1. cave, den — A natural or rock-hewn hollow (σπήλαιον) used as a shelter, hideout, or lair, appearing in both singular ('a cave/den') and plural ('caves') forms. In the NT, used for the 'den of robbers' (quoting Jeremiah via Jesus's temple cleansing), burial caves, and apocalyptic hiding places. Multilingual evidence is consistent across number: Arabic مَغارَة (singular)/كُهُوف (plural), Korean 굴/굴들, Swahili pango/mapango, Hindi गुफा/गुफाओं, Spanish cueva/cuevas. The singular and plural represent grammatical number inflection of a single lexical sense, not distinct meanings. 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"]
Senses
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+