bear
dov denotes the bear, seen as an actual animal and in comparisons for danger, force, or altered conditions.
The term most often names a bear in scenes of threat, attack, or force, whether an actual animal or a comparison; it also occurs in depictions of grazing and roaring.
Senses in use
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Bear in threatening encounters and comparisons · dominant
The singular noun occurs in accounts of danger: in 1 Samuel 17:34 the APB renders a bear taking a sheep, and in 2 Kings 2:24 the plural form is rendered as two bears that came from the wood and tore the youths. Comparisons likewise portray hostile or forceful situations: in 2 Samuel 17:8 a bear robbed of cubs describes bitter men, while in Amos 5:19 a bear falls upon a fleeing man.
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Bear in figurative descriptions · common
In Hosea 13:8 the APB renders a bear robbed of cubs in a threat of tearing open the enclosure of the heart. In Lamentations 3:10, the speaker describes him as a bear lying in wait; Proverbs 17:12 and Proverbs 28:15 also use the animal in comparisons involving a fool and a wicked ruler.
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Bear in peaceful grazing and collective roaring · occasional
In Isaiah 11:7 the APB renders the bear grazing together with the cow, with their young lying down together. In Isaiah 59:11, the plural form appears in a comparison for the people's roaring as they await justice and salvation.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB regularly presents the noun as “bear” or “bears,” including actual animals, comparisons with a bear robbed of cubs, and the image of bears roaring. These English terms confirm the verse-level scenes rather than establish every nuance of the Hebrew noun.