A wicked ruler over a poor people is a roaring lion and a rushing bear set loose on the helpless.
Two predators are named in Proverbs 28:15, supplying a vivid image of a wicked ruler: Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people (v. 15).
A roaring lion and a rushing bear, in the ancient Near East, were the two great predators a shepherd had to fight off (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Both are dangerous. Both attack with overwhelming force.
A wicked ruler over a poor people. The poor people who fall under such a ruler are the prey. They cannot defend themselves. The wicked ruler sees them not as those entrusted to his care but as those available for his consumption. The verse condemns wicked rulership in unforgettable terms. A ruler is supposed to be a shepherd of his people. The wicked ruler has become the predator instead.
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Proverbs 28:15 meaning
Two predators are named in Proverbs 28:15, supplying a vivid image of a wicked ruler: Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people (v. 15).
A roaring lion and a rushing bear, in the ancient Near East, were the two great predators a shepherd had to fight off (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Both are dangerous. Both attack with overwhelming force.
A wicked ruler over a poor people. The poor people who fall under such a ruler are the prey. They cannot defend themselves. The wicked ruler sees them not as those entrusted to his care but as those available for his consumption. The verse condemns wicked rulership in unforgettable terms. A ruler is supposed to be a shepherd of his people. The wicked ruler has become the predator instead.