מְעָרָה40 H4631
cave, cavern — a natural rock chamber used for shelter, burial, hiding, or as a den for beasts and robbers
Me'arah designates a natural underground hollow or rock shelter, appearing 41 times across narrative, prophetic, and poetic literature. In the patriarchal narratives, the cave of Machpelah (me'arat hammakhpelah) serves as the family burial site purchased by Abraham (Gen 23:9, 19). Caves then become places of desperate refuge: Lot and his daughters flee to one after Sodom's destruction (Gen 19:30), five Amorite kings hide in the cave at Makkedah (Josh 10:16-27), Israelites shelter in caves from the Midianites (Judg 6:2), and David hides from Saul in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam 22:1) and at En-gedi (1 Sam 24:3-10). Elijah encounters God at a cave on Horeb (1 Kgs 19:9, 13). Jeremiah's famous 'den of robbers' (me'arat paritsim, Jer 7:11) — quoted by Jesus in the Temple cleansing — is literally 'cave of robbers,' preserving the concrete image.
Senses
1. cave, cavern, den — A natural rock-hewn or subterranean chamber, used across Scripture for burial (the Machpelah cave, Gen 23:9-19), hiding and refuge from enemies (Josh 10:16-27; Judg 6:2; 1 Sam 13:6; 22:1; 24:3), divine encounter (Elijah at Horeb, 1 Kgs 19:9-13), and as a lair for beasts (Isa 32:14). Jeremiah's me'arat paritsim ('cave of robbers,' Jer 7:11) bridges literal and metaphorical usage. The multilingual glosses are remarkably consistent: Spanish 'cueva,' French 'caverne,' German 'Hoehle' — all indicating a single unified sense across all 41 occurrences. 41×
AR["إِلى-المَغارَةِ", "ال-مَغارَةِ", "المَغارَةِ", "الْمَغَارَةِ", "بِـ-المَغَارَةِ", "في-ال-مَغارَةِ", "في-المَغارَةِ", "فِي-الْمَغَارَةِ", "مَغَارَةَ"]·ben["-গুহায়", "গুহা", "গুহায়", "গুহায়,", "গুহার", "সেই-গুহায়", "সেই-গুহার"]·DE["der-Hoehle", "der-Höhle", "die-Höhle", "in-der-Hoehle", "in-der-Höhle", "in-der-cave"]·EN["in-the-cave", "the-cave", "the-cave-of"]·FR["dans-caverne", "dans-le-caverne", "le-caverne", "le-caverne-de"]·heb["ב-ה-מערה", "ב-מערה", "ה-מערה", "מערת"]·HI["गुफ़-मे", "गुफ़ा", "गुफ़ा-में", "गुफा", "गुफा-के", "गुफा-में", "में-गुफा"]·ID["-gua", "dalam-gua", "di-gua", "di-gua-itu", "gua", "gua-itu"]·IT["caverna", "il-caverna", "il-grotta", "il-grotta-di", "in-il-caverna", "in-il-grotta"]·jav["Wonten-guwa", "guwa", "ing-guwa", "wonten-guwa", "wonten-ing-guwa"]·KO["굴-에", "굴-에서", "굴에서", "굴을", "굴의", "그-굴", "그-굴에", "그-굴에서", "그-굴의", "그-동굴-에서", "에-굴에", "에-그-굴"]·PT["Na-caverna", "a-caverna", "caverna-de", "na-caverna"]·RU["-пещере", "в-пещере", "в-пещеру", "пещере", "пещеру", "пещеры"]·ES["En-la-cueva", "cueva-de", "en-la-cueva", "la-cueva"]·SW["ha-pango", "katika-ha-pango", "katika-mtego", "katika-pango", "mtego", "pango", "pangoni", "ya-Makipelela"]·TR["-mağarada", "-mağaranın", "-mağaraya", "mağarada", "mağaradan", "mağaranın", "mağarasını", "mağaraya"]·urd["بَ-غار", "غار", "غار-میں", "غار-کے", "میں-غار"]
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
מְעָרָה40 n.f. cave;—abs. מ׳ Gn 19:30 +; cstr. מְעָרַת 23:19 +; pl. מְעָרוֹת Ju 6:2 +, cstr. id. Is 2:19;—cave, especially as place of sojourn or refuge Gn 19:30 (J), 1 S 24:3(×2), 7, 8, 10 (Ginsb v 4, 8, 9, 11 van d. H. Baer), 1 K 19:1; 13, Ez 33:27; Jos 10:16 (מ׳ בַמַּקֵּדָה) + 7 times Jos 10; Ju 6:2; 1 S 13:6; 1 K 18:4, 13; cf. ψ 57:1; 142:1; מְעָרוֹת צֻרִים Is 2:19, hence מ׳ פָּרִצִים Je 7:11…