מְעָרָה40 H4632
Mearah; a cave or cave-town in northern Canaan
This proper noun appears only in Joshua 13:4 in a list of unconquered territories. The name means 'cave' and may refer to a specific cave-town or region characterized by caves near Sidon in Phoenician territory. The Israelites did not fully occupy this northern area, which remained under Canaanite control. The name itself reflects the prominence of cave dwellings in the region's geography.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Translators handle this as a proper name with slight variations: English 'Mearah,' Spanish 'Meará,' French and German preserve the transliteration. The geographical reference marks the northern boundary of Israel's incomplete conquest, a cave-region that remained outside their control (Josh 13:4). 1×
AR["وَ-مَعارةَ"]·ben["এবং-মায়ারা"]·DE["und-Mearah"]·EN["and-Mearah"]·FR["et-Mearah"]·heb["ו-מערה"]·HI["और-मआरा"]·ID["dan-Meara"]·IT["e-Mearah"]·jav["lan-Méara"]·KO["그리고-므아라"]·PT["e-Mearah"]·RU["и-Меара"]·ES["y-Meará"]·SW["na-Meara"]·TR["ve-Meara"]·urd["اور-معارہ"]
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…