Reference: Cave
American
The geological structure of Judea is highly favorable to the formation of caves; and the whole region abounds with subterranean caverns of various dimensions, often giving rise to small rivulets. These were used as dwellings, places of refuge, and tombs. It was in a cave that Lot resided after the destruction of Sodom, Ge 19:30. Petra, in Idumea, was a city of caves, Nu 24:21; Song 2:14; Jer 49:16; Ob 1:3. In the vicinity of Hebron, the poor still live in caves while pasturing their flocks. Natural cavities were sometimes enlarged, and artificial ones made for refuge and defense, Jg 6:2; 1Sa 13:6; Isa 2:19; Jer 41:9. The caves of Machpelah, of Adullam, of Engedi, of Carmel and of Arbela, still exist. See SEPULCHRE.
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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, so he dwelt in a cave, he, and his two daughters.
And when he saw the Kenite, he took up hi parable, and said, - Enduring thy dwelling-place, Set thou then in the crag, thy nest;
and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, - because of Midian, did the sons of Israel prepare for themselves the hollows which were in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
HEO my dove! In the retreats of the crag, in the hiding-place of the terrace, Let me see thy form, Let me hear thy voice, - For, thy voice, is sweet, and, thy form, comely.
And they shall enter into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of clay, - Because of the terribleness of Yahweh, And for his majestic splendour, When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Now the pit whereinto Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had smitten, was a large pit which King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel, - the same, did Ishmael son of Nethaniah fill with the slain,
Thy monstrous thing, hath deceived thee, The insolence of thy heart, O thou that inhabitest the hidden recesses of the cliff, That boldest fast the height of the hill, - Though thou set high as an eagle, thy nest, From thence, will I bring thee down, Declareth Yahweh;
The insolence of thy heart, hath deceived thee, O thou that inhabitest the retreats of the crag, the height of his habitation, - that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
Easton
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 (Ge 19:30).
The next we read of is the cave of Machpelah (q.v.), which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth (Ge 25:9-10). It was the burying-place of Sarah and of Abraham himself, also of Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob (Ge 49:31; 50:13).
The cave of Makkedah, into which the five Amorite kings retired after their defeat by Joshua (Jos 10:16,27).
The cave of Adullam (q.v.), an immense natural cavern, where David hid himself from Saul (1Sa 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 (1Sa 24:4). Here he also found a shelter for himself and his followers to the number of 600 (1Sa 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 (1Ki 18:4) was probably in the north, but it cannot be identified.
The cave of Elijah (1Ki 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 (Jg 6:2).
Caves were frequently used as dwelling-places (Nu 24:21; Song 2:14; Jer 49:16; Ob 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; Zec 9:11). Those which had niches in their sides were occupied as burying-places (Eze 32:23; Joh 11:38).
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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, so he dwelt in a cave, he, and his two daughters.
And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him, in the cave of Machpelah, - in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, which is over against Mamre; the field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth, - there, was buried Abraham, with Sarah his wife.
There, buried they Abraham, and Sarah his wife, There, buried they Isaac, and Rebekah his wife, - And there, buried I Leah: -
so his sons carried him to 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 from Ephron the Hittite over against Mamre.
And it shall be while my glory passeth by, I will put thee in the cleft of the rock, - and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
And when he saw the Kenite, he took up hi parable, and said, - Enduring thy dwelling-place, Set thou then in the crag, thy nest;
So these five kings fled, - and hid themselves in a cave, at Makkedah.
And it came to pass, at the time of the going in of the sun, that Joshua gave command, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave, where they had hid themselves, - and put great stones upon the mouth of the cave, which remain , until this very day.
and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, - because of Midian, did the sons of Israel prepare for themselves the hollows which were in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
David therefore departed thence, and escaped, into the cave of Adullam, - and, when his brethren and all the household of his father heard it, they went down unto him, thither. And there gathered themselves unto him - every one that was in distress, and every one that had a creditor, and every one embittered in soul, and he came to be over them as a prince, - and there were with him, about four hundred men.
So David's men said unto him - Lo! the day of which Yahweh said unto thee - Lo! I am about to deliver up thine enemy, into thy hand: therefore shall thou do unto him, as shall be good in thine eyes. And David arose, and cut off the corner of the robe which belonged to Saul, by stealth.
And so it came to pass, when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifties in caves, and sustained them, with bread and water.
And he entered, there, into a cave, and lodged there, - and lo! the word of Yahweh came unto him, and said to him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
HEO my dove! In the retreats of the crag, in the hiding-place of the terrace, Let me see thy form, Let me hear thy voice, - For, thy voice, is sweet, and, thy form, comely.
And they shall be swept together in a crowd, fettered for a pit, And shall be lowered into a dungeon, - And, after many days, shall they be punished.
The captive hath hastened to be loosed, - That be might not die in the pit. Neither should, his bread, be cut off.
Thy monstrous thing, hath deceived thee, The insolence of thy heart, O thou that inhabitest the hidden recesses of the cliff, That boldest fast the height of the hill, - Though thou set high as an eagle, thy nest, From thence, will I bring thee down, Declareth Yahweh;
Whose graves have been set In the recesses of the pit, And so her gathered host is round about her grave, All of them thrust through. Fallen by the sword, Who caused terror in the land of the living.
The insolence of thy heart, hath deceived thee, O thou that inhabitest the retreats of the crag, the height of his habitation, - that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
As for thee also, - By the blood of thy covenant, have I sent forth thy prisoners out of a pit, wherein is no water.
Jesus, therefore, again, being indignant within himself, cometh unto the tomb. Now it was a cave, and, a stone, was lying thereon.
Hastings
The soft limestone hills of Palestine abound in caves, natural and artificial; and these must have attracted attention from a very early period. The aboriginal race of Horites were cave-dwellers, and the excavation at Gezer has revealed remains of a probably analogous race in W. Palestine. Lot (Ge 19:30) and David (1Sa 22:1 etc.) dwelt for a time in caves; and their use as places of hiding and refuge is illustrated by many passages, e.g., Jos 10:16; Jg 6:2; 1Ki 18:4 etc. Caves were also used, at all periods in the history of Palestine, for sepulture, as in the case of Machpelah (Ge 23). Probably the most remarkable series of caves yet discovered in Palestine are the great labyrinths tunnelled in the bills round Beit Jibrin; one of these, in Tell Sandahannah, contains sixty chambers, united by doors and passages, and groups containing fourteen or fifteen chambers are quite common in the same hill. Another artificial cave near Beit Jibrin contains a hall 80 ft. high and 400 ft. long; it has now fallen in. Other groups of caves, only less extensive, occur in various parts of Palestine on both sides of the Jordan. Little or nothing is known about the history of these great excavations; no definite information about their origin has yet been yielded by them, so far as they have been scientifically explored.
R. A. S. Macalister.
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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, so he dwelt in a cave, he, and his two daughters.
So these five kings fled, - and hid themselves in a cave, at Makkedah.
and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, - because of Midian, did the sons of Israel prepare for themselves the hollows which were in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
David therefore departed thence, and escaped, into the cave of Adullam, - and, when his brethren and all the household of his father heard it, they went down unto him, thither.
Smith
Cave.
The most remarkable caves noticed in Scripture are, that in which Lot dwelt after the destruction of Sodom,
the cave of Machpelah,
cave of Makkedah,
cave of Adullam,
cave od Engedi,
Obadiah's cave,
Elijah's cave in Horeb,
the rock sepulchres of Lazarus and of our Lord.
Mt 27:60; Joh 11:38
Caves were used for temporary dwelling-places and for tombs.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
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, so he dwelt in a cave, he, and his two daughters.
So was con-firmed the field of Ephron, which is in Machpelah, which is before Mamre, - the field and the cave which is therein, and all the timber which was in the field, which was in all the boundary thereof round about,
And Yahweh confused them before Israel, and smote them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, - and chased them along the way that goeth up Beth-horon, and smote them as far as Azekah and as far as Makkedah.
David therefore departed thence, and escaped, into the cave of Adullam, - and, when his brethren and all the household of his father heard it, they went down unto him, thither.
And he came into the sheep-folds by the way, there, being a cave, which Saul entered, to cover his feet, - David and his men, in the hinder part of the cave, having taken up their abode.
And so it came to pass, when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of Yahweh, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifties in caves, and sustained them, with bread and water.
And he entered, there, into a cave, and lodged there, - and lo! the word of Yahweh came unto him, and said to him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock, and, rolling near a large stone unto the door of the tomb, departed.
Jesus, therefore, again, being indignant within himself, cometh unto the tomb. Now it was a cave, and, a stone, was lying thereon.