{"id":4412,"date":"2025-03-25T22:28:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T22:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/de\/?p=4412"},"modified":"2026-02-18T22:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T22:35:15","slug":"bear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/bear","title":{"rendered":"Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the family of bears (Ursidae<\/em>) come the largest carnivores, and to this day the brown bear (Ursus arctos<\/em>) is still found in various regions of the Middle East. Although it feeds predominantly on plant matter, it can pose a danger to humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both the Hebrew and Aramaic designation dob<\/em> or dov<\/em> and the Greek word arktos<\/em> probably refer in the Bible to the Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus<\/em>), which was formerly defined as a distinct subspecies. It was distributed from present-day Turkey to the Arabian Peninsula. It is somewhat lighter in color than most European representatives and not quite as large. It reaches \u00abonly\u00bb up to 190 kilograms in weight, whereas the largest subspecies of the brown bear, the Kodiak bear from Alaska, can weigh up to 780 kilograms \u2013 more than four times as much \u2013 and is thus the largest terrestrial predator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although the brown bear appears in many distinguishable forms, genetic data today show that these cannot be clearly separated from one another and that many subspecies exist only on paper. The Hebrew name is derived from the verb dabab<\/em>, meaning \u00abto creep, to move leisurely\u00bb, which characterizes the bear well. Dov<\/em> is a popular Jewish male name today, but it does not occur as a personal name in the Bible.
The Greek word arktos<\/em> sounds familiar, for the geographical designation \u00abArctic\u00bb is derived from it. The far north lies beneath the constellation \u00abGreat Bear\u00bb, and the Pole Star, which stands almost vertically above the North Pole, belongs to the constellation \u00abLittle Bear\u00bb. Although this corresponds to the astronomical technical terms \u00abUrsa Major<\/em>\u00bb and \u00abUrsa Minor<\/em>\u00bb, the designations \u00abBig Dipper\u00bb and \u00abLittle Dipper\u00bb are more common in German. In other cultures, the constellations often bear entirely different names, and thus the \u00abGreat Bear\u00bb is mentioned in some German Bible translations (Job 9:9; 38:32), but the Hebrew designation there (ajisch<\/em>) has nothing to do with bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Proverbs 28:15 we find the following comparison: \u00abLike \u2026 a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people\u00bb. And the call \u00abArise, devour much flesh!\u00bb (Dan 7:5) also alludes to its \u00abinsatiability\u00bb. At first glance, it seems commonplace to mention greed as a characteristic of the bear. Almost every carnivore gulps down its prey hastily, out of concern that it might have to share it with competitors of its own kind or other scavengers, or even lose it to a stronger predator. What one has, one has! Compared with most canids and felids, the bear even appears rather leisurely. Why, then, are bears in particular described as \u00abgreedy\u00bb?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hebrew word used here is schakak<\/em>. It is also employed to describe the roaming of plunderers in a city (Joel 2:9) or the tireless foraging of locusts (Isa 33:4) \u2013 and by this point one does indeed recognize parallels. While other carnivores focus on specific prey, the bear wanders restlessly about and stuffs itself with everything that appears edible to it. In contrast to large predatory cats, which usually doze somewhere in the shade, one sees it constantly digging something up, scraping things together, and gnawing on them. It is active both day and night, needs up to 16 hours to gather its daily ration, and in absolute terms consumes a greater quantity of food than any other carnivore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Predator or not \u2013 most of the time it is content with plant-based food, even if the image of a grazing brown bear may strike us as unusual.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Biologically speaking, we are of course not dealing with a moral trait such as greed or avarice, but with a poor converter of food: the brown bear\u2019s diet typically consists of almost 80 percent plant matter, for which its digestive system is not specialized. It can process neither cellulose (plant fibers) nor lignin (wood), but compensates for this through the sheer quantity and variety of its diet. Fruits, berries, fungi, buds, tubers, roots, young leaves, and grass seeds form the main course. Insects, fish, amphibians, carrion, and bird eggs are the add-ons. To become truly satiated, it also hunts large mammals \u2013 wild animals such as roe deer, red deer, and wild boar, but unfortunately also grazing livestock such as sheep, goats, and cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to the families of cats and dogs, bears are not specialized for hunting. Their senses are far less well developed. Most see poorly and hear only moderately well. They rely on their excellent sense of smell and are true gourmets, which helps them in selecting food. Among bears there is even a purely herbivorous species, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca<\/em>), which has managed, as a \u00abblack sheep\u00bb, to make its way into the order of carnivores. (The koala, also a strict herbivore, is instead a marsupial and is only mistakenly referred to as a \u00abbear\u00bb.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite his experience and caution, the well-known wildlife filmmaker Andreas Kieling was attacked and severely injured by a brown bear in the Carpathians in April 2023. Ten years earlier, he had stated in an interview: \u00abIf you think that bears are your friends, you are on the best path to being killed. You have to keep that in mind again and again.\u00bb For all their coziness, the \u00abteddy\u00bb remains an unpredictable carnivore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When he comes trotting along in his leisurely ambling gait and is mainly interested in greenery, one might take him for a harmless, gentle giant. But appearances are deceptive. The Bible paints a realistic picture when it describes his dangerousness. An enraged bear is a dreadful opponent, and a long-term study has shown that about half of the bear attacks recorded worldwide are attributable to mothers defending their young. This was already known to the writers of the Bible: \u00abYou know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs\u00bb (2Sam 17:8). Even though Hushai the Archite, who remained loyal to David, led the rebellious Absalom to ruin with his false counsel, the image he uses is apt. The aggressiveness and ferocity of a mother bear are proverbial: \u00abBetter to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly\u00bb (Prov 17:12), with foolish people causing far greater harm. God even applies the comparison with the mother bear to His own action as an unrelenting judge: \u00ab I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast\u00bb (Hos 13:8). Incidentally, this verse also mentions the typical method of the bear, striking and ripping open its prey with its powerful, claw-armed paws (whereas all other carnivores typically kill by biting).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These two statistics break down the activities during which humans were attacked by bears (A) and the main scenarios to which such attacks can be attributed (B). It is clearly evident that almost half of the attacks originate from females seeking to protect their young (after Bombieri et al.).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the ranking of the \u00abdeadliest animals\u00bb, the bear appears \u00abfar down the list \u2026\u00bb. Of the 50\u201360 bear attacks documented worldwide on average each year, there are 10\u201320 fatalities. That is terrible. However, when compared with the 30,000 people who die each year from dog attacks, it becomes somewhat relative. This is mainly due to the fact that there are many<\/em> dogs in the world living alongside humans, whereas there are only few<\/em> bears, which moreover try to avoid humans and occur only in sparsely populated regions. A tragic event such as that described in 2Kgs 2:23\u201324 disrupts the statistics: \u00ab From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. \u201cGet out of here, baldy!\u201d they said. \u201cGet out of here, baldy!\u201d He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most dangerous encounters in biblical times probably occurred because livestock was kept pastorally, that is, in herds led and accompanied by shepherds (whereas today pasture farming in fenced areas predominates). For the shepherd, confronting a predator was risky. The young David, already a courageous hero and full of trust in God, was nevertheless able to report to his king: \u00ab Your servant has been keeping his father\u2019s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear\u00bb (1Sam 17:34\u201336). David attributed his victory not to his own abilities but to God\u2019s saving action: \u00ab The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear \u2026\u00bb (1Sam 17:37).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Augsburg engraver Christoph Weigel (1654\u20131725) created a magnificent picture Bible, the \u00abBiblia ectypa\u00bb. According to his own words, it contains \u00abimages from Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testaments, in which all histories and manifestations are clearly and scripturally presented for the glory of God and for the edifying contemplation of devout souls\u00bb. Here one can see how the young David, as a shepherd, strikes down the lion and the bear (after 1Sam 17:36).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thus David is a pointer to the \u00abtrue David\u00bb, the Lord Jesus, who says of Himself: \u00ab I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep\u00bb (John 10:11). Outwardly it appeared as though His battle was lost when He gave His life and was nailed to the cross by the people who surrounded Him like wild beasts of prey. And yet it was an overwhelming victory, in which He \u00abcrushed the serpent\u2019s head\u00bb (cf. Gen 3:15). By this He has \u00ab obtaining eternal redemption\u00bb for us (Heb 9:12). Naturally, we stand in the same struggle. Satan (the ancient serpent; Rev 20:2) pursues us like a ravenous predator \u2013 and whoever believes that he can find security anywhere other than with Jesus will ultimately be caught by him as a treacherous serpent, just as it is described here in a similar way: \u00ab It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him\u00bb (Am 5:19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grizzly 399 is probably the most famous female bear in the world. She has her own website, accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and a YouTube channel. Thousands follow her every step via wildlife cams, drones, and bear spotters. Technology makes it possible to keep one\u2019s distance, for when accompanied by her cubs she tolerates no humans nearby. Quadruplets occur somewhat less frequently in bears than twins do in humans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But: how grateful we can be that God the Father did not strike down and rip open His own, or rather the enemies of His Son (speaking figuratively), as with powerful bear paws \u2013 but that He was even willing to judge His much-beloved Son and stretch out His hand against Him (cf. Gen 22:10). What love the Father must have for us humans (John 3:16), that He actively gave His unique Son, the radiance of His glory \u2013 while mother bears are of \u00abembittered spirit\u00bb when they are robbed of their cubs (2Sam 17:8)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the visions of the prophet Daniel, the succession of world empires around Israel is unfolded. In the vision of four animals rising successively from the (peoples\u2019) sea, the bear represents the Medo-Persian Empire. It is told: \u00abArise, devour much flesh!\u00bb (Dan 7:5). This fits well with the enormous expansion of this empire, which around 500 BC encompassed almost half of the world\u2019s population (approx. 44%). It is therefore listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the \u00ablargest empire of all time\u00bb. The two arms on the silver chest (Dan 2:32) and the two horns of the ram (Dan 8:3), which represent the empire in two other visions, indicate that it was a \u00abdual empire\u00bb. However, power and influence were unevenly distributed \u2013 in the end, the Persians dominated over the Medes. For this reason, one horn of the ram grows larger than the other, and the bear \u00abraises itself up on one side\u00bb (Dan 7:5).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Sources<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bombieri, G; Naves, J; Penteriani, V: Brown bear attacks on humans: a worldwide perspective.<\/em> Nature 2019; 9:8573; doi: 10.1038\/s41598-019-44341-w<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ganslo\u00dfer, U: Bears.<\/em> Nuremberg (Tessloff) 2003<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.grizzly399.org<\/a> (homepage of Grizzly 399); accessed on 11\/03\/2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.guinnessworldrecords.com\/world-records\/largest-empire-by-percentage-of-world-population<\/a>; accessed on 11\/03\/2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Locke, S: The bears are not your friends<\/em> (interview with wildlife filmmaker Andreas Kieling). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung<\/em>, 03\/24\/2012; https:\/\/www.faz.net\/aktuell\/gesellschaft\/dokumentarfilmer-andreas-kieling-die-baeren-sind-nicht-deine-freunde-11696141.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy, N: The World\u2019s Deadliest Animals.<\/em> (accessed on 08\/20\/2022); https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/2203\/the-worlds-deadliest-animals<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

McNally: Famous Bear, Grizzly 399.<\/em> OutdoorLife 2021; accessed on 11\/03\/2023; https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/hunting\/grizzly-kill-caught-on-camera<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Niedzia\u0142kowska, M; Hayward, MW; Borowik, T: A meta-analysis of ungulate predation and prey selection by the brown bear Ursus arctos in Eurasia.<\/em> Mammal Research 2019; 64:1\u20139; doi: 10.1007\/s13364-018-0396-7<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schlegl, T: The largest bear in the world.<\/em> M\u00e4nnersache<\/em> 03\/22\/2022; accessed on 10\/31\/2023; https:\/\/www.maennersache.de\/groesster-baer-der-welt-6061.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thees, F: Wildlife filmmaker Andreas Kieling survives bear attack: \u00abI\u2019m doing well\u00bb.<\/em> SWR3, 05\/16\/2023; https:\/\/www.swr3.de\/aktuell\/nachrichten\/baeren-attacke-ueberlebt-andreas-kieling-tierfilmer-100.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ware, JV; Lynne Nelson, O; Robbins, CT: Temporal organization of activity in the brown bear (Ursus arctos): roles of circadian rhythms, light, and food entrainment.<\/em> American Journal of Physiology, Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology<\/em> 2012; 303(9):890\u2013902; doi: 10.1152\/ajpregu.00313.2012<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Image Credits<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wikipedia: Syrian brown bear \/ Chandres<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other licenses: Brown bear \/ shutterstock ID_1516006793 \/ Lakshan Chanaka \/\/ Brown bear frontal \/ Kevin Winterhoff \/\/ Brown bear eating grass \/ shutterstock ID_2152074097 \/ Wirestock Creators \/\/ Still image of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s vision \/ shutterstock ID_1727662087 \/ joshimerbin \/\/ Symbols for double page \/ ID_2055809324 \/ Leremy \/\/ Babylon \u2013 Ishtar Gate \/ shutterstock ID_493671376 \/ Homo Cosmicos \/\/ Persia \u2013 Persian arch \/ shutterstock ID_1023760363 \/ Delbars \/\/ Greece \u2013 column \/ shutterstock ID_2262132769 \/ Your Hand Please \/\/ Rome \u2013 triumphal arch and Colosseum \/ shutterstock ID_1801488058 \/ AlexAnton \/\/ Future \u2013 motherboard city \/ ID_711912124 \/ BlackDorianstock \/\/ David slays lion and bear \/ Christoph Weigel \/\/ Grizzly 399 with quadruplets \/ grizzly399.org<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the family of bears (Ursidae) come the largest carnivores, and to this day the brown bear (Ursus arctos) is still found in various regions[\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"remove_blocks_before_content":false,"remove_blocks_after_content":false,"disable_reading_progress_bar":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animals-of-the-field"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4412"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5283,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4412\/revisions\/5283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parquediscovery.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}