Bear: a native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the attacks of a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Bears came out of the wood and destroyed the children who mocked the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:24). Their habits are referred to in Isaiah 59:11; Proverbs 28:15; Lamentations 3:10. The fury of the female bear when robbed of her young is spoken of (2 Samuel 17:8; Proverbs 17:12; Hosea 13:8). In Daniel's vision of the four great monarchies, the Medo-Persian empire is represented by a bear (Hosea 7:5).