protected from the penalty of our sin.  

We should never forget the need for daily offering a sacrificial prayer.   

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