A title of the Messiah (God's chosen leader) that appears only in Revelation 5:5: “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” This is a reference to the promise of Genesis 49:9–10, “Judah is a young lion. . . . The scepter will not depart from Judah.”
The expression summarizes the Old Testament hope that the Messiah would conquer and deliver his people from every form of spiritual, political, and social evil (compare 2 Esdras 11:37; 12:31). The Old Testament often uses the lion as a symbol of power and the ability to defeat their enemies (Job 10:16; Psalm 10:9; Ezekiel 1:10; Daniel 7:1–4).
The author of Revelation says that all Christians believe that Christ will defeat all the powers of evil. However, unlike the Old Testament hope, Christ will not come as a conquering Lion of military power but as the Lamb, who suffers and is sacrificed for the sins of his people (Revelation 5:6).