H4585 H4585
Den or lair of wild animals; dwelling place or refuge, especially of God as shelter for his people
Derived from a root meaning 'to dwell,' this feminine noun covers both animal lairs and human or divine habitations. In its most frequent usage, it describes the dens where lions and wild beasts retreat -- the young lion growling from his lair (Amos 3:4), creatures returning to their dens at sunrise (Ps 104:22), and the poetic dens of lions on Lebanon (Song 4:8). Yet the word reaches its theological height in Deuteronomy 33:27, where Moses declares that the eternal God himself is a me'onah -- a refuge and dwelling place for his people. German and French capture this shift with 'Zuflucht' and 'refuge' for the divine sense, while 'taniere' and 'repaire' mark the animal lair.
Senses
1. animal den or lair — A den, lair, or hiding place of wild animals, particularly lions and beasts of the field. The word evokes the secluded, sheltered place where predators rest and to which they return. Amos 3:4 asks rhetorically whether a lion roars from his lair without prey; Job 37:8 and 38:40 describe beasts crouching in their dens; Psalm 104:22 pictures animals gathering into their lairs at dawn. Nahum 2:13 uses the lion's den as a figure for Nineveh's violent stronghold. French 'taniere' and Spanish 'guarida' consistently mark this zoological sense. 6×
AR["أَوكارِها","فِي-عِرِّيسِهَا","مِ-مْعُونُوت","مِنْ-عِرِينِهِ","وَ-فِي-مَأْوَاهَا","وَأَوْكَارَهُ"]·ben["-গর্তে","-গুহা-থেকে","আর-তাদের-গর্তে","এবং-তার-গুহাগুলি","তাদের-গুহায়","তার-গুহা-থেকে"]·DE["[במעונות]","[ובמעונתיה]","[ומענתיו]","[ממענות]","[ממענתו]","ihr-dens"]·EN["and-his-dens","and-in-its-dens","from-dens-of","from-his-den","in-the-dens","their-dens"]·FR["de-repaire","de-sa-tanière","des-tanières","et-sa-ובמעונתיה-elle","et-ses-tanières","במעונות"]·heb["ב-מעונות","ו-ב-מעונותיה","ו-מעונותיו","מ-מעוֹנתוֹ","מ-מעונות","מעונותם"]·HI["अपनी-मांदों-में","और-अपनी-माँदें","और-मांदों-अपनी-में","गुफाओं-से","माँदों-में","से-माँद-अपनी"]·ID["dan-di-tempat tinggalnya","dan-sarang-sarangnya","dari-sarang-sarang","dari-sarangnya","di-sarang-sarang","sarang-sarang-mereka"]·IT["[ומענתיו]","[ממענתו]","da-da-dens-of","e-in-e-in-its-dens-sua","nel-in-il-dens","rifugio"]·jav["guwa-nipun","ing-pondhokan-ipun","lan-ing-pondhokan-ipun","lan-susuhanipun","saking-guwa"]·KO["굴들-에서","그들-의-굴-에서","그리고-그것-의-굴들-에서","그리고-그의-거처들-을","그의-굴에서"]·PT["de-sua-toca","dos-covis-de","e-em-suas-tocas","e-os-seus-covis","nas-tocas","suas-tocas"]·RU["-логова-свои","в-логовах","и-в-логовах-своих","и-логова-свои","из-логова-своего","из-логовищ"]·ES["desde-las-guaridas-de","desde-su-guarida","en-guaridas","sus-guaridas","y-en-sus-moradas","y-guaridas-suyas"]·SW["katika-mapango-yao","kutoka-mapango","kutoka-pangoni-mwake","mapango-yao","na-katika-makao-yake","na-mapango-yake"]·TR["inininden","inlerinde","inlerinden","inlerine","ve-barınağında","ve-inlerini-onun"]·urd["اور-اپنی-کھوہوں-کو","اور-اپنے ڈیروں میں","اپنے-کھوہ-سے","ماندوں-میں","ڈیروں میں","کھوہوں-سے"]
2. dwelling place or refuge — A dwelling place, habitation, or refuge applied to human or divine abodes. Deuteronomy 33:27 employs this word in one of Scripture's most memorable declarations: 'the eternal God is your me'onah' -- your refuge and shelter. Psalm 76:2 locates God's dwelling in Zion. The word also appears in Jeremiah 21:13 and Zephaniah 3:7 for human habitations under divine judgment. German 'Zuflucht' (refuge) and French 'refuge' capture the protective, sheltering dimension that distinguishes this sense from the animal-lair usage. 4×
AR["مَسَاكِنَنَا","مَسْكَنُهَا","مَسْكِنٌ","وَمَسْكَنُهُ"]·ben["আমাদের-গুহাগুলিতে?","আশ্রয়স্থল","এবং-তাঁর-আবাস","তার-বাসস্থান"]·DE["Zuflucht","[במעונותינו]","[מעונה]","und-sein-Wohnung-Ort"]·EN["and-His-dwelling-place","her-dwelling","into-dwellings-our","refuge"]·FR["[במעונותינו]","et-de-repaire","refuge","tanière"]·heb["ב-מעונותינו","ו-מעונתו","מעונה"]·HI["उ-मेओनातो","उसका-निवास","निवास","में-माँदों-हमारे"]·ID["Tempat-perlindungan","dan-tempat-tinggal-Nya","ke-tempat-tinggal-kami","tempat-tinggalnya"]·IT["[במעונותינו]","[מעונה]","e-rifugio","rifugio"]·jav["Papan-aman","dhateng-panggenan-kula-sedaya","panggènanipun","saha-panggenan-ipun"]·KO["거처(접)","그-의-거처-가","우리의-거처들에","처소-그것의-가"]·PT["Refúgio","e-sua-morada","em-nossos-refúgios","sua-morada"]·RU["Прибежище","в-жилища-наши","жилище-её","и-обитель-Его"]·ES["en-moradas-nuestras","refugio","su-morada","y-morada-de-el"]·SW["Makao","katika-makao-yetu","makazi-yake","na-makao-yake"]·TR["Sığınak","de-sığınaklarımıza","konutu","ve-konutu"]·urd["اور-اُس-کا-مسکن","اُس-کا-مسکن","ٹھکانوں-میں-ہمارے","ٹھکانہ"]
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
† מְעֹנָה n.f. habitation; 1. den, lair of wild beasts: of כְּפִיר, מְעֹנָתוֹ Am 3:4, so pl. abs. מְעוֹנוֹת Jb 38:40 (‖ סֻכָּה), sf. מְעוֹנֹתָם ψ 104:22; cstr. מְעֹנוֹת אֲרָיוֹת Ct 4:8; מְעֹנֹתָיו Na 2:13 (‖ חֹרָיו; of אַרְיֵה, fig. of Nineveh); of חַיָּה in gen., בִּמְעוֹנֹתֶיהָ תִשְׁכֹּן Jb 37:8 (‖ אָ֑רֶב); so appar. fig. of men, hunted by י׳, מְעוֹנוֹתֵינוּ Je 21:13, fig. also of י׳ dwelling…