King James Bible Dictionary

Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem of treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf" (Genesis 49:27), represents the warlike character of that tribe (see Judges 19-21). Isaiah represents the peace of Messiah's kingdom by the words, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6). The habits of the wolf are described in Jeremiah 5:6; Habakkuk 1:8; Zephaniah 3:3; Ezekiel 22:27; Matthew 7:15; 10:16; Acts 20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in Palestine, and are the dread of shepherds, as of old.

Ravenous
Genesis 49:27; Jeremiah 5:6; Ezekiel 22:27; Zephaniah 3:3; John 10:12

Figurative:

Of the enemies of the righteous
Matthew 7:15; Matthew 10:16; John 10:12; Acts 20:29

Of the reconciling power of the gospel
Isaiah 11:6

There can be little doubt that the wolf of Palestine is the common Canis lupus , and that this is the animal so frequently mentioned in the Bible. (The wolf is a fierce animal of the same species as the dog, which it resembles. The common color is gray with a tinting of fawn, and the hair is long and black. The Syrian wolf is of lighter color than the wolf of Europe it is the dread of the shepherds of Palestine.

ED.) Wolves were doubtless far more common in biblical times than they are now, though they are occasionally seen by modern travellers. The following are the scriptural allusions to the wolf- Its ferocity is mentioned in (Genesis 49:27; Ezekiel 22:27); Habakkuk 1:8; Matthew 7:15 Its nocturnal habits, in (Jeremiah 5:6; Zephaniah 3:3); Habakkuk 1:8 Its attacking sheep and lambs, (Matthew 10:16; Luke 10:3; John 10:12) Isaiah (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25) foretells the peaceful reign of the Messiah under the metaphor of a wolf dwelling with a lamb- cruel persecutors are compared with wolves. (Matthew 10:16; Acts 20:29)

WOLF, noun WULF. [G., Gr.]

1. An animal of the genus Canis, a beast of prey that kills sheep and other small domestic animals; called sometimes the wild dog. The wolf is crafty, greedy and ravenous.

2. A small white worm or maggot, which infests granaries.

3. An eating ulcer.

WOLF-DOG, noun

1. A dog of a large breed, kept to guard sheep.

2. A dog supposed to be bred between a dog and a wolf.

WOLF-FISH, noun A fish, the lupus marinus, (the Anarrhichas lupus of Linne; ) a fierce voracious fish of the northern seas.

WOLFISH, adjective Like a wolf; having the qualities or form of a wolf; as a wolfish visage; wolfish designs.

WOLF-NET, noun A kind of net used in fishing, which takes great numbers.

WOLFRAM, noun In mineralogy, an ore of tungsten. Its color is generally a brownish of grayish black; when cut with a knife, it gives a reddish brown streak. It occurs massive and crystalized, and in concentric lamellar concretions.

WOLFS-BANE, noun

1. A poisonous plant of the genus Aconitum; aconite.

2. The winter aconite, or Helleborus hyemalis.

WOLFS-CLAW, noun A plant of the genus Lycopodium.

WOLFS-MILK, noun An herb.

WOLFS-PEACH, noun A plant of the genus Solanum, (S. Lycopersicum)