And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
And he cried, A lion - rather, '(the watchman) cried, I am as a lion:' so as is understood, Isaiah 62:5; Psalms 11:1. The point of comparison to "A lion" is in Revelation 10:3, the loudness of the cry. But here it is rather his vigilance. The lion's eyelids are short, so that, even when asleep, he seems to be on the watch, awake: hence, he was painted on doors of temples as the symbol of watchfulness, guarding the place (Horsley).