σπήλαιον G4693
spelaion -- a cave or den; a natural rock cavity used as shelter, hideout, or burial place
The neuter noun spelaion denotes a cave, grotto, or den -- a natural or rock-hewn hollow space. In the Synoptic Gospels it appears in Jesus' quotation of Jeremiah 7:11 when he cleanses the temple: 'you have made it a den of robbers' (Matt 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46), where the cave imagery evokes a bandit hideout. John uses it for the cave-tomb of Lazarus (John 11:38), and Hebrews 11:38 describes the faithful who wandered in caves and holes of the earth. Revelation 6:15 pictures the powerful hiding in caves from divine wrath. Spanish cueva, French caverne, and German Hohle all map cleanly to this concrete spatial concept.
Senses
1. cave, den — A cave, den, or natural rock-hewn cavity used for shelter, concealment, or burial. The Synoptic temple-cleansing quotation of Jeremiah 7:11 -- 'den of robbers' (Matt 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46) -- evokes a bandit's hideout, while John 11:38 uses it for Lazarus's cave-tomb, Hebrews 11:38 for the refuges of persecuted saints, and Revelation 6:15 for the hiding places of the fearful on the day of wrath. Spanish cueva, French caverne, and German Hohle all converge on the same concrete sense of a rock-enclosed hollow space, with no semantic subdivision needed. 6×
AR["الكُهوفِ", "كُهُوف", "مَغارَةَ", "مَغَارَةً", "مَغَارَةَ"]·ben["গুহা", "গুহাতে,", "গুহায়"]·DE["Hoehlen", "σπήλαιον"]·EN["a-cave", "a-den", "caves"]·FR["caverne"]·heb["מְעָרַת", "מְעָרָה", "מְעָרוֹת"]·HI["गुफ़ा", "गुफ़ाओं,", "गुफा", "गुफाओं,"]·ID["gua", "gua-gua,", "sarang"]·IT["spelaion", "spēlaia", "spēlaiois"]·jav["guwa", "guwa,", "guwa-guwa"]·KO["굴", "굴들", "굴들에", "굴로", "굴을", "굴이"]·PT["cavernas", "covil"]·RU["вертепом", "пещера", "пещерам", "пещерой", "пещеры,"]·ES["cueva", "cuevas"]·SW["la-wanyang'anyi", "mapango", "mapango,", "pango"]·TR["ini", "mağara", "mağaralara", "mağaralarda"]·urd["غار", "غاروں", "غاروں-میں", "کھوہ"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σπήλαιον, τό, grotto, cavern, NT+5th c.BC+; σ. λῃστῶν den of robbers, LXX+NT; of a grave, NT+1st c.AD+ __2 privy parts, LXX __3 place behind the scenes in a theatre, Refs 2nd c.AD+