The Lion

Lions are described as the king of the beasts because of the mane that rings the neck of the male. When one things about a lion certain adjectives come to mind, such as dangerous, stealthy, a savage, a true threat, and power. As Jacob is here prophesying about his son Judah he refers to him figuratively as a lion but in he does so in the three stages of a lions life cycle. As the same time he is actually talking about his son's descendants, and even more specifically about the Lord Jesus.