מלכים ב, פרק י״ז, פסוק כ״ה

When the King of Assyria brought new nations to settle in the cities of Samaria, replacing the exiled Israelites, a deadly plague of lions struck the new inhabitants. The central cause for this attack was their complete alienation from the God of the land [אברבנאל].

Typically, even idol-worshipping nations hold a certain level of respect for the Creator, viewing Him as the ultimate God while using their statues merely as intermediaries. These new settlers, however, showed absolute contempt for God. They argued that if He possessed any true power, He would never have allowed His own people to be sent into exile [רש״י, מלבי״ם].

To prevent the desecration of His name, God sent the lions against them. If the Israelites were banished for worshipping idols, yet these new nations could practice idolatry in the exact same land and live in peace, observers would conclude that the pagan gods were stronger and had protected them [חומת אנך]. Furthermore, because these settlers completely cast off any reverence for God, they lost their human image. This spiritual image is the source of the natural dread that wild animals normally feel toward people. Stripped of it, the lions had no fear of hunting them down [מלבי״ם].

On a practical level, lions already roamed the region during that era. Because the new settlements were still small and sparsely populated, the wild beasts easily wandered into the cities and killed the new residents [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Ultimately, this terrifying plague forced the settlers to reach out to the King of Assyria. They complained that they did not know the laws of the God of the land, prompting the king to send an exiled priest back to Samaria to teach them His ways [אברבנאל].