20 Bible Verses about Caves As Places Of Refuge

And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.

David therefore departed from there, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

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.

But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah. And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them:

And he struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock of Etam. Then the Philistines went up, and encamped in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. And the men of Judah said, Why are you come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he has done to us.read more.
Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, Know you not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that you have done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself: and David and his men remained in the recesses of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it shall seem good unto you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe stealthily.read more.
And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart troubled him, because he had cut off Saul's robe. And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David restrained his servants with these words, and allowed them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. And David said to Saul, Why hear you men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks your hurt? Behold, this day your eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered you today into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill you: but my eye spared you; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of your robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe, and killed you not, know you and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you; yet you hunt my soul to take it. The LORD judge between me and you, and the LORD avenge me of you: but my hand shall not be upon you. As says the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked: but my hand shall not be upon you. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom do you pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand. And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, you are more righteous than I: for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how that you have dealt well with me: for when the LORD had delivered me into your hand, you killed me not. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? therefore the LORD reward you with good for what you have done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house. And David swore unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men got themselves up unto the stronghold.

Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of the people fall at the first attack, that whosoever hears it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the animals. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.read more.
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Are you my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am: go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found you not. And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the spirit of the LORD shall carry you I know not where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he shall slay me: but I your servant fear the LORD from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

And he came there unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What do you here, Elijah?

[To the Chief Musician, altaschith. A michtam of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave.] Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in you: yea, in the shadow of your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities have passed.

[A maschil of David. A prayer when he was in the cave.] I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.

And they shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake mightily the earth. In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake mightily the earth.

O you that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that makes her nest in the sides of the cave's mouth.

Flee you, turn back, dwell in the depths, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will punish him.

Say you thus unto them, Thus says the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the waste places shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that are in the strongholds and in the caves shall die of the pestilence.

(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the generals, and the mighty men, and every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;