1. bear (animal) — The Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus), a large predatory mammal used in Scripture both literally and figuratively. Literal: David slew a bear that attacked his flock (1 Sam 17:34-37, with article haddob 'the bear'), and two female bears (dubbin) mauled forty-two youths at Elisha's curse (2 Kgs 2:24). Figurative/proverbial: a bear robbed of her cubs as an image of fierce rage (2 Sam 17:8, Prov 17:12, Hos 13:8 kedob 'like a bear'), a wicked ruler over poor people is like a charging bear (Prov 28:15), the bear lying down with the cow in the messianic age (Isa 11:7), Israel groaning like bears (Isa 59:11 kaddubbin 'like bears'), and one of Daniel's four beasts resembling a bear (Dan 7:5). Arabic dubb, Hindi bhalu/richh, Korean gom, Spanish oso uniformly confirm a single zoological referent across all inflectional forms (absolute, construct, with article, with preposition, plural). 12×
AR["الدُّبَّ","الدُّبُّ","الدُّبِّ","دُبٌّ","دُبَّتَانِ","كَ-الدِّبَبَةِ","كَ-دُبَّةٍ","كَدُبٍّ","وَ-الدُّبُّ","وَ-دُبٌّ"]·ben["-ভালুক","এবং-ভাল্লুক","ও-ভাল্লুক","ভালুক","ভাল্লুক","ভাল্লুকটিকে","ভাল্লুকদের-মতো","ভাল্লুকের","ভাল্লুকের-মতো","যেমন-ভালুক"]·DE["[דב]","[הדב]","[ודב]","[כדב]","[כדבים]","der-Baer","female-bears","wie-ein-Baer"]·EN["A-bear","and-a-bear","and-bear","bear","female-bears","like-a-bear","like-bears","the-bear"]·FR["[דב]","[ודב]","[כדבים]","comme-un-ours","et-ודב","female-bears","le-ours","ours","דב"]·heb["דוב","דובים","ה-דוֹב","ה-דוב","ו-דוב","כ-דוב","כ-דובים"]·HI["और-भालू","और-रीछ","जैसे-रीछ","भअलोओ","भअलोओ-के","भअलोओ-को","भालू","भालूओंकी-तरह","रीछ","रीछनी-के-समान"]·ID["Beruang","beruang","dan-beruang","seperti-beruang","seperti-beruang-beruang"]·IT["[דב]","[הדב]","[ודב]","[כדב]","[כדבים]","bear","come-un-orso","e-e-un-bear","femmina-bears","il-orso"]·jav["-bruwang","Bruwang","bruwang","kados-beruang","lan-bruwang","lan-mlebet"]·KO["같으니라-곰에","같이-곰","고은","곰-이라","곰들같이-","곰이","그-곰을","그-곰의","그-곰이","그를-곰이","그리고-곰처럼"]·PT["Urso","como-os-ursos","como-ursa","como-urso","e-urso","o-urso","ursa","ursas"]·RU["Медведь","и-медведица","и-медведь","как-медведи","как-медведица","как-медведь","медведицы","медведь","медведя"]·ES["Oso","como-osa","como-osos","el-oso","osa","osas","y-osa","y-oso"]·SW["Dubu","dubu","kama-dubu","na-dubu","wa-dubu"]·TR["Ayı","ayi","ayilar-gibi","ayı","ayı-gibi","ayının","ayıyı","ve-ayi","ve-ayı"]·urd["-ریچھ","اور-ریچھ","اور-ریچھھ","ریچھ","ریچھ-کو","ریچھ-کے","ریچھنی","ریچھنی-کی-طرح","ریچھنیاں","ریچھوں-کی-طرح"]
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† דֹּב n.m. Pr 28:15, f. 2 K 2:24 (seld.) bear (from soft or gliding motion, NH id., Ethiopic ድብ Assyrian dabû(?) DlS 55; Aramaic דּוּבָּא, ܕܶܒܳܐ; Arabic دُبٌّ, دُبَّةٌ, is however a loan-word cf. Hom NS 301 f.);—abs. דֹּב Am 5:19 + 5 times; דּוֹב 1 S 17:34 + 2 times; pl. דֻּבִּים 2 K 2:24; Is 59:11;—bear, female 2 K 2:24; 2 S 17:8; Pr 17:12; Ho 13:8 cf. Is 11:7; undetermined 1 S 17:34, 36, 37 Am 5:19 Pr 28:15; Is 59:11; La 3:10 (on art. 1 S 17:34; Am 5:19 cf. RSSem i 119 n.)