In Scripture, the presence of animals is never random. Each creature carries a layered meaning, often reflecting God’s character, judgment, provision, or power. Among these, the bear stands out as a symbol both fearsome and instructive. While it may not appear frequently, when the Bible mentions bears, it does so with purpose and weight. These references are not just about wild animals in passing—they often point to deeper themes such as divine judgment, strength, danger, and even protection.
Bears in the Bible are often used metaphorically to describe a mother’s fierce instinct, the raw force of nature, or the consequence of rebellion. One notable instance is the story of Elisha and the two bears in 2 Kings, a passage that evokes both awe and confusion. Other verses describe bears as part of prophetic visions or comparisons to nations and spiritual truths. Understanding these moments through a biblical lens helps us see how God uses even the most powerful beasts to teach, correct, and reveal deeper realities about Himself and humanity.
This collection of 35 Bible verses will take you on a journey through every mention or symbolic use of bears in the Bible. You’ll discover how even the most unusual animals play a meaningful part in God’s Word.
Bible Verses About Bears
1. 2 Kings 2:24
He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
2. Proverbs 17:12
Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
3. Hosea 13:8
Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open.
4. Daniel 7:5
And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.
5. Lamentations 3:10
Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding.
6. Isaiah 11:7
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
7. Amos 5:19
It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear.
8. 1 Samuel 17:34-35
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it…”
9. 1 Samuel 17:36
Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them.
10. Revelation 13:2
The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.
11. 2 Samuel 17:8
You know your father and his men, they are fighters, as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs.
12. Leviticus 26:22
I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.
13. Job 9:10-11
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
14. 2 Kings 17:25
When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
15. Job 38:39-41
Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?
16. Psalm 104:20-21
You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.
17. Isaiah 59:11
We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves.
18. Jeremiah 5:6
A lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces those who venture out.
19. Ezekiel 19:2-3
What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among them and reared her cubs.
20. Psalm 22:12-13
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.
21. Micah 5:8
The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations like a lion among the beasts of the forest.
22. Daniel 7:6
After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.
23. Nahum 2:11-12
Where now is the lion’s den, the place where they fed their young?
24. Psalm 91:13
You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
25. Genesis 1:24
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals.”
26. Psalm 50:10-11
For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
27. Job 37:7-8
So that everyone he has made may know his work, he stops all people from their labor. The animals take cover; they remain in their dens.
28. Psalm 148:10
Wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds.
29. Ecclesiastes 3:19
Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both.
30. Job 12:7
Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.
31. Genesis 9:2
The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth and on all the birds in the sky.
32. Isaiah 43:20
The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness.
33. Psalm 36:6
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
34. Exodus 23:29
But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.
35. Ezekiel 34:25
I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Bears
The bear in Scripture is not a cuddly figure—it is wild, strong, and serious. When we see bears in the Bible, they often represent unfiltered power, divine judgment, or fierce protection. God uses the image of a mother bear robbed of her cubs to show how He will defend or discipline with unmatched intensity. The story of Elisha reminds us that dishonoring God’s anointed carries weight.
Through prophecy and metaphor, bears become a symbol of forces that are not to be underestimated. At the same time, their presence in the prophetic vision of Isaiah, lying peacefully with other animals, shows that even the most fearsome creatures are part of God’s ultimate plan for peace and harmony. We are reminded that God is Lord over every wild thing—every animal obeys His will. The Bible’s bear references teach us that strength should be respected, protection comes with a cost, and God’s power covers every corner of creation.
Say This Prayer
Father God, thank You for revealing Your truth even through the wild things of this world. Just as You are Lord over the lion and the bear, be Lord over every strong force in my life. Teach me to walk in wisdom, to honor Your Word, and to never take Your power lightly. Help me to respect Your discipline and trust in Your fierce protection. May I find peace knowing You rule over all creatures and all chaos. Give me a heart that seeks understanding and eyes that recognize Your hand, even in the unexpected. In Jesus’ name, Amen.