Reference: Pit
American
A reservoir, either natural or artificial, for water. Pits were sometimes used as dungeons, Ge 37:20; Jer 38:6; or being slightly covered, and baited, they served as traps to catch wild beasts, a device which illustrates the plots of designing men and women, Ps 119:85; Pr 22:14; 26:27; Eze 19:4. The word pit is also used to denote the grave, Ps 28:1; 30:3,9; and hell, Re 20:1.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
come now and let us slay him and cast him into some pit, and let us say that some wicked beast hath devoured him, and let us see what his dreams will come to."
{A Psalm of David} Unto thee will I cry, O LORD, my strength; think no scorn of me, lest, if thou make as though thou hearest not, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Thou, LORD, hast brought my soul out of hell: thou hast kept my life from them that go down to the pit.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down into the pit? Shall the dust give thanks unto thee? Or shall it declare thy truth?
The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.
The mouth of a harlot is a deep pit; wherein he falleth that the LORD is angry withal.
Whoso diggeth up a pit, shall fall therein; and he that weltereth a stone, shall stumble upon it himself.
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that dwelt in the fore entry of the prison. And they let down Jeremiah with cords into a dungeon, where there was no water, but mire.
The heathen heard of him, and took him in their nets, and brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.
Easton
a hole in the ground (Ex 21:33-34), a cistern for water (Ge 37:24; Jer 14:3), a vault (Jer 41:9), a grave (Ps 30:3). It is used as a figure for mischief (Ps 9:15), and is the name given to the unseen place of woe (Re 20:1,3). The slime-pits in the vale of Siddim were wells which yielded asphalt (Ge 14:10).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And that vale of Siddim was full of slime pits. And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there. And the residue fled to the mountains.
and they took him and cast him into a pit. But the pit was empty and had no water therein.
"If a man open a well or dig a pit and cover it not, but that an ox or an ass fall therein, the owner of the pit shall make it good and give money unto their master, and the dead beast shall be his.
The Heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made; in the same net which they hid privily, is their own foot taken.
Thou, LORD, hast brought my soul out of hell: thou hast kept my life from them that go down to the pit.
The lords shall send their servants to fetch water, and when they come to the wells, they shall find no water, but shall carry their vessels home empty. They shall be ashamed and confounded, and shall cover their heads.
Now the pit wherein Ishmael did cast the dead bodies of the men whom he slew because of Gedaliah, had king Asa caused to be made, for fear of Baasha the king of Israel, and the same pit did Ishmael fill with slain men.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.
and cast him into the bottomless pit, and he bound him, and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the people no more, till the thousand years were fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed for a little season.
Fausets
(1) She'ol, "Hades"; the covered, unseen world. (See HELL.)
(2) Shachath, "sunk and lightly covered [pit]" to entrap animals (Ps 9:16; 35:7); typifying "hopeless doom" (Job 33:18,24,28,30).
(3) Bor, "a pit or cistern once full of water, now empty", with miry clay beneath (Ps 40:2; Zec 9:11); used as dungeon wherein the captive has no water or food; so Jeremiah (Jer 38:6,9), Isa 51:14; hence symbolizing "the dishonored grave of the once haughty transgressor", with the idea of condign [deserved; appropriate] punishment in the unseen world, shadowed forth by the ignominious state of the body (Eze 31:14,16; 32:18,24). (See ABYSS on the "bottomless pit": Re 9:1-2; 20:1-2.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
keepeth his soul from destruction, and his life from the sword.
then the LORD is merciful unto him, and sayeth, 'He shall be delivered, that he fall not down to destruction, for I am sufficiently reconciled.'
Yea, he hath delivered my soul from destruction, and my life, that it seeth the light.'
that he keepeth his soul from perishing, and letteth him enjoy the light of the living.
The LORD is known to execute judgment; the ungodly is trapped in the work of his own hands. Selah.
For they have privily laid their net to destroy me without a cause; yea, and made a pit for my soul, which I never deserved.
He brought me out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings.
It cometh on fast, it maketh haste to appear: It shall not perish, that it should not be able to destroy, neither shall it fail for fault of nourishing.
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that dwelt in the fore entry of the prison. And they let down Jeremiah with cords into a dungeon, where there was no water, but mire.
"My lord the king, whereas these men meddle with Jeremiah the prophet, they do him wrong: Namely, in that they have put him in prison, there to die of hunger for there is no more bread in the city."
so that from henceforth, no tree in the water shall attain to his highness, nor reach his top unto the clouds, neither shall any tree of the water stand so high, as he hath done. For unto death shall they all be delivered under the earth, and go down to the grave, like other men.
I will make the Heathen shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell, with them that descend into the pit. All the trees of Eden, with all the chosen and best trees of Lebanon, yea, and all they that are planted upon the waters, shall mourn with him also in the lower habitations:
"Thou son of man, Take up a lamentation upon the people of Egypt, and cast them down, yea and the mighty people of the Heathen also, even with them that dwell beneath: and with them that go down into the grave.
There is Elam also with all his people, and their graves round about: which all being wounded and slain with the sword, are gone down uncircumcised under the earth. Which, nevertheless, sometime brought fear into the land of the living: for the which they bear their shame, with the others that be gone down to the grave.
Thou also, through the blood of thy covenant, shalt let thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water.
And the fifth angel blew, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened by the reason of the smoke of the pit.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he took the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and he bound him a thousand years:
Hastings
Of the dozen Heb. words, besides two Gr. words in NT, rendered 'pit' in English Version, the following are the most important.
1. The term b
See Verses Found in Dictionary
come now and let us slay him and cast him into some pit, and let us say that some wicked beast hath devoured him, and let us see what his dreams will come to."
"If a man open a well or dig a pit and cover it not, but that an ox or an ass fall therein,
Neverthelater, yet the fountains and wells and ponds of water, shall be clean still. But whosoever toucheth their carcasses, shall be unclean.
And when the men of Israel saw themselves in a strait, and that the people were encumbered, they hid themselves in caves, in privy holes, in rocks, dens and pits.
And when the men of Israel saw themselves in a strait, and that the people were encumbered, they hid themselves in caves, in privy holes, in rocks, dens and pits.
Behold, he lurketh now in some cave or in some other place. And thereto, though some of his men be overthrown at the first brunt, yet they that hear it will think the people that followeth Absalom be put to the worse.
And they took Absalom and cast him into a great pit that was in the wood, and cast a mighty great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled every man to his tent.
{A Psalm of David} Unto thee will I cry, O LORD, my strength; think no scorn of me, lest, if thou make as though thou hearest not, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Let us swallow them up like the hell, let us devour them quick and whole, as those that go down into the pit.
Yet dare I say, that thou shalt be brought down to the deep of hell.
Fearfulness, the pit, and the snare are upon thee, O thou that dwellest upon the earth.
Fear, pit, and snare shall come upon thee, O Moab, sayeth the LORD.
Fear and snare is come upon us; yea, despite and destruction.
The heathen heard of him, and took him in their nets, and brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.
Then came the heathen together on every side out of all countries against him, laid their nets for him, and took him in their pit.
But he that received the one, went and digged a pit in the earth and hid his master's money.
And he began to speak unto them in similitudes. "A certain man planted a vineyard, and compassed it with a hedge, and ordained a winepress, and built a tower in it, and let it out to hire unto husbandmen, and went into a strange country.
And answered them, saying, "Which of you shall have an ass, or an ox, fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day?"
And the fifth angel blew, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Morish
There are several Hebrew words translated 'pit.' The principal are:
1. sheol, 'the grave, hades, hell.' Nu 16:30,33; Job 17:16.
2. shachath, 'a pit, a pitfall to entrap animals,' place of doom and corruption. Job 33:18,24,28,30; Ps 9:15; 30:9; 35:7; Eze 28:8; etc.
3. bor, beer, 'pit or well dug for water,' but which could be used for a dungeon. Ge 37:20-29; Ps 28:1; 40:2; 88:4,6; Eze 26:20; Zec 9:11; etc. See BOTTOMLESS PIT.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
come now and let us slay him and cast him into some pit, and let us say that some wicked beast hath devoured him, and let us see what his dreams will come to." When Reuben heard that, he went about to rid him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him." read more. And Reuben said moreover unto them, "Shed not his blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hands upon him." For he would have rid him out of their hands and delivered him to his father again. And as soon as Joseph was come unto his brethren, they stripped him out of his gay coat that was upon him, and they took him and cast him into a pit. But the pit was empty and had no water therein. And they sat them down to eat bread. And as they lift up their eyes and looked about, there came a company of Ishmaelites from Gilead, and their camels laden with spicery, balm, and myrrh, and were going down into Egypt. Then said Judah to his brethren, "What availeth it that we slay our brother, and keep his blood secret? Come on, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hands be defiled upon him: for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brethren were content. Then as the Midianites merchant men passed by, they drew Joseph out of the pit and sold him unto the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought him into Egypt. And when Reuben came again unto the pit and found not Joseph there, he rent his clothes,
But and if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth and swallow them and all that pertain unto them, so that they go down quick in to hell: then ye shall understand, that these men have railed upon the LORD."
And they and all that pertained unto them, went down alive unto hell, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation.
All that I have, shall go down into the pit, and lie with me in the dust."
keepeth his soul from destruction, and his life from the sword.
then the LORD is merciful unto him, and sayeth, 'He shall be delivered, that he fall not down to destruction, for I am sufficiently reconciled.'
Yea, he hath delivered my soul from destruction, and my life, that it seeth the light.'
that he keepeth his soul from perishing, and letteth him enjoy the light of the living.
The Heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made; in the same net which they hid privily, is their own foot taken.
{A Psalm of David} Unto thee will I cry, O LORD, my strength; think no scorn of me, lest, if thou make as though thou hearest not, I become like them that go down into the pit.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down into the pit? Shall the dust give thanks unto thee? Or shall it declare thy truth?
For they have privily laid their net to destroy me without a cause; yea, and made a pit for my soul, which I never deserved.
He brought me out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings.
I am counted as one of them that go down into the pit, and I am even as a man that hath no strength;
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in a place of darkness and in the deep.
Then will I cast thee down unto them, that descend into the pit, unto a people that hath been long dead, and set thee in a land that is beneath, like the old wilderness, with them which go down to their graves, so that no man shall dwell more in thee. And I will make thee to be no more in honor, in the land of the living.
They shall cast thee down to the pit, so that thou shalt die in the midst of the sea,
Thou also, through the blood of thy covenant, shalt let thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water.
Smith
Pit.
[HELL]
See Hell