Topic
Cave
40 passages cited, from 4 classic reference works.
These works date from 1884–1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- John 11:38Easton · Smith · ISBE · Nave Burial place
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
- Genesis 19:30Easton · Smith · Nave (Used as a dwelling) — By Lot
¶ And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
- 1 Samuel 22:1Easton · Smith · Nave Of Adullam
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.
- 1 Kings 18:4Easton · Smith · Nave Place of refuge
For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
- 1 Kings 19:9Easton · Smith · Nave (Used as a dwelling) — Elijah
¶ And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
- Genesis 25:9Easton · Nave Burial place
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
- Genesis 50:13Easton · Nave Burial place
For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
- Judges 6:2Easton · Nave Place of refuge
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
- Hebrews 11:38ISBE · Nave (Used as a dwelling) — Saints
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
- Genesis 23:9–20Nave Burial place
That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the…
- Genesis 23:17Smith
¶ And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
- Genesis 25:10Easton
The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
Show 28 more
- Genesis 49:29–32 Nave Burial place
- Genesis 49:31 Easton
- Exodus 33:22 Easton
- Numbers 24:21 Easton
- Joshua 10:10 Smith
- Joshua 10:16 Easton
- Joshua 10:16–27 Nave Place of refuge
- Joshua 10:27 Easton
- Joshua 13:4 ISBE
- 1 Samuel 13:6 Nave Place of refuge
- 1 Samuel 22:2 Easton
- 1 Samuel 24:3 Smith
- 1 Samuel 24:3–8 Nave En-gedi
- 2 Samuel 23:13 Nave Of Adullam
- 1 Kings 18:13 Nave Place of refuge
- 1 Kings 19:13 Nave Place of refuge
- 1 Chronicles 11:15 Nave Of Adullam
- Job 30:6 ISBE
- Song of Songs 2:14 Easton
- Isaiah 2:19 ISBE
- Isaiah 24:22 Easton
- Isaiah 51:14 Easton
- Jeremiah 49:16 Easton
- Ezekiel 32:23 Easton
- Ezekiel 33:27 Nave (Used as a dwelling) — Israelites
- Obadiah 1:1 Easton
- Zechariah 9:11 Easton
- Matthew 27:60 Smith
In the reference works
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · 22 references
There are numerous natural caves among the limestone rocks of Syria, many of which have been artificially enlarged for various purposes.
The first notice of a cave occurs in the history of Lot (Gen. 19:30).
The next we read of is the cave of Machpelah (q.v.), which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth (Gen. 25:9, 10). It was the burying-place of Sarah and of Abraham himself, also of Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (Gen. 49:31; 50:13).
The cave of Makkedah, into which the five Amorite kings retired after their defeat by Joshua (10:16, 27).
The cave of Adullam (q.v.), an immense natural cavern, where David hid himself from Saul (1 Sam. 22:1, 2).
The cave of Engedi (q.v.), now called ‘Ain Jidy, i.e., the “Fountain of the Kid”, where David cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe (24:4). Here he also found a shelter for himself and his followers to the number of 600 (23:29; 24:1). “On all sides the country is full of caverns which might serve as lurking-places for David and his men, as they do for outlaws at the present day.”
The cave in which Obadiah hid the prophets (1 Kings 18:4) was probably in the north, but it cannot be identified.
The cave of Elijah (1 Kings 19:9), and the “cleft” of Moses on Horeb (Ex. 33:22), cannot be determined.
In the time of Gideon the Israelites took refuge from the Midianites in dens and caves, such as abounded in the mountain regions of Manasseh (Judg. 6:2).
Caves were frequently used as dwelling-places (Num. 24:21; Cant. 2:14; Jer. 49:16; Obad. 1:3). “The excavations at Deir Dubban, on the south side of the wady leading to Santa Hanneh, are probably the dwellings of the Horites,” the ancient inhabitants of Idumea Proper. The pits or cavities in rocks were also sometimes used as prisons (Isa. 24:22; 51:14; Zech. 9:11). Those which had niches in their sides were occupied as burying-places (Ezek. 32:23; John 11:38).
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884) · 9 references
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 6 references
kav ([me`arah] (compare Arabic magharah), chor (Job 30:6 the King James Version), mechilloth (Isa 2:19); ope (Hebrews 11:38), spelaion (Joh 11:38); chor, more often rendered "hole," is akin to Arabic khaur, "gulf" or "inlet," but is also related to me`arah (compare also Arabic ghaur "low-land," especially of the Jordan valley and Dead Sea). Mechilloth (root, chalal, "to pierce" (compare Arabic khall, "to pierce")) occurs only in Isa 2:19, where the King James Version has "caves" and translates me`aroth in the same verse by "holes." In the Revised Version (British and American) these words are very properly changed about. Spelaion is a common Greek word for "cave"; ope means rather "hole"): In Palestine as in other limestone countries, caves are of frequent occurrence, and not a few of large size are known. Water from the rain and snow, seeping down through cracks, enlarges the passages through which it goes by dissolving away the substance of the rock. Just as upon the surface of the land the trickling streams unite to form brooks and rivers, so many subterranean streams may come together in a spacious channel, and may issue upon the surface as a bold spring. The cave of the Dog River near Beirut and that of 'Afqa (perhaps Aphek (Jos 13:4)) in Lebanon are excellent examples of this. Not infrequently after forming a cave the stream of water may find some lower outlet by a different route, leaving its former course dry. In some cases the hinder part of the roof of the cave may fall in, leaving the front part standing as a natural bridge. Numerous shallow caves, especially in the faces of cliffs, are formed not by seeping water, but by atmospheric erosion, a portion of a relatively soft stratum of rock being hollowed out, while harder strata above and below it are but little worn away. Many of the hermits' caves originated in this way and were artificially enlarged and walled up at the mouth. The principal caves mentioned in the Bible are those of MACHPELAH, MAKKEDAH and ADULLAM (which see).
See DEN.
Alfred Ely Day
In the topical indexes
Nave's Topical Bible (1896) · 20 references, grouped by sub-topic
Texts: Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897); Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884); International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915); Nave's Topical Bible (1896), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.