Commentators agree that the 'young lion' represents a king of Judah who became a cruel and oppressive tyrant. Instead of shepherding his people, he 'learned to catch the prey; he devoured men.' Scholars connect this to King Jehoiakim's specific sins of injustice, violence, and shedding innocent blood, as recorded in Jeremiah 22. This serves as a stark warning about how authority can reveal and amplify a person's selfishness.