H0953a H0953a
Pit, cistern, or dungeon; a hewn cavity in the ground used for water storage, trapping, confinement, or as a figure for Sheol.
Borrowed from the physical landscape of ancient Israel, bor denotes any cavity dug or hewn into rock — most often a cistern for collecting rainwater, but also an open pit used to trap animals or enemies. The Arabic cognate bu'ra (a cooking hollow) preserves the root sense of a gouged-out space. In narrative, the pit where Joseph was cast (Gen 37:20-29) becomes a powerful type: Spanish foso, Arabic al-jubb, and Korean gudeongi all capture the terror of being thrown into an empty hole. Metaphorically, 'those who go down to the pit' (Isa 38:18; Ps 28:1) means descent into death itself. Rarely, the word extends to a dungeon or prison cell (Gen 41:14), where confinement in a literal pit becomes incarceration.
Senses
1. pit, hole in the ground — The primary sense covers a pit or hole in the ground, whether natural or dug deliberately. This includes trapping pits for animals or enemies and, in poetic and prophetic texts, the metaphorical pit of Sheol or the grave — 'those going down to the pit' (Ps 28:1, Isa 14:15). Arabic al-hufra ('the pit') and Spanish foso both reflect the concrete image of a dangerous open cavity. The 49 occurrences span from Joseph's pit (Gen 37:20-29) to eschatological imagery in Ezekiel and Isaiah. 49×
AR["إِلَى-الْحُفْرَةِ","الجُبِّ","الجُبّ","الْبِئْرِ","الْجُبِّ","الْهَاوِيَةَ","ٱلْحُفْرَةَ","ٱلْحُفْرَةِ"]·ben["-কূপ","-কূপের","কূপের","গর্তে","গর্তে।","গর্তের"]·DE["Grube","der-Grube","die-Grube"]·EN["pit","the-pit","those-going-down"]·FR["[הבור]","fosse","la-fosse","le-fosse"]·heb["בור","ה-בור"]·HI["गड्ढा","गड्ढे","गड्ढे-में","गढ़ा","गढ़े","गढ़्ढे-के","गढ्ढे-के"]·ID["-lubang","ke-kubur","ke-liang.","ke-liang;","ke-lubang","ke-lubang,","liang,","liang-kubur","lubang","sumur"]·IT["[הבור]","fossa","il-fossa"]·jav["dhateng-luwangan","luwangan","luweng","sumur"]·KO["구덩이","구덩이-에","구덩이에","구덩이의","그-구덩이","그-구덩이-의","그-구덩이에","그-구덩이에서"]·PT["a-cisterna","cova","o-poço","à-cova"]·RU["в-могилу","в-яму","в-яму.","преисподней","яме","яму","ямы"]·ES["al-foso","al-pozo","el-calabozo","el-foso","el-pozo","foso","la-fosa"]·SW["shimo","shimoni","ya-shimo"]·TR["-kuyudan","-kuyuya","cukura","cukurun","kuyunun","çukura","çukurun"]·urd["تہ-خانے","گڑھے-اس","گڑھے-میں","گڑھے-کی","گڑھے-کے"]
Gen 37:20, Gen 37:22, Gen 37:24, Gen 37:28, Gen 37:29, Gen 37:29, Gen 40:15, Exod 21:33, Exod 21:33, Exod 21:34, 1 Sam 13:6, 2 Sam 23:20 (+37 more)
2. cistern, well for water — A cistern or well hewn from rock for storing rainwater, a critical survival technology in the semi-arid Levant. Deuteronomy 6:11 lists cisterns among the blessings of the Promised Land, and Proverbs 5:15 pairs bor with be'er (well) as a figure for marital fidelity. Hindi kuan and Korean umul ('well') and Swahili kisima ('cistern') capture this domestic, life-sustaining sense. The Moabite Stone also uses br for cistern, confirming wide Semitic usage. 15×
AR["[بِئْرٍ]","آبَارًا","الْبِئْرَ","الْبِئْرِ","بِئْرِ","بِئْرِهِ","مِن-بِئْر","مِنْ-صِهْرِيجِكَ","هَ-بُور","وَ-بِئْرٌ","وَآبَارًا"]·ben["-কূপ-থেকে","-কূপে","[কূপ]","এবং-কূপ","এবং-কূপগুলি","কূপ","কূপের","তার-কূপের","তোমার-নিজের-কূপ-থেকে"]·DE["Grube","Grube-von","Zisterne-von","[מבורך]","der-Grube","in-Rut","in-die-Grube","sein-Zisterne","und-Zisterne","und-cisterns"]·EN["[ketiv]","and-cistern","and-cisterns","cistern-of","cisterns","from-well-of","from-your-own-cistern","his-cistern","pit","pit-of","the-cistern","the-pit"]·FR["[ברות]","[מבור]","citerne-de","de-ton-fosse-toi","et-cistern","et-cisterns","fosse","fosse-de","la-fosse","le-fosse","son-citerne"]·heb["[בור]","בור","בורו","ברות","ה-בור","ה-ברה-ה","ו-בור","ו-בורות","מ-בור","מ-בורך"]·HI["अपने-कुँएं-का","और-कुंड","और-कुएँ","कुँए","कुँएं-अपने","कुआँ","कुएँ-अपने-से","कुएँ-से","कुओं","कोओन्द","गड्ढे-के","गढ़े-में","बोर"]·ID["-sumur","[sumur]","dan-sumur","dan-sumur-sumur","dari-sumur","dari-sumurmu","ke-dalam-sumur","sumur","sumur-sumur","sumurnya"]·IT["[ברות]","[מבור]","cisterna-di","da-da-tuo-own-cistern-tuo","e-cisterna","e-cisterns","fossa","fossa-di","il-fossa","il-il-cistern","suo-cisterna"]·jav["ing-sumur","lan-sumur","lan-sumur-sumur-kapahat","saking-sumur","saking-sumur-panjenengan","sumur","sumur-sumur"]·KO["구덩이로","그-우물의","그리고-우물들을","그리고-웅덩이나","네-저수지-에서","에서-우물","우물","우물-그","우물-그의의","우물들","우물들을","우물의"]·PT["[Q]","a-cisterna","cisterna","cisterna-dele","cisternas","de-tua-cisterna","do-poço-de","e-cisterna","e-cisternas","poço","poço-de","poço-dele"]·RU["[колодец]","в-яму","водоёмов","и-колодец","и-колодцы","из-колодца","из-колодца-твоего,","колодца","колодца-своего","колодцем.","колодцы","рва","цистерны"]·ES["[cisterna]","cisterna-de","cisternas","de-pozo-de","de-tu-cisterna","el-pozo","pozo","pozo-de","su-cisterna","y-cisternas","y-pozo"]·SW["kisima","kisima-cha","kisima-chake","kutoka-kisima-cha","kutoka-tangi-lako","la-kisima","na-kisima","na-visima","shimoni","visima"]·TR["-kuyuya","[kuyu]","kuyu","kuyunun","kuyusu","kuyusunun","sarnincinin","sarnıcından","sarnıcından-","sarnıçlar","ve-sarnıç","ve-sarnıçlar"]·urd["[کنواں]","اور-کنواں","اور-کنویں","اپنے-کنویں-کا","حوض-اپنے-سے","میں-گڑھے","کنوئیں","کنویں","کنویں-اپنے","کنویں-سے","کنویں-کے"]
Gen 37:24, Lev 11:36, Deut 6:11, 1 Sam 19:22, 2 Kgs 10:14, 2 Kgs 18:31, 1 Chr 11:17, 1 Chr 11:18, 2 Chr 26:10, Neh 9:25, Prov 5:15, Eccl 12:6 (+3 more)
3. prison, dungeon — A rare metaphorical extension where 'pit' means a prison or dungeon — a place of confinement. In Genesis 41:14, Joseph is brought up from the bor (the dungeon of Pharaoh's prison), and Exodus 12:29 mentions the captive in the bor. Spanish calabozo ('dungeon'), Arabic as-sijn ('the prison'), and Korean gamok ('jail') all render this carceral sense, distinguishing it from the open pit or water cistern. 2×
AR["الْ-جُبِّ","الْ-سِّجْنِ"]·ben["কূপের","গর্তের"]·DE["der-Grube","der-pit"]·EN["the-pit"]·FR["la-fosse"]·heb["ה-בור"]·HI["गड्ढे","गढ़े-के"]·ID["penjara"]·IT["il-fossa"]·jav["kunjara","pakunjaran"]·KO["그-감옥에서","그-굴"]·PT["a-cova","o-poço"]·RU["темницы"]·ES["el-calabozo","el-pozo"]·SW["gerezani","ya-gereza"]·TR["-zindandan","zindanın"]·urd["گڑھے","گڑھے-کے"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. בּוֹר n.m. Gn 37:20 pit, cistern, well (= בְּאֹר, MI בר, Arabic بُؤْرَةٌ hole or hollow for cooking, Assyrian bûrtum DlPr 182, bûru Lotz TP 169)—בּ׳ abs. Gn 37:22 +; בֹּר Ex 21:33 (2 S 23:20 Qr, v. באר supr.); cstr. בּוֹר 2 K 10:14 + (2 S 23:15, 16 Qr, v. באר supr.); בֹּ֫רָה (ָה loc.) Gn 37:24; sf. בּוֹרוֹ Is 36:16 = בֹּרוֹ 2 K 18:31; בּוֹרֶ֑ךָ Pr 5:15; pl. בֹּרוֹת Gn 37:20 + 3 times; בֹּרֹת…