The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad. The old lion perisheth - In this and the preceding verse the word lion occurs five times; and in the original the words are all different: -
1. אריה aryeh, from ארה arah, to tear off.
2. שחל shachal, which as it appears to signify black or dark, may mean the black lion, which is said to be found in Ethiopia and India.
3. כפיר kephir, a young lion, from כפר caphar, to cover, because he is said to hide himself in order to surprise his prey, which the old one does not.
4. ליש lavish, from לש lash, to knead, trample upon; because of his method of seizing his prey.
5. לביא labi, from לבא laba, to suckle with the first milk; a lioness giving suck; at which time they are peculiarly fierce.
All these words may point out some quality of the lion; and this was probably the cause why they were originally given: but it is likely that, in process of time, they served only to designate the beast, without any particular reference to any of his properties. We have one and the same idea when we say the lion, the king of beasts, the monarch of the forest, the most noble of quadrupeds, etc.